Enrollment
803
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mesquite, TX
Rutherford El
Federal NCES profile for Rutherford El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483039003416
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rutherford El earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of Texas schools.
- #19 of 31
- schools in Mesquite · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.8:1
- large classes for Texas
- 74.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Rutherford El has class sizes larger than 85% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rutherford El ranks #19 of 31 schools in Mesquite, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rutherford El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rutherford El
Rutherford El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Mesquite, Texas, enrolling 803 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 74.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 803 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.
Against 1,688 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #717.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (68%) and African American (16%) (diversity index 50/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 803 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
15.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Mesquite Isd also operates Horn H S (2,757 students) and Mesquite H S (2,294 students) alongside Rutherford 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 Rutherford El compares
Rutherford 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 | 17.8:1 | ▲ 21% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.5% | ▲ 20% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 803 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
803
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% 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
17.8:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 85% in Texas - lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
15.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,612
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 803 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 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 68.2%
African American 16.1%
White 9.8%
Two or More 4.0%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 68.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.8, Rutherford El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mesquite Isd, which includes Rutherford El.
$11,612
Per student
-15%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.4%
State 54.7%
Federal 14.9%
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 Rutherford El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horn H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mesquite H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| North Mesquite H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| West Mesquite H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Vroonland - Vanguard H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rutherford El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,757
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 2,294
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,099
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,997
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,605
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~803 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rutherford El's federal record.
- Compare Rutherford El against another school. Compare schools
- Mesquite 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 Rutherford El
How many students attend Rutherford El?
Rutherford El has 803 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mesquite, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rutherford El?
The student-teacher ratio at Rutherford El is 17.8:1, which is 21% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Rutherford El?
74.5% of students at Rutherford El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rutherford El?
The largest demographic group at Rutherford El is Hispanic or Latino at 68.2% of enrollment, in Mesquite, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rutherford El?
Rutherford El has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Rutherford El rank among schools in Mesquite?
By Resource Investment Index, Rutherford El ranks #19 of 31 schools in Mesquite, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Mesquite on the city page.
Is Rutherford El a good school?
Rutherford El earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of Texas schools. 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 Mesquite Isd?
Besides Rutherford El, Mesquite Isd also operates Horn H S (2,757 students), Mesquite H S (2,294 students), and North Mesquite H S (2,099 students). See the Mesquite 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.