Enrollment
643
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Garland, TX
Golden Meadows El
Federal NCES profile for Golden Meadows El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482034002025
👥 S:T ratio 17
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Golden Meadows El earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Texas schools.
- #24 of 39
- schools in Garland · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.7:1
- large classes for Texas
- 85.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Golden Meadows El has class sizes larger than 94% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Golden Meadows El ranks #24 of 39 schools in Garland, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.7:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Golden Meadows El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Golden Meadows El
Golden Meadows El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Garland, Texas, enrolling 643 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.7:1 is larger than about 94% of Texas schools and 41% 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 85.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 643 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.
Against 2,129 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,052.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (80%) and African American (9%) (diversity index 35/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 643 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 18.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Garland Isd also operates Sachse H S (2,935 students) and N Garland H S (2,929 students) alongside Golden Meadows 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 Golden Meadows El compares
Golden Meadows 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 | 20.7:1 | ▲ 41% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.5% | ▲ 38% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 643 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.7:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
643
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
20.7:1
students per teacher
- 41% above state mean
Top 94% in Texas - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
14.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,092
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 643 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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
Hispanic or Latino 79.8%
African American 9.3%
White 6.7%
Asian 2.8%
Two or More 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 79.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.9, Golden Meadows El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Garland Isd, which includes Golden Meadows El.
$11,092
Per student
-19%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.7%
State 37.7%
Federal 18.6%
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 Golden Meadows El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sachse H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| N Garland H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Garland H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Rowlett H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lakeview Centennial H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Golden Meadows El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,935
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 2,929
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 2,335
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 2,156
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,073
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~643 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Golden Meadows El's federal record.
- Compare Golden Meadows El against another school. Compare schools
- Garland 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 Golden Meadows El
How many students attend Golden Meadows El?
Golden Meadows El has 643 students enrolled. It is a public school in Garland, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Golden Meadows El?
The student-teacher ratio at Golden Meadows El is 20.7:1, which is 41% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 32% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Golden Meadows El?
85.5% of students at Golden Meadows El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Golden Meadows El?
The largest demographic group at Golden Meadows El is Hispanic or Latino at 79.8% of enrollment, in Garland, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Golden Meadows El?
Golden Meadows 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).
How does Golden Meadows El rank among schools in Garland?
By Resource Investment Index, Golden Meadows El ranks #24 of 39 schools in Garland, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Garland on the city page.
Is Golden Meadows El a good school?
Golden Meadows El earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% 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 Garland Isd?
Besides Golden Meadows El, Garland Isd also operates Sachse H S (2,935 students), N Garland H S (2,929 students), and Garland H S (2,335 students). See the Garland 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.