Enrollment
312
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Desoto, TX
The Meadows El
Federal NCES profile for The Meadows El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 481686006243
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 69
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
The Meadows El earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #2 of 3
- elementary schools in Desoto · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 71.3%
- free-lunch eligible
The Meadows El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, The Meadows El ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Desoto, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.3%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How The Meadows El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at The Meadows El
The Meadows El is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Desoto, Texas, enrolling 312 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 71.3% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 312 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 981 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #450.
Its student body is predominantly African American (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 156 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 50.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 165 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 312 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Desoto Isd also operates Desoto H S (1,936 students) and Curtistene S Mccowan Middle (643 students) alongside The Meadows 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 The Meadows El compares
The Meadows 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 12% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.3% | ▲ 15% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 312 | top 74% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
312
Bigger than 34% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
71.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% 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
13:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 34% in Texas - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
50.3%
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
$12,600
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 156 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
95
in-school suspensions + 70 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 30.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 52.9 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
African American 86.2%
Hispanic or Latino 8.7%
Two or More 4.5%
White 0.6%
Largest group: African American at 86.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.7, The Meadows El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Desoto Isd, which includes The Meadows El.
$12,600
Per student
-8%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.2%
State 29.0%
Federal 21.8%
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 The Meadows El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desoto H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Curtistene S Mccowan Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Katherine Johnson Technology Magnet Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Frank D Moates El | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cockrell Hill El | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to The Meadows El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,936
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 643
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 536
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 468
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 397
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar elementary 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 (~312 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on The Meadows El's federal record.
- Compare The Meadows El against another school. Compare schools
- Desoto 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 The Meadows El
How many students attend The Meadows El?
The Meadows El has 312 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Desoto, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at The Meadows El?
The student-teacher ratio at The Meadows El is 13:1, which is 12% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 17% 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 The Meadows El?
71.3% of students at The Meadows El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Meadows El?
The largest demographic group at The Meadows El is African American at 86.2% of enrollment, in Desoto, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Meadows El?
The Meadows El has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 The Meadows El rank among elementary schools in Desoto?
By Resource Investment Index, The Meadows El ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Desoto, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Desoto on the city page.
Is The Meadows El a good school?
The Meadows El earns 47/100 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 Desoto Isd?
Besides The Meadows El, Desoto Isd also operates Desoto H S (1,936 students), Curtistene S Mccowan Middle (643 students), and Katherine Johnson Technology Magnet Academy (536 students). See the Desoto 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.