Enrollment
521
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 481323021203
Waterford Oaks El — Cedar Hill, TX
Federal NCES profile for Waterford Oaks El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 34
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Cedar Hill Isd · Texas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.3%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waterford Oaks El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Waterford Oaks El reports 521 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 27.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% above the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 2% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 76.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 23% above the Texas average and 47% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 521 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cedar Hill Isd spends $13,021 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 56.2% from local sources (property taxes), 23.1% from the state, and 20.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Waterford Oaks El compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.2:1 | ▲ 11% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.3% | ▲ 23% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 521 | top 53% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
76.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 23% 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
16.2:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 74% in Texas — lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,021
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 521 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
51
in-school suspensions + 32 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 521 Top 53% in Texas — larger than 47% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 27.0
Students per teacher 16.2:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 76.3% +23% vs state
NCES ID 481323021203
Student demographics
African American 76.2%
Hispanic or Latino 18.0%
Two or More 4.0%
White 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 76.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 521:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.3%
In-school suspensions 51
Out-of-school suspensions 32
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cedar Hill Isd, which includes Waterford Oaks El.
$13,021
Per student
-24%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 56.2%
State 23.1%
Federal 20.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,974
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 520
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 488
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 466
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 456
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
Similar other schools in Cedar Hill
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Newman International at Cedar Hill
Standard public school
897 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Cedar Hill Collegiate Prep
Standard public school
520 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Lakeridge El
Standard public school
466 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Highlands El
Standard public school
419 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
High Pointe El
Standard public school
411 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Plummer El
Standard public school
347 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Waterford Oaks El
How many students attend Waterford Oaks El?
Waterford Oaks El has 521 students enrolled. It is a other school in CEDAR HILL, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waterford Oaks El?
The student-teacher ratio at Waterford Oaks El is 16.2:1, which is 11% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Waterford Oaks El?
76.3% of students at Waterford Oaks El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waterford Oaks El?
The largest demographic group at Waterford Oaks El is African American at 76.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in CEDAR HILL, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waterford Oaks El?
Waterford Oaks El has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.