Enrollment
642
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 482566009456
Ira Cross Jr El — Killeen, TX
Federal NCES profile for Ira Cross Jr El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 14
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: Killeen 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)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ira Cross Jr 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
Ira Cross Jr El reports 642 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% above the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 7% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 70.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 15% above the Texas average and 37% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 321 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 34.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Killeen Isd spends $13,583 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.6% from local sources (property taxes), 54.7% from the state, and 25.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Ira Cross Jr 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 | 14.8:1 | ▲ 1% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.9% | ▲ 15% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 642 | top 67% | — | — |
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
70.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 15% 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
14.8:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 54% in Texas — lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
34.4%
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
$13,583
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 321 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
55
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 642 Top 67% in Texas — larger than 33% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 14.8:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 70.9% +15% vs state
NCES ID 482566009456
Student demographics
African American 44.2%
Hispanic or Latino 31.8%
Two or More 12.0%
White 9.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 44.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 321:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 34.4%
In-school suspensions 55
Out-of-school suspensions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Killeen Isd, which includes Ira Cross Jr El.
$13,583
Per student
-21%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.6%
State 54.7%
Federal 25.7%
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
- 2,192
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,165
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,083
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,031
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,761
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
Similar other schools in Killeen
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Killeen El
Standard public school
1,091 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Saegert El
Standard public school
940 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Pershing Park El
Standard public school
934 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Alice W Douse El
Standard public school
893 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Clifton Park El
Standard public school
875 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Reeces Creek El
Standard public school
832 students 14:1 students per teacher
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 Ira Cross Jr El
How many students attend Ira Cross Jr El?
Ira Cross Jr El has 642 students enrolled. It is a other school in KILLEEN, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ira Cross Jr El?
The student-teacher ratio at Ira Cross Jr El is 14.8:1, which is 1% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 7% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ira Cross Jr El?
70.9% of students at Ira Cross Jr El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ira Cross Jr El?
The largest demographic group at Ira Cross Jr El is African American at 44.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in KILLEEN, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ira Cross Jr El?
Ira Cross Jr El has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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.