Enrollment
324
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Sherman, TX
Wakefield El
Federal NCES profile for Wakefield El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 484008004551
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wakefield El earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Texas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #2 of 11
- public schools in Sherman · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12:1
- small classes for Texas
- 92.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Wakefield El has class sizes smaller than 77% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wakefield El ranks #2 of 11 public schools in Sherman, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
92.0%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wakefield El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wakefield El
Wakefield El is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Sherman, Texas, enrolling 324 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 92.0% of students qualify for free meals, 49% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 324 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 1,036 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #264.
Its student body is led by White (40%) and Hispanic or Latino (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 324 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Sherman Isd also operates Sherman H S (2,143 students) and Sherman Middle (869 students) alongside Wakefield 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 Wakefield El compares
Wakefield 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 | 12:1 | ▼ 18% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 92.0% | ▲ 49% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 324 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
324
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
92.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 49% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 23% in Texas - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
29.0%
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
$12,864
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 324 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.7 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
White 39.5%
Hispanic or Latino 29.3%
African American 12.7%
Two or More 9.9%
Asian 5.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 39.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 72.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 72.8, Wakefield El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sherman Isd, which includes Wakefield El.
$12,864
Per student
-6%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.5%
State 34.8%
Federal 13.7%
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 Wakefield El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sherman H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sherman Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Piner Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dillingham El | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Henry W Sory El | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wakefield El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,143
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 869
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 831
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 710
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 619
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~324 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wakefield El's federal record.
- Compare Wakefield El against another school. Compare schools
- Sherman 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 Wakefield El
How many students attend Wakefield El?
Wakefield El has 324 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Sherman, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wakefield El?
The student-teacher ratio at Wakefield El is 12:1, which is 18% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 24% 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 Wakefield El?
92.0% of students at Wakefield El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wakefield El?
The largest demographic group at Wakefield El is White at 39.5% of enrollment, in Sherman, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wakefield El?
Wakefield El has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Wakefield El rank among public schools in Sherman?
By Resource Investment Index, Wakefield El ranks #2 of 11 public schools in Sherman, 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 Sherman on the city page.
Is Wakefield El a good school?
Wakefield El earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Texas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Sherman Isd?
Besides Wakefield El, Sherman Isd also operates Sherman H S (2,143 students), Sherman Middle (869 students), and Piner Middle (831 students). See the Sherman 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.