Enrollment
399
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 483025012403
John F Kennedy El — Mercedes, TX
Federal NCES profile for John F Kennedy El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 27
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: Mercedes 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
92.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How John F Kennedy 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
John F Kennedy El reports 399 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% 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 0% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 92.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 50% above the Texas average and 79% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 200 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 29.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mercedes Isd spends $15,142 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 13.0% from local sources (property taxes), 54.9% from the state, and 32.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 John F Kennedy 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 | 15.9:1 | ▲ 9% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 92.9% | ▲ 50% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 399 | top 36% | — | — |
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
92.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 50% 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
15.9:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 70% in Texas — lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.1%
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
$15,142
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 200 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 10 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 399 Top 36% in Texas — larger than 64% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 15.9:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 92.9% +50% vs state
NCES ID 483025012403
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 99.2%
White 0.5%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 99.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 200:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 29.1%
In-school suspensions 16
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Expulsions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mercedes Isd, which includes John F Kennedy El.
$15,142
Per student
-12%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 13.0%
State 54.9%
Federal 32.1%
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
- 903
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 518
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 478
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 468
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 406
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
Similar other schools in Mercedes
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Mercedes H S
Standard public school
903 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Travis El
Standard public school
478 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Ruben Hinojosa El
Standard public school
468 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Taylor El
Standard public school
406 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
South Texas Isd Virtual Academy
Standard public school
212 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Mercedes Early Literacy Program
Standard public school
189 students 37.8:1 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 John F Kennedy El
How many students attend John F Kennedy El?
John F Kennedy El has 399 students enrolled. It is a other school in MERCEDES, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John F Kennedy El?
The student-teacher ratio at John F Kennedy El is 15.9:1, which is 9% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at John F Kennedy El?
92.9% of students at John F Kennedy El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of John F Kennedy El?
The largest demographic group at John F Kennedy El is Hispanic or Latino at 99.2%. The school serves a student body in MERCEDES, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for John F Kennedy El?
John F Kennedy El has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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.