Enrollment
442
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 483405003790
Southside El — Palestine, TX
Federal NCES profile for Southside El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 52
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: Palestine 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)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.8%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southside 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
Southside El reports 442 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% below the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 15% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 80.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 31% above the Texas average and 56% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 442 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Palestine Isd spends $15,250 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.2% from local sources (property taxes), 46.8% from the state, and 17.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Southside 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 8% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.8% | ▲ 31% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 442 | top 42% | — | — |
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
80.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 31% 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 34% in Texas — lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
19.2%
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
$15,250
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 442 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 442 Top 42% in Texas — larger than 58% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 13.5:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 80.8% +31% vs state
NCES ID 483405003790
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 41.0%
White 29.2%
African American 21.9%
Two or More 6.3%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 41.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 442:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.2%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palestine Isd, which includes Southside El.
$15,250
Per student
-11%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.2%
State 46.8%
Federal 17.0%
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
- 1,003
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Enrollment
- 670
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 456
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Enrollment
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 215
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
Similar elementary schools in Palestine
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Southside El
How many students attend Southside El?
Southside El has 442 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in PALESTINE, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southside El?
The student-teacher ratio at Southside El is 13.5:1, which is 8% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southside El?
80.8% of students at Southside El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southside El?
The largest demographic group at Southside El is Hispanic or Latino at 41.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in PALESTINE, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southside El?
Southside El has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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.