Enrollment
343
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Spearman, TX
Gus Birdwell El
Federal NCES profile for Gus Birdwell El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 62/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 484101004663
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 86
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gus Birdwell El earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Texas schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Spearman · Resource Index
- 62
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.8:1
- small classes for Texas
- 52.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Gus Birdwell El has class sizes smaller than 91% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gus Birdwell El ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Spearman, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.1%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gus Birdwell El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gus Birdwell El
Gus Birdwell El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Spearman, Texas, enrolling 343 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.8:1, Gus Birdwell El is leaner than roughly 91% of Texas schools and 33% under the state's 14.7:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 52.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 343 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 960 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #52, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (68%) and White (31%) (diversity index 45/100).
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 5.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Spearman Isd also operates Spearman H S (189 students) and Spearman J H (160 students) alongside Gus Birdwell 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 Gus Birdwell El compares
Gus Birdwell 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 | 9.8:1 | ▼ 33% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.1% | ▼ 16% | 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
9.8:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
343
Bigger than 39% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% 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
9.8:1
students per teacher
- 33% below state mean
Top 9% in Texas - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
5.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$14,126
per pupil, district-wide
- above Texas avg of $13,644
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints 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
22
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.4 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
Hispanic or Latino 67.6%
White 30.6%
Two or More 1.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 67.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.9, Gus Birdwell El is about as mixed as the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spearman Isd, which includes Gus Birdwell El.
$14,126
Per student
+4%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.3%
State 48.7%
Federal 11.9%
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 Gus Birdwell El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spearman H S | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Spearman J H | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gus Birdwell El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 189
- Students per teacher
- 7.9:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
- Enrollment
- 160
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 68/100
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)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gus Birdwell El's federal record.
- Compare Gus Birdwell El against another school. Compare schools
- Spearman 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 Gus Birdwell El
How many students attend Gus Birdwell El?
Gus Birdwell El has 343 students enrolled. It is a public school in Spearman, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gus Birdwell El?
The student-teacher ratio at Gus Birdwell El is 9.8:1, which is 33% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 38% 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 Gus Birdwell El?
52.1% of students at Gus Birdwell El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gus Birdwell El?
The largest demographic group at Gus Birdwell El is Hispanic or Latino at 67.6% of enrollment, in Spearman, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gus Birdwell El?
Gus Birdwell El has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (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 Gus Birdwell El rank among public schools in Spearman?
By Resource Investment Index, Gus Birdwell El ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Spearman, 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 Spearman on the city page.
Is Gus Birdwell El a good school?
Gus Birdwell El earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% 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 Spearman Isd?
Besides Gus Birdwell El, Spearman Isd also operates Spearman H S (189 students) and Spearman J H (160 students). See the Spearman 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.