Enrollment
361
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 481982005366
Norman M Thomas El — Freer, TX
Federal NCES profile for Norman M Thomas El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 0
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
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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+16% 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
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
Norman M Thomas El reports 361 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% above the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 7% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 79.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 28% above the Texas average and 53% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 361 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 47.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Freer Isd spends $17,475 per pupil district-wide, above the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.6% from local sources (property taxes), 40.9% from the state, and 23.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Norman M Thomas El compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17:1 | ▲ 16% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 79.4% | ▲ 28% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 361 | top 32% | — | — |
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
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
17:1
students per teacher
— 16% above state mean
Top 83% in Texas — lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
47.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,475
per pupil, district-wide
— above Texas avg of $17,150
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
Enrollment 361 Top 32% in Texas — larger than 68% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 17:1 +16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 79.4% +28% vs state
NCES ID 481982005366
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 361:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 47.1%
In-school suspensions 25
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Freer Isd, which includes Norman M Thomas El.
$17,475
Per student
+2%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 202
- Students per teacher
- 8.9:1
- Enrollment
- 146
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
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 Norman M Thomas El
How many students attend Norman M Thomas El?
Norman M Thomas El has 361 students enrolled. It is a other 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 17:1, which is 16% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in FREER, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Norman M Thomas El?
Norman M Thomas El has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.