Enrollment
233
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Madera, CA
Sherman Thomas Charter
Federal NCES profile for Sherman Thomas Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060246711160Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sherman Thomas Charter earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of California schools.
- #8 of 24
- elementary schools in Madera · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 25.9:1
- large classes for California
- 50.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Sherman Thomas Charter has class sizes larger than 85% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sherman Thomas Charter ranks #8 of 24 elementary schools in Madera, CA.
School address
District: Sherman Thomas Charter District · California
NCES ID 060246711160 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sherman Thomas Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sherman Thomas Charter
Sherman Thomas Charter is a higher-need, mid-sized charter elementary school in Madera, California, enrolling 233 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 25.9:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 50.2% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 233 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 578 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #423, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (77%) and White (22%) (diversity index 36/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Madera's elementary schools, it stands alongside Lincoln Elementary (816 students): Sherman Thomas Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (25.9:1 vs 22.7:1).
Sherman Thomas Charter District is a single-school charter district, so Sherman Thomas Charter operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Sherman Thomas Charter compares
Sherman Thomas Charter on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 25.9:1 | ▲ 20% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.2% | ▼ 10% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 233 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
25.9:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
233
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
50.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
25.9:1
students per teacher
- 20% above state mean
Top 85% in California - lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
22.7%
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
$13,759
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.7 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 76.8%
White 21.9%
African American 0.4%
Asian 0.4%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 76.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.2, Sherman Thomas Charter is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sherman Thomas Charter District, which includes Sherman Thomas Charter.
$13,759
Per student
-17%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 12.6%
State 74.3%
Federal 13.1%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Madera
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Lincoln Elementary
Standard public school
816 students 22.7:1 students per teacher
John J. Pershing Elementary
Standard public school
788 students 24.6:1 students per teacher
Sierra Vista Elementary
Standard public school
740 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
James Madison Elementary
Standard public school
739 students 24.6:1 students per teacher
John Adams Elementary
Standard public school
736 students 23.7:1 students per teacher
Alpha Elementary
Standard public school
735 students 25.3:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~233 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~25.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sherman Thomas Charter's federal record.
- Compare Sherman Thomas Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Sherman Thomas Charter District'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 Sherman Thomas Charter
How many students attend Sherman Thomas Charter?
Sherman Thomas Charter has 233 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Madera, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sherman Thomas Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Sherman Thomas Charter is 25.9:1, which is 20% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 65% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sherman Thomas Charter?
50.2% of students at Sherman Thomas Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sherman Thomas Charter?
The largest demographic group at Sherman Thomas Charter is Hispanic or Latino at 76.8% of enrollment, in Madera, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sherman Thomas Charter?
Sherman Thomas Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sherman Thomas Charter rank among elementary schools in Madera?
By Resource Investment Index, Sherman Thomas Charter ranks #8 of 24 elementary schools in Madera, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Madera on the city page.
Is Sherman Thomas Charter a good school?
Sherman Thomas Charter earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of California 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 Sherman Thomas Charter District?
None; Sherman Thomas Charter District is a single-school charter district, and Sherman Thomas Charter 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.