Enrollment
1,073
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Salado, TX
Thomas Arnold El
Federal NCES profile for Thomas Arnold El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483858013806
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Thomas Arnold El earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Texas schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Salado · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16:1
- large classes for Texas
- 27.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Thomas Arnold El has class sizes larger than 71% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Thomas Arnold El ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Salado, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
67.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomas Arnold El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Thomas Arnold El
Thomas Arnold El is a large combined-grade school in Salado, Texas, enrolling 1,073 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 27.4% free-meal eligibility runs 56% below the Texas average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Texas, bigger than 91% of state schools at 1,073 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 675 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #362.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and Hispanic or Latino (28%) (diversity index 50/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 537 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Salado Isd spends $9,608 per pupil, 30% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Salado Isd also operates Salado H S (769 students) and Salado Middle (587 students) alongside Thomas Arnold 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 Thomas Arnold El compares
Thomas Arnold 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 | 16:1 | ▲ 9% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.4% | ▼ 56% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,073 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,073
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 71% in Texas - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$9,608
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 537 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 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
White 64.6%
Hispanic or Latino 28.3%
Two or More 4.9%
African American 1.3%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 64.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.0, Thomas Arnold El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Salado Isd, which includes Thomas Arnold El.
$9,608
Per student
-30%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.8%
State 28.8%
Federal 8.4%
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 Thomas Arnold El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salado H S | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Salado Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Thomas Arnold El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 769
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 587
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
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 (~1,073 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Thomas Arnold El's federal record.
- Compare Thomas Arnold El against another school. Compare schools
- Salado 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 Thomas Arnold El
How many students attend Thomas Arnold El?
Thomas Arnold El has 1,073 students enrolled. It is a public school in Salado, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas Arnold El?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomas Arnold El is 16:1, which is 9% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thomas Arnold El?
27.4% of students at Thomas Arnold El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thomas Arnold El?
The largest demographic group at Thomas Arnold El is White at 64.6% of enrollment, in Salado, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas Arnold El?
Thomas Arnold El has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Thomas Arnold El rank among public schools in Salado?
By Resource Investment Index, Thomas Arnold El ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Salado, 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 Salado on the city page.
Is Thomas Arnold El a good school?
Thomas Arnold El earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of 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 Salado Isd?
Besides Thomas Arnold El, Salado Isd also operates Salado H S (769 students) and Salado Middle (587 students). See the Salado 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.