Enrollment
400
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Amarillo, TX
Western Plateau El
Federal NCES profile for Western Plateau El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480813000183
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Western Plateau El earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #23 of 46
- schools in Amarillo · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 52.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Western Plateau El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Western Plateau El ranks #23 of 46 schools in Amarillo, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.0%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Western Plateau El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Western Plateau El
Western Plateau El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Amarillo, Texas, enrolling 400 students.
At 14.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 52.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 400 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 1,107 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #623.
Its student body is led by White (66%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 51/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 400 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 20.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Amarillo Isd also operates Tascosa H S (2,176 students) and Amarillo H S (2,161 students) alongside Western Plateau 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 Western Plateau El compares
Western Plateau 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 | 14.3:1 | ▼ 3% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.0% | ▼ 16% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 400 | top 64% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
400
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 51% in Texas - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.5%
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
$11,667
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 400 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 66.3%
Hispanic or Latino 21.0%
African American 7.5%
Two or More 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.8%
Asian 1.5%
Largest group: White at 66.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.0, Western Plateau El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Amarillo Isd, which includes Western Plateau El.
$11,667
Per student
-14%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.4%
State 49.5%
Federal 20.1%
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 Western Plateau El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tascosa H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Amarillo H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Caprock H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Palo Duro H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bonham Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Western Plateau El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,176
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 2,161
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,058
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,949
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 892
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- 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 (~400 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Western Plateau El's federal record.
- Compare Western Plateau El against another school. Compare schools
- Amarillo 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 Western Plateau El
How many students attend Western Plateau El?
Western Plateau El has 400 students enrolled. It is a public school in Amarillo, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Western Plateau El?
The student-teacher ratio at Western Plateau El is 14.3:1, which is 3% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 9% 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 Western Plateau El?
52.0% of students at Western Plateau El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Western Plateau El?
The largest demographic group at Western Plateau El is White at 66.3% of enrollment, in Amarillo, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Western Plateau El?
Western Plateau 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 Western Plateau El rank among schools in Amarillo?
By Resource Investment Index, Western Plateau El ranks #23 of 46 schools in Amarillo, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Amarillo on the city page.
Is Western Plateau El a good school?
Western Plateau El 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 Amarillo Isd?
Besides Western Plateau El, Amarillo Isd also operates Tascosa H S (2,176 students), Amarillo H S (2,161 students), and Caprock H S (2,058 students). See the Amarillo 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.