Enrollment
537
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Abilene, TX
Purcell El
Federal NCES profile for Purcell El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 480744000024
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Purcell El earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #9 of 9
- elementary schools in Abilene · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.8:1
- students per teacher
- 80.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Purcell El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Purcell El ranks #9 of 9 elementary schools in Abilene, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.0%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Purcell El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Purcell El
Purcell El is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Abilene, Texas, enrolling 537 students.
At 13.8:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 80.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 537 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 2,267 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,960, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (58%) and White (22%) (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 537 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 27.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Abilene Isd also operates Abilene H S (1,798 students) and Cooper H S (1,570 students) alongside Purcell 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 Purcell El compares
Purcell 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 | 13.8:1 | ▼ 6% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.0% | ▲ 29% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 537 | top 45% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.8:1
Leaner classes than 59% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
537
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 29% 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
13.8:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 45% in Texas - lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
40.2%
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
$11,671
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 537 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
54
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.2 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 57.7%
White 22.0%
African American 15.5%
Two or More 4.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 57.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.3, Purcell El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Abilene Isd, which includes Purcell El.
$11,671
Per student
-14%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.4%
State 40.5%
Federal 27.2%
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.
How Purcell El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cooper H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mann Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Craig Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Madison Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Purcell El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,798
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,570
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 776
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 771
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 770
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar elementary 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 (~537 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Purcell El's federal record.
- Compare Purcell El against another school. Compare schools
- Abilene 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 Purcell El
How many students attend Purcell El?
Purcell El has 537 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Abilene, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Purcell El?
The student-teacher ratio at Purcell El is 13.8:1, which is 6% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 12% 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 Purcell El?
80.0% of students at Purcell El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Purcell El?
The largest demographic group at Purcell El is Hispanic or Latino at 57.7% of enrollment, in Abilene, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Purcell El?
Purcell El has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower 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 Purcell El rank among elementary schools in Abilene?
By Resource Investment Index, Purcell El ranks #9 of 9 elementary schools in Abilene, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Abilene on the city page.
Is Purcell El a good school?
Purcell El earns 29/100 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 Abilene Isd?
Besides Purcell El, Abilene Isd also operates Abilene H S (1,798 students), Cooper H S (1,570 students), and Mann Middle (776 students). See the Abilene 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.