Enrollment
621
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Abilene, TX
Dyess El
Federal NCES profile for Dyess El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480744000018
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dyess El earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of Texas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #16 of 19
- schools in Abilene · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.8:1
- large classes for Texas
- 67.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Dyess El has class sizes larger than 78% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dyess El ranks #16 of 19 schools in Abilene, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.1%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dyess El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dyess El
Dyess El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Abilene, Texas, enrolling 621 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 67.1% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 621 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,777 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,564, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (41%) and Hispanic or Latino (34%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 621 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 27.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Abilene Isd also operates Abilene H S (1,798 students) and Cooper H S (1,570 students) alongside Dyess 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 Dyess El compares
Dyess 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 | 16.8:1 | ▲ 14% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.1% | ▲ 8% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 621 | top 35% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
621
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% 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
16.8:1
students per teacher
- 14% above state mean
Top 78% in Texas - lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,671
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 621 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
White 40.9%
Hispanic or Latino 33.8%
African American 12.4%
Two or More 10.3%
Asian 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 40.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.2, Dyess El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Abilene Isd, which includes Dyess El.
$11,671
Per student
-14%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.4%
State 40.5%
Federal 27.2%
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 Dyess El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cooper H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mann Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Craig Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Madison Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dyess El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,798
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,570
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 776
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 771
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 770
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar other 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 (~621 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dyess El's federal record.
- Compare Dyess El against another school. Compare schools
- Abilene 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 Dyess El
How many students attend Dyess El?
Dyess El has 621 students enrolled. It is a public school in Abilene, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dyess El?
The student-teacher ratio at Dyess El is 16.8:1, which is 14% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dyess El?
67.1% of students at Dyess El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dyess El?
The largest demographic group at Dyess El is White at 40.9% of enrollment, in Abilene, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dyess El?
Dyess El has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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 Dyess El rank among schools in Abilene?
By Resource Investment Index, Dyess El ranks #16 of 19 schools in Abilene, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Abilene on the city page.
Is Dyess El a good school?
Dyess El earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of Texas schools. It is also more 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 Abilene Isd?
Besides Dyess El, Abilene Isd also operates Abilene H S (1,798 students), Cooper H S (1,570 students), and Mann Middle (776 students). See the Abilene 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.