Enrollment
740
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Arlington, TX
Little El
Federal NCES profile for Little El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480870002049
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Little El earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of Texas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #32 of 63
- schools in Arlington · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.8:1
- large classes for Texas
- 42.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Little El has class sizes larger than 78% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Little El ranks #32 of 63 schools in Arlington, TX.
School address
District: Arlington Isd · Texas
NCES ID 480870002049 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.8%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Little El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Little El
Little El is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Arlington, Texas, enrolling 740 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 42.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 740 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,170 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #898, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (46%) and Hispanic or Latino (26%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 740 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Arlington Isd also operates Martin H S (3,535 students) and Sam Houston H S (3,208 students) alongside Little 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 Little El compares
Little 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 | 16.8:1 | ▲ 14% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.8% | ▼ 31% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 740 | top 23% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
740
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 31% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.8:1
students per teacher
- 14% above state mean
Top 78% in Texas - lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.0%
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
$11,489
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 740 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
33
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.8 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.
Student demographics
White 45.7%
Hispanic or Latino 26.2%
African American 16.2%
Two or More 5.7%
Asian 5.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 45.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.0, Little El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Arlington Isd, which includes Little El.
$11,489
Per student
-16%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 57.0%
State 23.9%
Federal 19.1%
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.
How Little El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sam Houston H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Arlington H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lamar H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bowie H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Little El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,535
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 3,208
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 2,580
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 2,457
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 2,140
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other 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 (~740 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Little El's federal record.
- Compare Little El against another school. Compare schools
- Arlington 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 Little El
How many students attend Little El?
Little El has 740 students enrolled. It is a public school in Arlington, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Little El?
The student-teacher ratio at Little El is 16.8:1, which is 14% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Little El?
42.8% of students at Little El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Little El?
The largest demographic group at Little El is White at 45.7% of enrollment, in Arlington, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Little El?
Little El has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Little El rank among schools in Arlington?
By Resource Investment Index, Little El ranks #32 of 63 schools in Arlington, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Arlington on the city page.
Is Little El a good school?
Little El earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of Texas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools. 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 Arlington Isd?
Besides Little El, Arlington Isd also operates Martin H S (3,535 students), Sam Houston H S (3,208 students), and Arlington H S (2,580 students). See the Arlington 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.