Enrollment
240
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 482034002026
Handley El — Garland, TX
Federal NCES profile for Handley El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 76
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Garland Isd · Texas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.7%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Handley El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Handley El reports 240 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% below the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 76.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 24% above the Texas average and 48% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 120 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 46.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Garland Isd spends $11,836 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 43.7% from local sources (property taxes), 37.7% from the state, and 18.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Handley El compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.1:1 | ▼ 3% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.7% | ▲ 24% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 240 | top 19% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
76.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 24% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
— 3% below state mean
Top 42% in Texas — lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
46.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,836
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 120 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 240 Top 19% in Texas — larger than 81% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 14.1:1 -3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 76.7% +24% vs state
NCES ID 482034002026
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 120:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 46.3%
In-school suspensions 19
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Garland Isd, which includes Handley El.
$11,836
Per student
-31%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,935
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,929
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,335
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 2,156
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 2,073
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
Similar elementary schools in Garland
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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Classical Center at Vial El
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Handley Stem El
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563 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Beaver Technology Center
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Watson Technology Center
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529 students 17:1 students per teacher
Hillside Acad for Excel
Standard public school
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Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Handley El
How many students attend Handley El?
Handley El has 240 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in GARLAND, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Handley El?
The student-teacher ratio at Handley El is 14.1:1, which is 3% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Handley El?
76.7% of students at Handley El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Handley El?
Handley El has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.