Enrollment
361
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Freer, TX
Norman M Thomas El
Federal NCES profile for Norman M Thomas El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 481982005366
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Norman M Thomas El earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Freer · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.4:1
- large classes for Texas
- 79.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Norman M Thomas El has class sizes larger than 75% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Norman M Thomas El ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Freer, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
79.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Norman M Thomas El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Norman M Thomas El
Norman M Thomas El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Freer, Texas, enrolling 361 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 79.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 361 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,501 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,224, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (92% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 15/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 361 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Freer Isd also operates Freer H S (202 students) and Lucy Aragon J H (146 students) alongside Norman M 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 Norman M Thomas El compares
Norman M 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 | 16.4:1 | ▲ 12% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 79.4% | ▲ 28% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 361 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
361
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
79.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 75% in Texas - lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
47.1%
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
$14,907
per pupil, district-wide
- above Texas avg of $13,644
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 361 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.5 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 92.0%
White 6.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Two or More 0.6%
African American 0.3%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 92.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.9, Norman M Thomas El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Freer Isd, which includes Norman M Thomas El.
$14,907
Per student
+9%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.6%
State 40.9%
Federal 23.6%
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 Norman M Thomas El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freer H S | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lucy Aragon J H | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Norman M Thomas El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 146
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
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 (~361 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Norman M Thomas El's federal record.
- Compare Norman M Thomas El against another school. Compare schools
- Freer Isd'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 Norman M Thomas El
How many students attend Norman M Thomas El?
Norman M Thomas El has 361 students enrolled. It is a public school in Freer, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Norman M Thomas El?
The student-teacher ratio at Norman M Thomas El is 16.4:1, which is 12% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Norman M Thomas El?
79.4% of students at Norman M Thomas El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Norman M Thomas El?
The largest demographic group at Norman M Thomas El is Hispanic or Latino at 92.0% of enrollment, in Freer, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Norman M Thomas El?
Norman M Thomas El has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Norman M Thomas El rank among public schools in Freer?
By Resource Investment Index, Norman M Thomas El ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Freer, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Freer on the city page.
Is Norman M Thomas El a good school?
Norman M Thomas El earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Texas schools. It is also less 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 Freer Isd?
Besides Norman M Thomas El, Freer Isd also operates Freer H S (202 students) and Lucy Aragon J H (146 students). See the Freer Isd 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.