Enrollment
1,410
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Newark, NJ
Marion P. Thomas Charter School
Federal NCES profile for Marion P. Thomas Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 12/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 340002200285Charter school
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 6
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Marion P. Thomas Charter School earns 12/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the largest schools in New Jersey.
- #40 of 42
- schools in Newark · Resource Index
- 12
- Resource Index · Lower
- 44.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 1,410
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Marion P. Thomas Charter School ranks #40 of 42 schools in Newark, NJ.
School address
District: Marion P. Thomas Charter School · New Jersey
NCES ID 340002200285 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
44.3%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+50% vs state
What stands out at Marion P. Thomas Charter School
Marion P. Thomas Charter School is a large charter combined-grade school in Newark, New Jersey, enrolling 1,410 students.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 44.3% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in New Jersey, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,410 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 100% of the 2,501 New Jersey schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 72 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #72, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (79%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 35/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 470 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Newark's public schools, it stands alongside Great Oaks Legacy Charter School (2,169 students): Marion P. Thomas Charter School is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Marion P. Thomas Charter School is a single-school charter district, so Marion P. Thomas Charter School operates independently rather than alongside district-mates. At 1,410 students, it is also among the largest single-school districts in New Jersey, well beyond the enrollment of a typical standalone charter.
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 Marion P. Thomas Charter School compares
Marion P. Thomas Charter School on the metrics families compare, against New Jersey and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New Jersey | New Jersey avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.3% | ▲ 50% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,410 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
1,410
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 50% above the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Engagement
44.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$25,318
per pupil, district-wide
- above New Jersey avg of $24,984
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 470 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 231 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.0 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
African American 78.7%
Hispanic or Latino 18.8%
Two or More 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
White 0.2%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 78.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.5, Marion P. Thomas Charter School is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Marion P. Thomas Charter School, which includes Marion P. Thomas Charter School.
$25,318
Per student
+1%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+53%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 73.9%
State 12.5%
Federal 13.5%
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.
Similar other schools in Newark
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Great Oaks Legacy Charter School
Standard public school
2,169 students 21.5:1 students per teacher
East Ward Elementary School
Standard public school
854 students 19:1 students per teacher
Luis Munoz Marin Elementary School
Standard public school
818 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
Park Elementary School
Standard public school
747 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Philip's Academy Charter School
Standard public school
730 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Salome Urena Elementary School
Standard public school
516 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New Jersey, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Marion P. Thomas Charter School's federal record.
- Compare Marion P. Thomas Charter School against another school. Compare schools
- Marion P. Thomas Charter School'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 Marion P. Thomas Charter School
How many students attend Marion P. Thomas Charter School?
Marion P. Thomas Charter School has 1,410 students enrolled. It is a public school in Newark, NJ.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Marion P. Thomas Charter School?
44.3% of students at Marion P. Thomas Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Marion P. Thomas Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Marion P. Thomas Charter School is African American at 78.7% of enrollment, in Newark, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Marion P. Thomas Charter School?
Marion P. Thomas Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 12/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Marion P. Thomas Charter School rank among schools in Newark?
By Resource Investment Index, Marion P. Thomas Charter School ranks #40 of 42 schools in Newark, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Newark on the city page.
Is Marion P. Thomas Charter School a good school?
Marion P. Thomas Charter School earns 12/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the largest schools in New Jersey. 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 Marion P. Thomas Charter School?
None; Marion P. Thomas Charter School is a single-school charter district, and Marion P. Thomas Charter School is its only campus.
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.