Enrollment
452
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 483890004445
Irene C Cardwell El — Del Rio, TX
Federal NCES profile for Irene C Cardwell El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 24/100.
👥 Class size 19
🌟 Gifted program 30
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: San Felipe-Del Rio Cisd · 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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.3:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+39% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
92.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Irene C Cardwell 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
Irene C Cardwell El reports 452 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 39% 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 28% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 92.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 49% above the Texas average and 79% above the national baseline.
On the finance side, the surrounding San Felipe-Del Rio Cisd spends $13,510 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 18.8% from local sources (property taxes), 53.1% from the state, and 28.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (F), calculated from 2 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 Irene C Cardwell 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 | 20.3:1 | ▲ 39% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 92.5% | ▲ 49% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 452 | top 43% | — | — |
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
92.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 49% 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
20.3:1
students per teacher
— 39% above state mean
Top 96% in Texas — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$13,510
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 452 Top 43% in Texas — larger than 57% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 20.3:1 +39% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 92.5% +49% vs state
NCES ID 483890004445
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 94.9%
White 4.2%
African American 0.4%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 94.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Felipe-Del Rio Cisd, which includes Irene C Cardwell El.
$13,510
Per student
-21%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 18.8%
State 53.1%
Federal 28.1%
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
- 2,447
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,347
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 671
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 635
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 623
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
Similar other schools in Del Rio
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Irene C Cardwell El
How many students attend Irene C Cardwell El?
Irene C Cardwell El has 452 students enrolled. It is a other school in DEL RIO, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Irene C Cardwell El?
The student-teacher ratio at Irene C Cardwell El is 20.3:1, which is 39% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 28% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Irene C Cardwell El?
92.5% of students at Irene C Cardwell El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Irene C Cardwell El?
The largest demographic group at Irene C Cardwell El is Hispanic or Latino at 94.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in DEL RIO, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Irene C Cardwell El?
Irene C Cardwell El has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (F) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.