Enrollment
233
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 060246711160 Charter school
Sherman Thomas Charter — Madera, CA
Federal NCES profile for Sherman Thomas Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 3
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 43
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: Sherman Thomas Charter District · California
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)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.3:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+12% 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
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
Sherman Thomas Charter reports 233 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 9.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 24.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 53% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 50.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 10% below the California average and 3% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sherman Thomas Charter District spends $14,042 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 12.6% from local sources (property taxes), 74.3% from the state, and 13.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F), 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 Sherman Thomas Charter compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 24.3:1 | ▲ 12% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.2% | ▼ 10% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 233 | top 20% | — | — |
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
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
24.3:1
students per teacher
— 12% above state mean
Top 76% in California — lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
22.7%
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
$14,042
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
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
Enrollment 233 Top 20% in California — larger than 80% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 9.0
Students per teacher 24.3:1 +12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 50.2% -10% vs state
NCES ID 060246711160
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.7%
In-school suspensions 13
Out-of-school suspensions 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sherman Thomas Charter District, which includes Sherman Thomas Charter.
$14,042
Per student
-22%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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 23.8:1 students per teacher
John J. Pershing Elementary
Standard public school
788 students 22.8:1 students per teacher
Sierra Vista Elementary
Standard public school
740 students 20:1 students per teacher
James Madison Elementary
Standard public school
739 students 21.3:1 students per teacher
John Adams Elementary
Standard public school
736 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
Alpha Elementary
Standard public school
735 students 24.2:1 students per teacher
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 Sherman Thomas Charter
How many students attend Sherman Thomas Charter?
Sherman Thomas Charter has 233 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Madera, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sherman Thomas Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Sherman Thomas Charter is 24.3:1, which is 12% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 53% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Madera, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sherman Thomas Charter?
Sherman Thomas Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.