Enrollment
483
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 482703007497
Lois F Giddens El — Cedar Park, TX
Federal NCES profile for Lois F Giddens El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 37
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: Leander 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)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lois F Giddens 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
Lois F Giddens El reports 483 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 41.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% below the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 26% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 48.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 22% below the Texas average and 6% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 242 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Leander Isd spends $13,775 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 78.1% from local sources (property taxes), 12.6% from the state, and 9.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), 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 Lois F Giddens 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 19% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.5% | ▼ 22% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 483 | top 48% | — | — |
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
48.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 22% 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
11.8:1
students per teacher
— 19% below state mean
Top 17% in Texas — lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
25.3%
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
$13,775
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 242 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 483 Top 48% in Texas — larger than 52% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 41.0
Students per teacher 11.8:1 -19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 48.5% -22% vs state
NCES ID 482703007497
Student demographics
White 35.2%
Hispanic or Latino 26.9%
Asian 15.5%
Two or More 12.2%
African American 9.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 35.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 242:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.3%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Leander Isd, which includes Lois F Giddens El.
$13,775
Per student
-20%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 78.1%
State 12.6%
Federal 9.3%
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
- 2,480
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 2,437
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,260
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,155
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,131
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
Similar other schools in Cedar Park
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Ronald Reagan El
Standard public school
800 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
C C Mason El
Standard public school
691 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Patricia Knowles El
Standard public school
683 students 11.5:1 students per teacher
Deer Creek El
Standard public school
638 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Charlotte Cox El
Standard public school
534 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Cypress El
Standard public school
506 students 13.5:1 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 Lois F Giddens El
How many students attend Lois F Giddens El?
Lois F Giddens El has 483 students enrolled. It is a other school in CEDAR PARK, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lois F Giddens El?
The student-teacher ratio at Lois F Giddens El is 11.8:1, which is 19% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 26% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lois F Giddens El?
48.5% of students at Lois F Giddens El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lois F Giddens El?
The largest demographic group at Lois F Giddens El is White at 35.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in CEDAR PARK, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lois F Giddens El?
Lois F Giddens El has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) 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.