Enrollment
512
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lufkin, TX
Sarah Strinden El
Federal NCES profile for Sarah Strinden El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480007412201Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 57
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sarah Strinden El earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Texas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #4 of 8
- schools in Lufkin · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16:1
- large classes for Texas
- 57.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Sarah Strinden El has class sizes larger than 71% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sarah Strinden El ranks #4 of 8 schools in Lufkin, TX.
School address
District: Pineywoods Community Academy · Texas
NCES ID 480007412201 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sarah Strinden El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sarah Strinden El
Sarah Strinden El is a higher-need, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Lufkin, Texas, enrolling 512 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.9% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 512 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,473 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #872.
Its student body is led by White (44%) and Hispanic or Latino (36%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 66/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 512 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
17.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Pineywoods Community Academy spends $9,692 per pupil, 29% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Pineywoods Community Academy also operates Pineywoods Community Academy H S (289 students) and Dr Terry Robbins Middle (260 students) alongside Sarah Strinden 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 Sarah Strinden El compares
Sarah Strinden 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 | 16:1 | ▲ 9% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.9% | ▼ 6% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 512 | top 48% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
512
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% 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
16:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 71% in Texas - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
17.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$9,692
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 512 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 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
White 43.9%
Hispanic or Latino 36.3%
African American 12.9%
Two or More 3.9%
Asian 2.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 43.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.7, Sarah Strinden El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pineywoods Community Academy, which includes Sarah Strinden El.
$9,692
Per student
-29%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 2.5%
State 78.1%
Federal 19.4%
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 Sarah Strinden El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pineywoods Community Academy H S | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Dr Terry Robbins Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sarah Strinden El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 289
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 260
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
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 (~512 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sarah Strinden El's federal record.
- Compare Sarah Strinden El against another school. Compare schools
- Pineywoods Community Academy'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 Sarah Strinden El
How many students attend Sarah Strinden El?
Sarah Strinden El has 512 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lufkin, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sarah Strinden El?
The student-teacher ratio at Sarah Strinden El is 16:1, which is 9% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sarah Strinden El?
57.9% of students at Sarah Strinden El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sarah Strinden El?
The largest demographic group at Sarah Strinden El is White at 43.9% of enrollment, in Lufkin, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sarah Strinden El?
Sarah Strinden El has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Sarah Strinden El rank among schools in Lufkin?
By Resource Investment Index, Sarah Strinden El ranks #4 of 8 schools in Lufkin, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Lufkin on the city page.
Is Sarah Strinden El a good school?
Sarah Strinden El earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Texas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Pineywoods Community Academy?
Besides Sarah Strinden El, Pineywoods Community Academy also operates Pineywoods Community Academy H S (289 students) and Dr Terry Robbins Middle (260 students). See the Pineywoods Community Academy 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.