Enrollment
649
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · El Paso, TX
Polk El
Federal NCES profile for Polk El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 481830005707
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Polk El earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #78 of 129
- schools in El Paso · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.8:1
- students per teacher
- 44.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Polk El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Polk El ranks #78 of 129 schools in El Paso, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.0%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Polk El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Polk El
Polk El is a mid-sized combined-grade school in El Paso, Texas, enrolling 649 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 44.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 649 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,255 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,081, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 649 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 22.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
El Paso Isd also operates Franklin H S (2,835 students) and Coronado H S (2,576 students) alongside Polk 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 Polk El compares
Polk 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 | 15.8:1 | ▲ 7% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.0% | ▼ 29% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 649 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.8:1
Leaner classes than 40% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
649
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 29% 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
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 69% in Texas - lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
25.9%
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
$12,216
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 649 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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 81.7%
White 12.0%
Asian 3.1%
Two or More 1.7%
African American 1.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 81.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.7, Polk El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for El Paso Isd, which includes Polk El.
$12,216
Per student
-10%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.5%
State 44.1%
Federal 22.4%
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 Polk El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Coronado H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chapin H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| El Paso H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hornedo Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Polk El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,835
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 2,576
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,766
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,636
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,442
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~649 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Polk El's federal record.
- Compare Polk El against another school. Compare schools
- El Paso 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 Polk El
How many students attend Polk El?
Polk El has 649 students enrolled. It is a public school in El Paso, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Polk El?
The student-teacher ratio at Polk El is 15.8:1, which is 7% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Polk El?
44.0% of students at Polk El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Polk El?
The largest demographic group at Polk El is Hispanic or Latino at 81.7% of enrollment, in El Paso, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Polk El?
Polk El has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Polk El rank among schools in El Paso?
By Resource Investment Index, Polk El ranks #78 of 129 schools in El Paso, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in El Paso on the city page.
Is Polk El a good school?
Polk El earns 36/100 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 El Paso Isd?
Besides Polk El, El Paso Isd also operates Franklin H S (2,835 students), Coronado H S (2,576 students), and Chapin H S (1,766 students). See the El Paso 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.