Enrollment
623
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 483585013174
Smith El — Princeton, TX
Federal NCES profile for Smith El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 51
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: Princeton Isd · 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)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smith 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
Smith El reports 623 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 20% 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 10% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 46.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 25% below the Texas average and 10% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 623 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Princeton Isd spends $20,503 per pupil district-wide, above the Texas average of $17,150 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 37.7% from local sources (property taxes), 52.4% from the state, and 9.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), 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 Smith 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 | 17.5:1 | ▲ 20% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.4% | ▼ 25% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 623 | top 65% | — | — |
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
46.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 25% 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
17.5:1
students per teacher
— 20% above state mean
Top 87% in Texas — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
19.6%
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
$20,503
per pupil, district-wide
— above Texas avg of $17,150
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 623 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
149
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 23.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 623 Top 65% in Texas — larger than 35% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 17.5:1 +20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 46.4% -25% vs state
NCES ID 483585013174
Student demographics
White 29.9%
Hispanic or Latino 29.5%
African American 27.3%
Two or More 8.7%
Asian 4.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 29.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 623:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.6%
In-school suspensions 149
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Princeton Isd, which includes Smith El.
$20,503
Per student
+20%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 37.7%
State 52.4%
Federal 9.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,388
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,262
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 929
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 675
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 668
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
Similar other schools in Princeton
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Lowe El
Standard public school
675 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Mayfield El
Standard public school
668 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Harper El
Standard public school
642 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Lacy El
Standard public school
595 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Godwin El
Standard public school
469 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Canup Early Childhood
Standard public school
421 students 19.4:1 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 Smith El
How many students attend Smith El?
Smith El has 623 students enrolled. It is a other school in PRINCETON, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smith El?
The student-teacher ratio at Smith El is 17.5:1, which is 20% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Smith El?
46.4% of students at Smith El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Smith El?
The largest demographic group at Smith El is White at 29.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in PRINCETON, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smith El?
Smith El has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) 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.