Enrollment
641
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Ferris, TX
Lucy Mae Mcdonald El
Federal NCES profile for Lucy Mae Mcdonald El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 481917009220
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lucy Mae Mcdonald El earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Ferris · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.1:1
- students per teacher
- 80.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Lucy Mae Mcdonald El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lucy Mae Mcdonald El ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Ferris, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lucy Mae Mcdonald El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lucy Mae Mcdonald El
Lucy Mae Mcdonald El is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Ferris, Texas, enrolling 641 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 80.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 641 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 2,248 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #359.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (73%) and White (16%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 641 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
13.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Ferris Isd also operates Ferris H S (940 students) and Ferris J H (658 students) alongside Lucy Mae Mcdonald 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 Lucy Mae Mcdonald El compares
Lucy Mae Mcdonald 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 | 13.1:1 | ▼ 11% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.2% | ▲ 30% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 641 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.1:1
Leaner classes than 66% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
641
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
13.1:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 35% in Texas - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
13.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,920
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 641 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
26
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 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
Hispanic or Latino 72.9%
White 15.8%
African American 8.6%
Two or More 2.3%
Asian 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.6, Lucy Mae Mcdonald El is about as mixed as the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ferris Isd, which includes Lucy Mae Mcdonald El.
$12,920
Per student
-5%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.2%
State 62.5%
Federal 14.4%
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 Lucy Mae Mcdonald El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferris H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ferris J H | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lee Longino El | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hazel Ingram El | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ellis County Jjaep | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Lucy Mae Mcdonald El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 940
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 658
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 436
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 335
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 3
- Students per teacher
- -
Similar elementary 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 (~641 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lucy Mae Mcdonald El's federal record.
- Compare Lucy Mae Mcdonald El against another school. Compare schools
- Ferris 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 Lucy Mae Mcdonald El
How many students attend Lucy Mae Mcdonald El?
Lucy Mae Mcdonald El has 641 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Ferris, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lucy Mae Mcdonald El?
The student-teacher ratio at Lucy Mae Mcdonald El is 13.1:1, which is 11% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lucy Mae Mcdonald El?
80.2% of students at Lucy Mae Mcdonald El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lucy Mae Mcdonald El?
The largest demographic group at Lucy Mae Mcdonald El is Hispanic or Latino at 72.9% of enrollment, in Ferris, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lucy Mae Mcdonald El?
Lucy Mae Mcdonald El has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Lucy Mae Mcdonald El rank among public schools in Ferris?
By Resource Investment Index, Lucy Mae Mcdonald El ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Ferris, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Ferris on the city page.
Is Lucy Mae Mcdonald El a good school?
Lucy Mae Mcdonald El earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Ferris Isd?
Besides Lucy Mae Mcdonald El, Ferris Isd also operates Ferris H S (940 students), Ferris J H (658 students), and Lee Longino El (436 students). See the Ferris 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.