Enrollment
240
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Garland, TX
Handley El
Federal NCES profile for Handley El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 482034002026
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 76
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Handley El earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #3 of 12
- elementary schools in Garland · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 76.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Handley El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Handley El ranks #3 of 12 elementary schools in Garland, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-4% 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
What stands out at Handley El
Handley El is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Garland, Texas, enrolling 240 students.
At 14.1:1, 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 above the state's typical profile, with 76.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 240 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 626 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #330.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 120 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
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 Handley 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 Handley El compares
Handley 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 | 14.1:1 | ▼ 4% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.7% | ▲ 24% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 240 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
240
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
- 4% below state mean
Top 49% in Texas - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
46.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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
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
- 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Garland Isd, which includes Handley 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 Handley El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sachse H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| N Garland H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Garland H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rowlett H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lakeview Centennial H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Handley 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 elementary 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 (~240 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Handley El's federal record.
- Compare Handley 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 Handley El
How many students attend Handley El?
Handley El has 240 students enrolled. It is an 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 4% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 10% 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 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 (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 Handley El rank among elementary schools in Garland?
By Resource Investment Index, Handley El ranks #3 of 12 elementary 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 elementary schools in Garland on the city page.
Is Handley El a good school?
Handley El earns 47/100 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 Garland Isd?
Besides Handley 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.