PLAINS EL

Located at 811 COWBOY WAY, in PLAINS, Texas, PLAINS EL is a micro-enrollment elementary-level community that works with 201 students (grades pre-K through 5), run under PLAINS ISD. Enrollment runs roughly 61% below the state mean of about 519.

Within PLAINS ISD, which oversees 3 schools and 423 students, PLAINS EL is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, PLAINS EL records that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 73% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school reports 27% White.

In terms of school funding signals, PLAINS EL records 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 9.4:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.1:1, putting PLAINS EL tighter than the state norm the norm. About 65% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, PLAINS EL is in the bottom 10% of Texas public schools. The BeatsExpectations model predicts schools with this FRL share to land around 45.6%; PLAINS EL posts 30.5%, -15.1 points below that line.

Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (Yoakum County) shows that the typical household earns roughly $84,925 per year, roughly 20% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 13%. In all, Yoakum County runs 7 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,897 students), of which PLAINS EL is one.

The closest other public school is PLAINS MIDDLE, roughly 0.0 miles away. 2 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), PLAINS EL ranks 7th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 39.0%.

The school occupies a rural site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 11%: 225 students in 2018 compared to 201 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment climbed from 68% to 73% over that span. Class-load math has narrowed: from 14.1:1 in 2018 to 9.4:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, posts here usually surface around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.