Enrollment
392
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Dallas, TX
Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy
Federal NCES profile for Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 481623001370
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #95 of 232
- schools in Dallas · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.5:1
- students per teacher
- 86.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy ranks #95 of 232 schools in Dallas, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.7%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy
Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Dallas, Texas, enrolling 392 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 86.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 392 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,667 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #418.
Its student body is led by African American (75%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%) (diversity index 39/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 396 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Dallas Isd also operates Skyline H S (3,837 students) and Bryan Adams H S Leadership Academy (2,208 students) alongside Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy.
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 Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy compares
Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.5:1 | ▼ 8% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.7% | ▲ 40% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 392 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
392
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% 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 40% in Texas - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.7%
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
$12,650
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
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 74.5%
Hispanic or Latino 24.5%
White 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 74.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.5, Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dallas Isd, which includes Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy.
$12,650
Per student
-7%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 72.4%
State 8.0%
Federal 19.6%
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 Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skyline H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bryan Adams H S Leadership Academy | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| W T White H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sunset H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Moises E Molina H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,837
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 2,208
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,204
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,164
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 2,006
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
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 (~392 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy's federal record.
- Compare Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Dallas 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 Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy
How many students attend Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy?
Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy has 392 students enrolled. It is a public school in Dallas, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy is 13.5:1, which is 8% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 14% 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 Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy?
86.7% of students at Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy?
The largest demographic group at Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy is African American at 74.5% of enrollment, in Dallas, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy?
Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy rank among schools in Dallas?
By Resource Investment Index, Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy ranks #95 of 232 schools in Dallas, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Dallas on the city page.
Is Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy a good school?
Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy earns 45/100 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 Dallas Isd?
Besides Thomas L Marsalis El Steam Academy, Dallas Isd also operates Skyline H S (3,837 students), Bryan Adams H S Leadership Academy (2,208 students), and W T White H S (2,204 students). See the Dallas 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.