Enrollment
678
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Richmond, TX
Cora Thomas El
Federal NCES profile for Cora Thomas El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482658012086
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cora Thomas El earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Texas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #15 of 30
- schools in Richmond · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.9:1
- large classes for Texas
- 44.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Cora Thomas El has class sizes larger than 79% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cora Thomas El ranks #15 of 30 schools in Richmond, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.8%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cora Thomas El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cora Thomas El
Cora Thomas El is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Richmond, Texas, enrolling 678 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 44.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 678 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,268 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #604.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (35%) and African American (32%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 678 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
11.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Lamar Cisd spends $10,640 per pupil, 22% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Lamar Cisd also operates Fulshear H S (3,401 students) and Dean Leaman J H School (2,888 students) alongside Cora Thomas 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 Cora Thomas El compares
Cora Thomas 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 | 16.9:1 | ▲ 15% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.8% | ▼ 28% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 678 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.9:1
Leaner classes than 31% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
678
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
16.9:1
students per teacher
- 15% above state mean
Top 79% in Texas - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$10,640
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 678 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.2 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
Hispanic or Latino 34.8%
African American 31.7%
Asian 15.8%
White 13.1%
Two or More 4.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 34.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 73.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 73.4, Cora Thomas El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lamar Cisd, which includes Cora Thomas El.
$10,640
Per student
-22%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.5%
State 35.8%
Federal 11.8%
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 Cora Thomas El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulshear H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dean Leaman J H School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Foster H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| George Ranch H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Briscoe J H | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cora Thomas El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,401
- Students per teacher
- 29.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,888
- Students per teacher
- 29.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 2,747
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,337
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,003
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
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 (~678 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cora Thomas El's federal record.
- Compare Cora Thomas El against another school. Compare schools
- Lamar Cisd'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 Cora Thomas El
How many students attend Cora Thomas El?
Cora Thomas El has 678 students enrolled. It is a public school in Richmond, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cora Thomas El?
The student-teacher ratio at Cora Thomas El is 16.9:1, which is 15% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cora Thomas El?
44.8% of students at Cora Thomas El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cora Thomas El?
The largest demographic group at Cora Thomas El is Hispanic or Latino at 34.8% of enrollment, in Richmond, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cora Thomas El?
Cora Thomas El has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Cora Thomas El rank among schools in Richmond?
By Resource Investment Index, Cora Thomas El ranks #15 of 30 schools in Richmond, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Richmond on the city page.
Is Cora Thomas El a good school?
Cora Thomas El earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% 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 Lamar Cisd?
Besides Cora Thomas El, Lamar Cisd also operates Fulshear H S (3,401 students), Dean Leaman J H School (2,888 students), and Foster H S (2,747 students). See the Lamar Cisd 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.