Enrollment
703
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Gainesville, TX
W E Chalmers El
Federal NCES profile for W E Chalmers El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 482022008744
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
W E Chalmers El earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Texas schools.
- #6 of 9
- public schools in Gainesville · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16:1
- large classes for Texas
- 64.8%
- free-lunch eligible
W E Chalmers El has class sizes larger than 71% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, W E Chalmers El ranks #6 of 9 public schools in Gainesville, TX.
School address
District: Gainesville Isd · Texas
NCES ID 482022008744 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.8%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How W E Chalmers El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at W E Chalmers El
W E Chalmers El is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Gainesville, Texas, enrolling 703 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 64.8% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 703 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,621 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #392.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (65%) and White (27%) (diversity index 51/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 352 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 27.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Gainesville Isd also operates Gainesville H S (876 students) and Edison El (630 students) alongside W E Chalmers 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 W E Chalmers El compares
W E Chalmers 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 | 16:1 | ▲ 9% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.8% | ▲ 5% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 703 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
703
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
64.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% 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
16:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 71% in Texas - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.8%
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
$11,012
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 352 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.6 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 64.7%
White 26.7%
Two or More 4.1%
African American 3.4%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 64.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.7, W E Chalmers El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gainesville Isd, which includes W E Chalmers El.
$11,012
Per student
-19%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.8%
State 36.5%
Federal 27.8%
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 W E Chalmers El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gainesville H S | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Edison El | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gainesville Int | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gainesville J H | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to W E Chalmers El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 876
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 630
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 480
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 422
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~703 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on W E Chalmers El's federal record.
- Compare W E Chalmers El against another school. Compare schools
- Gainesville 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 W E Chalmers El
How many students attend W E Chalmers El?
W E Chalmers El has 703 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Gainesville, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at W E Chalmers El?
The student-teacher ratio at W E Chalmers El is 16:1, which is 9% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at W E Chalmers El?
64.8% of students at W E Chalmers El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of W E Chalmers El?
The largest demographic group at W E Chalmers El is Hispanic or Latino at 64.7% of enrollment, in Gainesville, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for W E Chalmers El?
W E Chalmers El 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 W E Chalmers El rank among public schools in Gainesville?
By Resource Investment Index, W E Chalmers El ranks #6 of 9 public schools in Gainesville, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Gainesville on the city page.
Is W E Chalmers El a good school?
W E Chalmers El earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% 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 Gainesville Isd?
Besides W E Chalmers El, Gainesville Isd also operates Gainesville H S (876 students), Edison El (630 students), and Gainesville Int (480 students). See the Gainesville 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.