Enrollment
473
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Abilene, TX
Stafford El
Federal NCES profile for Stafford El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480744000026
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 5
📋 Attendance 7
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Stafford El earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #16 of 19
- schools in Abilene · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 84.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Stafford El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Stafford El ranks #16 of 19 schools in Abilene, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.1%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Stafford El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Stafford El
Stafford El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Abilene, Texas, enrolling 473 students.
At 14.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 84.1% of students eligible for free meals.
With 473 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 2,120 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,724, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (54%) and White (27%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 473 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 27.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 111 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 473 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Abilene Isd also operates Abilene H S (1,798 students) and Cooper H S (1,570 students) alongside Stafford 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 Stafford El compares
Stafford 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 | 14.3:1 | ▼ 3% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.1% | ▲ 36% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 473 | top 54% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
473
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 51% in Texas - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
37.2%
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
$11,671
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 473 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
94
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.5 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 54.3%
White 27.1%
African American 13.1%
Two or More 4.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 54.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.2, Stafford El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Abilene Isd, which includes Stafford El.
$11,671
Per student
-14%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.4%
State 40.5%
Federal 27.2%
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 Stafford El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cooper H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mann Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Craig Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Madison Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Stafford El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,798
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,570
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 776
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 771
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 770
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~473 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Stafford El's federal record.
- Compare Stafford El against another school. Compare schools
- Abilene Isd'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 Stafford El
How many students attend Stafford El?
Stafford El has 473 students enrolled. It is a public school in Abilene, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Stafford El?
The student-teacher ratio at Stafford El is 14.3:1, which is 3% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 9% 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 Stafford El?
84.1% of students at Stafford El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Stafford El?
The largest demographic group at Stafford El is Hispanic or Latino at 54.3% of enrollment, in Abilene, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Stafford El?
Stafford El has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower 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 Stafford El rank among schools in Abilene?
By Resource Investment Index, Stafford El ranks #16 of 19 schools in Abilene, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Abilene on the city page.
Is Stafford El a good school?
Stafford El earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Abilene Isd?
Besides Stafford El, Abilene Isd also operates Abilene H S (1,798 students), Cooper H S (1,570 students), and Mann Middle (776 students). See the Abilene Isd 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.