Enrollment
531
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Richardson, TX
Mark Twain El
Federal NCES profile for Mark Twain El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483702004163
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mark Twain El earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #5 of 13
- schools in Richardson · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.6:1
- students per teacher
- 72.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Mark Twain El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mark Twain El ranks #5 of 13 schools in Richardson, TX.
School address
District: Richardson Isd · Texas
NCES ID 483702004163 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mark Twain El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mark Twain El
Mark Twain El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Richardson, Texas, enrolling 531 students.
At 13.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 72.5% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 531 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,947 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #104, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (79%) and African American (10%) (diversity index 37/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 266 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 15.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Richardson Isd also operates Lake Highlands H S (2,972 students) and Richardson H S (2,669 students) alongside Mark Twain 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 Mark Twain El compares
Mark Twain 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 | 13.6:1 | ▼ 7% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.5% | ▲ 17% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 531 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
531
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
72.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 42% in Texas - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.9%
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
$11,721
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 266 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 78.5%
African American 9.8%
White 7.5%
Asian 1.9%
Two or More 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 78.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.8, Mark Twain El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richardson Isd, which includes Mark Twain El.
$11,721
Per student
-14%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 69.7%
State 15.3%
Federal 15.0%
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 Mark Twain El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Highlands H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Richardson H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Berkner H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pearce H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Forest Meadow J H | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mark Twain El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,972
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,669
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 2,350
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,317
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,211
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
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 (~531 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mark Twain El's federal record.
- Compare Mark Twain El against another school. Compare schools
- Richardson 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 Mark Twain El
How many students attend Mark Twain El?
Mark Twain El has 531 students enrolled. It is a public school in Richardson, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mark Twain El?
The student-teacher ratio at Mark Twain El is 13.6:1, which is 7% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 13% 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 Mark Twain El?
72.5% of students at Mark Twain El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mark Twain El?
The largest demographic group at Mark Twain El is Hispanic or Latino at 78.5% of enrollment, in Richardson, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mark Twain El?
Mark Twain El has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher 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 Mark Twain El rank among schools in Richardson?
By Resource Investment Index, Mark Twain El ranks #5 of 13 schools in Richardson, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Richardson on the city page.
Is Mark Twain El a good school?
Mark Twain El earns 53/100 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 Richardson Isd?
Besides Mark Twain El, Richardson Isd also operates Lake Highlands H S (2,972 students), Richardson H S (2,669 students), and Berkner H S (2,350 students). See the Richardson 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.