Enrollment
438
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 483274003617
Nixon Smiley El — Smiley, TX
Federal NCES profile for Nixon Smiley El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 45
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: Nixon-Smiley Cisd · 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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
83.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nixon Smiley 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
Nixon Smiley El reports 438 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% 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 10% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 83.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% above the Texas average and 61% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 438 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 21.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Nixon-Smiley Cisd spends $15,844 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 54.2% from local sources (property taxes), 23.6% from the state, and 22.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Nixon Smiley 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 | 14.3:1 | ▼ 2% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 83.6% | ▲ 35% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 438 | top 41% | — | — |
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
83.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 35% 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
— 2% below state mean
Top 46% in Texas — lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
21.9%
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
$15,844
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 438 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 438 Top 41% in Texas — larger than 59% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 14.3:1 -2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 83.6% +35% vs state
NCES ID 483274003617
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 71.0%
White 23.7%
Two or More 3.0%
African American 1.4%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 71.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 438:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.9%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Nixon-Smiley Cisd, which includes Nixon Smiley El.
$15,844
Per student
-8%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 54.2%
State 23.6%
Federal 22.2%
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
- 295
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Enrollment
- 280
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2
- Students per teacher
- 1.3:1
Similar other schools in Smiley
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Nixon Smiley El
How many students attend Nixon Smiley El?
Nixon Smiley El has 438 students enrolled. It is a other school in SMILEY, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nixon Smiley El?
The student-teacher ratio at Nixon Smiley El is 14.3:1, which is 2% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 10% 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 Nixon Smiley El?
83.6% of students at Nixon Smiley El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nixon Smiley El?
The largest demographic group at Nixon Smiley El is Hispanic or Latino at 71.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in SMILEY, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nixon Smiley El?
Nixon Smiley El has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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.