Enrollment
378
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Abilene, TX
Thomas El
Federal NCES profile for Thomas El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480744002241
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Thomas El earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #9 of 19
- schools in Abilene · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.5:1
- students per teacher
- 72.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Thomas El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Thomas El ranks #9 of 19 schools in Abilene, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomas El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Thomas El
Thomas El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Abilene, Texas, enrolling 378 students.
At 14.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 72.2% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 378 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,393 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #687.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (38%) and African American (37%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 68/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 378 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 27.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Abilene Isd also operates Abilene H S (1,798 students) and Cooper H S (1,570 students) alongside 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 Thomas El compares
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 | 14.5:1 | ▼ 1% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.2% | ▲ 17% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 378 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
378
Bigger than 44% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
72.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% 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
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 53% in Texas - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
25.9%
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
$11,671
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 378 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
23
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.4 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 37.8%
African American 37.3%
White 19.8%
Two or More 2.9%
Asian 2.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 37.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.8, Thomas El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Abilene Isd, which includes Thomas El.
$11,671
Per student
-14%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.4%
State 40.5%
Federal 27.2%
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 El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cooper H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mann Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Craig Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Madison Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Thomas El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,798
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,570
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 776
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 771
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 770
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~378 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Thomas El's federal record.
- Compare Thomas El against another school. Compare schools
- Abilene 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 El
How many students attend Thomas El?
Thomas El has 378 students enrolled. It is a public school in Abilene, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas El?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomas El is 14.5:1, which is 1% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thomas El?
72.2% of students at Thomas El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thomas El?
The largest demographic group at Thomas El is Hispanic or Latino at 37.8% of enrollment, in Abilene, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas El?
Thomas 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 El rank among schools in Abilene?
By Resource Investment Index, Thomas El ranks #9 of 19 schools in Abilene, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Abilene on the city page.
Is Thomas El a good school?
Thomas El earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also more 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 Abilene Isd?
Besides Thomas El, Abilene Isd also operates Abilene H S (1,798 students), Cooper H S (1,570 students), and Mann Middle (776 students). See the Abilene 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.