Enrollment
265
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 484248006049
Paul Laurence Dunbar Early Education Center — Texarkana, TX
Federal NCES profile for Paul Laurence Dunbar Early Education Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
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: Texarkana 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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Paul Laurence Dunbar Early Education Center 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
Paul Laurence Dunbar Early Education Center reports 265 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% 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 15% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 96.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 56% above the Texas average and 86% above the national baseline.
On the finance side, the surrounding Texarkana Isd spends $13,908 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.7% from local sources (property taxes), 46.6% from the state, and 22.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), calculated from 2 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 Paul Laurence Dunbar Early Education Center 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 8% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.6% | ▲ 56% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 265 | top 21% | — | — |
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
96.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 56% 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 34% in Texas — lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$13,908
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 265 Top 21% in Texas — larger than 79% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 13.5:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 96.6% +56% vs state
NCES ID 484248006049
Student demographics
African American 80.8%
Two or More 8.3%
Hispanic or Latino 6.0%
White 3.0%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 80.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Texarkana Isd, which includes Paul Laurence Dunbar Early Education Center.
$13,908
Per student
-19%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 30.7%
State 46.6%
Federal 22.7%
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
- 1,750
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,421
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Enrollment
- 667
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 539
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 471
- Students per teacher
- —
Similar other schools in Texarkana
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Margaret Fischer Davis El
Standard public school
494 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Digital Academy of Texas
Alternative education program
471 students
Highland Park El
Standard public school
427 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
Spring Lake Park El
Standard public school
334 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Liberty-Eylau Early Childhood Center
Standard public school
269 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Leary El
Standard public school
119 students 9.3:1 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 Paul Laurence Dunbar Early Education Center
How many students attend Paul Laurence Dunbar Early Education Center?
Paul Laurence Dunbar Early Education Center has 265 students enrolled. It is a other school in TEXARKANA, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paul Laurence Dunbar Early Education Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Paul Laurence Dunbar Early Education Center is 13.5:1, which is 8% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 15% 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 Paul Laurence Dunbar Early Education Center?
96.6% of students at Paul Laurence Dunbar Early Education Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Paul Laurence Dunbar Early Education Center?
The largest demographic group at Paul Laurence Dunbar Early Education Center is African American at 80.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in TEXARKANA, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paul Laurence Dunbar Early Education Center?
Paul Laurence Dunbar Early Education Center has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.