Enrollment
355
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Riesel, TX
Foster El
Federal NCES profile for Foster El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483711008869
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Foster El earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of Texas schools.
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.8:1
- large classes for Texas
- 50.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 355
- students enrolled
Foster El has class sizes larger than 85% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.8%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Foster El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Foster El
Foster El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Riesel, Texas, enrolling 355 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 50.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 355 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 960 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #861, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (68%) and Hispanic or Latino (24%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 710 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Riesel Isd spends $10,796 per pupil, 21% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Its district, Riesel Isd, also runs Riesel School (334 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 Foster El compares
Foster 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 | 17.8:1 | ▲ 21% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.8% | ▼ 18% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 355 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
355
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
50.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% 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
17.8:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 85% in Texas - lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,796
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 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
White 67.6%
Hispanic or Latino 23.7%
Two or More 4.5%
African American 3.9%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 67.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.3, Foster El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Riesel Isd, which includes Foster El.
$10,796
Per student
-21%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.8%
State 43.9%
Federal 10.3%
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 Foster El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riesel School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Foster El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 334
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~355 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Foster El's federal record.
- Compare Foster El against another school. Compare schools
- Riesel 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 Foster El
How many students attend Foster El?
Foster El has 355 students enrolled. It is a public school in Riesel, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Foster El?
The student-teacher ratio at Foster El is 17.8:1, which is 21% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Foster El?
50.8% of students at Foster El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Foster El?
The largest demographic group at Foster El is White at 67.6% of enrollment, in Riesel, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Foster El?
Foster El has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical 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).
Is Foster El a good school?
Foster El earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of 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 Riesel Isd?
Besides Foster El, Riesel Isd also operates Riesel School (334 students). See the Riesel 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.