Enrollment
974
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Carrollton, TX
Polk Middle
Federal NCES profile for Polk Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 481305007564
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Polk Middle earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #5 of 5
- middle schools in Carrollton · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 64.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Polk Middle has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Polk Middle ranks #5 of 5 middle schools in Carrollton, TX.
School address
District: Carrollton-Farmers Branch Isd · Texas
NCES ID 481305007564 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
75.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Polk Middle compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Polk Middle
Polk Middle is a higher-need, large middle school in Carrollton, Texas, enrolling 974 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 64.5% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 974 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 1,031 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #312.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (68%) and African American (17%) (diversity index 50/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 327 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 197 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 974 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 10 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Carrollton-Farmers Branch Isd also operates Turner H S (2,035 students) and Smith H S (1,971 students) alongside Polk Middle.
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 Middle compares
Polk Middle 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 | ▼ 12% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.5% | ▲ 4% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 974 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
974
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
64.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 34% in Texas - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.8%
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
$12,305
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 327 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
82
in-school suspensions + 115 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 10 expulsions.
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 67.9%
African American 17.4%
White 7.9%
Two or More 4.0%
Asian 2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 67.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.0, Polk Middle is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Carrollton-Farmers Branch Isd, which includes Polk Middle.
$12,305
Per student
-10%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 74.2%
State 12.4%
Federal 13.4%
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 Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turner H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Smith H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Creekview H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Blalack Middle | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ranchview H S | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Polk Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,035
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,971
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,686
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 931
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 899
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar middle 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 (~974 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Polk Middle's federal record.
- Compare Polk Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Carrollton-Farmers Branch 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 Middle
How many students attend Polk Middle?
Polk Middle has 974 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Carrollton, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Polk Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Polk Middle is 13:1, which is 12% 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 Polk Middle?
64.5% of students at Polk Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Polk Middle?
The largest demographic group at Polk Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 67.9% of enrollment, in Carrollton, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Polk Middle?
Polk Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Middle rank among middle schools in Carrollton?
By Resource Investment Index, Polk Middle ranks #5 of 5 middle schools in Carrollton, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Carrollton on the city page.
Is Polk Middle a good school?
Polk Middle earns 43/100 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 Carrollton-Farmers Branch Isd?
Besides Polk Middle, Carrollton-Farmers Branch Isd also operates Turner H S (2,035 students), Smith H S (1,971 students), and Creekview H S (1,686 students). See the Carrollton-Farmers Branch 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.