RUGEL EL

As a small K-5 school in MESQUITE, Texas, RUGEL EL teaches 273 students from grades K through 5, operated by MESQUITE ISD. That puts it 47% leaner than the typical public school in Texas, which averages around 519 students.

MESQUITE ISD runs 51 schools in total, collectively educating 37,930 students. RUGEL EL is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, RUGEL EL logs that 55% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Other groups include 30% Black, 10% White, 4% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 41% Hispanic, putting the school's mix noticeably more Hispanic than the area baseline.

On the resource side, RUGEL EL logs 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 12.3:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.1:1, putting RUGEL EL tighter than the state norm the norm. About 72% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, RUGEL EL sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 42.5%; this one delivers 37.5%.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Dallas County put the typical household earns roughly $76,547 per year, 36% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Dallas County's 771 public schools (combined enrollment of about 459,645 students), RUGEL EL is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is GALLOWAY EL, roughly 1.0 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), RUGEL EL ranks 6th on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 37.2%.

The school occupies a commuter-belt site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at RUGEL EL has declined 40%, going from 458 students in 2018 to 273 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share grew from 42% to 55%.

In the discussion threads here, members of the RUGEL EL community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.