Enrollment
307
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Richmond, TX
Smith El
Federal NCES profile for Smith El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482658002991
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 29
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Smith El earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Texas schools.
- #7 of 30
- schools in Richmond · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.8:1
- small classes for Texas
- 78.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Smith El has class sizes smaller than 78% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Smith El ranks #7 of 30 schools in Richmond, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.5%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smith El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Smith El
Smith El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Richmond, Texas, enrolling 307 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 78.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 307 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,052 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #325.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (76%) and African American (12%) (diversity index 40/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 307 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Lamar Cisd spends $10,640 per pupil, 22% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Lamar Cisd also operates Fulshear H S (3,401 students) and Dean Leaman J H School (2,888 students) alongside Smith 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 Smith El compares
Smith 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 20% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.5% | ▲ 27% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 307 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
307
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
78.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% 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
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 22% in Texas - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
28.3%
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
$10,640
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 307 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.8 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 75.9%
African American 12.4%
White 8.5%
Two or More 1.6%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 75.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.1, Smith El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lamar Cisd, which includes Smith El.
$10,640
Per student
-22%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.5%
State 35.8%
Federal 11.8%
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 Smith El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulshear H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dean Leaman J H School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Foster H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| George Ranch H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Briscoe J H | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Smith El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,401
- Students per teacher
- 29.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,888
- Students per teacher
- 29.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 2,747
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,337
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,003
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
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 (~307 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Smith El's federal record.
- Compare Smith El against another school. Compare schools
- Lamar Cisd'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 Smith El
How many students attend Smith El?
Smith El has 307 students enrolled. It is a public school in Richmond, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smith El?
The student-teacher ratio at Smith El is 11.8:1, which is 20% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 25% 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 Smith El?
78.5% 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 Hispanic or Latino at 75.9% of enrollment, in Richmond, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smith El?
Smith El has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Smith El rank among schools in Richmond?
By Resource Investment Index, Smith El ranks #7 of 30 schools in Richmond, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Richmond on the city page.
Is Smith El a good school?
Smith El earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% 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 Lamar Cisd?
Besides Smith El, Lamar Cisd also operates Fulshear H S (3,401 students), Dean Leaman J H School (2,888 students), and Foster H S (2,747 students). See the Lamar Cisd 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.