Enrollment
343
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Big Spring, TX
Forsan El
Federal NCES profile for Forsan El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 481962001812
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forsan El earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #1 of 9
- public schools in Big Spring · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 40.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Forsan El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forsan El ranks #1 of 9 public schools in Big Spring, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forsan El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forsan El
Forsan El is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Big Spring, Texas, enrolling 343 students.
At 14.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 40.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 343 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 735 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #208.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (38%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 343 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district, Forsan Isd, also runs Forsan H S (352 students).
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 Forsan El compares
Forsan 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 | 14.3:1 | ▼ 3% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.4% | ▼ 35% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 343 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
343
Bigger than 39% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 51% in Texas - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
9.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$11,761
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 343 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.5 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 55.4%
Hispanic or Latino 37.9%
Two or More 3.2%
African American 1.5%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: White at 55.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.8, Forsan El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forsan Isd, which includes Forsan El.
$11,761
Per student
-14%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 71.2%
State 21.0%
Federal 7.8%
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 Forsan El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forsan H S | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forsan El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
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 (~343 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forsan El's federal record.
- Compare Forsan El against another school. Compare schools
- Forsan 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 Forsan El
How many students attend Forsan El?
Forsan El has 343 students enrolled. It is a public school in Big Spring, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forsan El?
The student-teacher ratio at Forsan El is 14.3:1, which is 3% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forsan El?
40.4% of students at Forsan El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forsan El?
The largest demographic group at Forsan El is White at 55.4% of enrollment, in Big Spring, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forsan El?
Forsan El has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher 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 Forsan El rank among public schools in Big Spring?
By Resource Investment Index, Forsan El ranks #1 of 9 public schools in Big Spring, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Big Spring on the city page.
Is Forsan El a good school?
Forsan El earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Forsan Isd?
Besides Forsan El, Forsan Isd also operates Forsan H S (352 students). See the Forsan 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.