Enrollment
512
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 480007412201 Charter school
Sarah Strinden El — Lufkin, TX
Federal NCES profile for Sarah Strinden El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 57
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Pineywoods Community Academy · Texas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+10% 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
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Sarah Strinden El reports 512 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% above the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 57.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 6% below the Texas average and 12% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 512 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pineywoods Community Academy spends $10,129 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 2.5% from local sources (property taxes), 78.1% from the state, and 19.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Sarah Strinden El compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.1:1 | ▲ 10% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.9% | ▼ 6% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 512 | top 52% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
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
16.1:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 73% in Texas — lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
17.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$10,129
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints 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
Enrollment 512 Top 52% in Texas — larger than 48% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 16.1:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 57.9% -6% vs state
NCES ID 480007412201
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 512:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.0%
In-school suspensions 9
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pineywoods Community Academy, which includes Sarah Strinden El.
$10,129
Per student
-41%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-48%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 289
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Enrollment
- 260
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
Similar other schools in Lufkin
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
W F Peavy Pri
Standard public school
683 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Garrett Pri
Standard public school
344 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Herty Pri
Standard public school
276 students 10.9:1 students per teacher
Kurth Pri
Standard public school
253 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Trout Pri
Standard public school
219 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Special Services
Alternative education program
11 students 11:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Sarah Strinden El
How many students attend Sarah Strinden El?
Sarah Strinden El has 512 students enrolled. It is a other school in LUFKIN, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sarah Strinden El?
The student-teacher ratio at Sarah Strinden El is 16.1:1, which is 10% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in LUFKIN, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sarah Strinden El?
Sarah Strinden El has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.