Enrollment
35
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Tampa, FL
Dorothy Thomas Center
Federal NCES profile for Dorothy Thomas Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 79/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120087001024
👥 S:T ratio 88
🌟 Gifted program 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dorothy Thomas Center earns 79/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Florida schools.
- #1 of 101
- schools in Tampa · Resource Index
- 79
- Resource Index · Higher
- 2.9:1
- small classes for Florida
- 67.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Dorothy Thomas Center has class sizes smaller than 99% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dorothy Thomas Center ranks #1 of 101 schools in Tampa, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
2.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-84% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.4%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dorothy Thomas Center compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dorothy Thomas Center
Dorothy Thomas Center is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Tampa, Florida, enrolling 35 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 2.9:1, Dorothy Thomas Center is leaner than roughly 99% of Florida schools and 84% under the state's 17.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 67.4% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of Florida schools, with 35 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 3,996 Florida schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 40 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #4, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (40%) and African American (40%) (diversity index 65/100).
Its district draws 16.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 17 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 35 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Hillsborough also operates Florida Connections Academy (5,748 students) and Jule F Sumner High School (3,602 students) alongside Dorothy Thomas Center.
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 Dorothy Thomas Center compares
Dorothy Thomas Center on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 2.9:1 | ▼ 84% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.4% | ▲ 30% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 35 | top 94% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
2.9:1
Leaner classes than 100% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
35
Bigger than 4% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
2.9:1
students per teacher
- 84% below state mean
Top 1% in Florida - lower ratio than 100% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$9,835
per pupil, district-wide
- below Florida avg of $11,167
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 48.6 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 40.0%
African American 40.0%
Hispanic or Latino 17.1%
Asian 2.9%
Largest group: African American at 40.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.0, Dorothy Thomas Center is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hillsborough, which includes Dorothy Thomas Center.
$9,835
Per student
-12%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.2%
State 40.7%
Federal 16.1%
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 Dorothy Thomas Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Connections Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jule F Sumner High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Newsome High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Alonso High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Plant City High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dorothy Thomas Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 5,748
- Students per teacher
- 40.5:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 3,602
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 3,157
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 2,863
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,572
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Florida, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~35 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dorothy Thomas Center's federal record.
- Compare Dorothy Thomas Center against another school. Compare schools
- Hillsborough'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 Dorothy Thomas Center
How many students attend Dorothy Thomas Center?
Dorothy Thomas Center has 35 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Tampa, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dorothy Thomas Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Dorothy Thomas Center is 2.9:1, which is 84% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 82% 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 Dorothy Thomas Center?
67.4% of students at Dorothy Thomas Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dorothy Thomas Center?
The largest demographic group at Dorothy Thomas Center is African American at 40.0% of enrollment, in Tampa, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dorothy Thomas Center?
Dorothy Thomas Center has a Resource Investment Index of 79/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Dorothy Thomas Center rank among schools in Tampa?
By Resource Investment Index, Dorothy Thomas Center ranks #1 of 101 schools in Tampa, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Tampa on the city page.
Is Dorothy Thomas Center a good school?
Dorothy Thomas Center earns 79/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Florida 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 Hillsborough?
Besides Dorothy Thomas Center, Hillsborough also operates Florida Connections Academy (5,748 students), Jule F Sumner High School (3,602 students), and Newsome High School (3,157 students). See the Hillsborough 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.