Enrollment
321
Idaho · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 160300000525
Howard E Thirkill Primary School — Soda Springs, ID
Federal NCES profile for Howard E Thirkill Primary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 79
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Soda Springs Joint District · Idaho
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.3:1
vs 17.3:1 Idaho avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.6%
vs 29.3% Idaho avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Howard E Thirkill Primary School compares with Idaho and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Howard E Thirkill Primary School reports 321 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 23% above the Idaho state mean of 17.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 34% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 24.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% below the Idaho average and 53% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 107 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Soda Springs Joint District spends $10,446 per pupil district-wide, below the Idaho average of $12,943 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.4% from local sources (property taxes), 63.6% from the state, and 11.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Howard E Thirkill Primary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Idaho state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Idaho | Idaho avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.3:1 | ▲ 23% | 17.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.6% | ▼ 16% | 29.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 321 | top 48% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
24.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% below the Idaho average of 29.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
21.3:1
students per teacher
— 23% above state mean
Top 86% in Idaho — lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$10,446
per pupil, district-wide
— below Idaho avg of $12,943
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 107 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 321 Top 48% in Idaho — larger than 52% of 778 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 21.3:1 +23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 24.6% -16% vs state
NCES ID 160300000525
Student demographics
White 89.7%
Hispanic or Latino 9.3%
Two or More 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 89.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 107:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Soda Springs Joint District, which includes Howard E Thirkill Primary School.
$10,446
Per student
-19%
vs Idaho
Avg $12,943
-46%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.4%
State 63.6%
Federal 11.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 268
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 234
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Enrollment
- 20
- Students per teacher
- 6.5:1
Similar other schools in Soda Springs
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Howard E Thirkill Primary School
How many students attend Howard E Thirkill Primary School?
Howard E Thirkill Primary School has 321 students enrolled. It is a other school in SODA SPRINGS, ID.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Howard E Thirkill Primary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Howard E Thirkill Primary School is 21.3:1, which is 23% higher than the Idaho average of 17.3:1 and 34% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Howard E Thirkill Primary School?
24.6% of students at Howard E Thirkill Primary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Idaho average of 29.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Howard E Thirkill Primary School?
The largest demographic group at Howard E Thirkill Primary School is White at 89.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in SODA SPRINGS, ID.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Howard E Thirkill Primary School?
Howard E Thirkill Primary School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.