Enrollment
712
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Odessa, TX
Dowling El
Federal NCES profile for Dowling El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 481800001575
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dowling El earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #7 of 17
- elementary schools in Odessa · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 25.4:1
- large classes for Texas
- 84.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Dowling El has class sizes larger than 97% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dowling El ranks #7 of 17 elementary schools in Odessa, TX.
School address
District: Ector County Isd · Texas
NCES ID 481800001575 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25.4:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+73% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.1%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dowling El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dowling El
Dowling El is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Odessa, Texas, enrolling 712 students.
Class loads run heavy: 25.4:1 is larger than about 97% of Texas schools and 73% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 84.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 712 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 91% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 2,025 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,616, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (90% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 18/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 712 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 17.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Ector County Isd also operates Permian H S (4,138 students) and Odessa H S (3,814 students) alongside Dowling El.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Dowling El compares
Dowling El on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 25.4:1 | ▲ 73% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.1% | ▲ 36% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 712 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
25.4:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
712
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
25.4:1
students per teacher
- 73% above state mean
Top 97% in Texas - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
19.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,033
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 712 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 31 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 90.2%
White 5.1%
African American 2.1%
Two or More 1.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 90.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.3, Dowling El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ector County Isd, which includes Dowling El.
$11,033
Per student
-19%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.7%
State 35.4%
Federal 17.9%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Dowling El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permian H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Odessa H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Nimitz Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ector College Prep Success Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wilson & Young Medal of Honor Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dowling El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,138
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 3,814
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,310
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,272
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 1,227
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~712 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~25.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dowling El's federal record.
- Compare Dowling El against another school. Compare schools
- Ector County Isd's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Dowling El
How many students attend Dowling El?
Dowling El has 712 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Odessa, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dowling El?
The student-teacher ratio at Dowling El is 25.4:1, which is 73% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 62% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dowling El?
84.1% of students at Dowling El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dowling El?
The largest demographic group at Dowling El is Hispanic or Latino at 90.2% of enrollment, in Odessa, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dowling El?
Dowling El has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Dowling El rank among elementary schools in Odessa?
By Resource Investment Index, Dowling El ranks #7 of 17 elementary schools in Odessa, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Odessa on the city page.
Is Dowling El a good school?
Dowling El earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Ector County Isd?
Besides Dowling El, Ector County Isd also operates Permian H S (4,138 students), Odessa H S (3,814 students), and Nimitz Middle (1,310 students). See the Ector County Isd district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.