Enrollment
378
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 480744002241
Thomas El — Abilene, TX
Federal NCES profile for Thomas El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 35
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: Abilene Isd · Texas
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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+9% 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
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
Thomas El reports 378 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% 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 0% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 72.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 17% above the Texas average and 39% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 378 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Abilene Isd spends $14,351 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.4% from local sources (property taxes), 40.5% from the state, and 27.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), 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 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 | 15.9:1 | ▲ 9% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.2% | ▲ 17% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 378 | top 33% | — | — |
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
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
15.9:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 70% in Texas — lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.9%
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
$14,351
per pupil, district-wide
— below 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 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
Enrollment 378 Top 33% in Texas — larger than 67% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 15.9:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 72.2% +17% vs state
NCES ID 480744002241
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 378:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.9%
In-school suspensions 23
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Abilene Isd, which includes Thomas El.
$14,351
Per student
-16%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,798
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,570
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 776
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 771
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 770
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
Similar other schools in Abilene
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Texas Leadership of Abilene
Standard public school
834 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Austin El
Standard public school
729 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Long Early Learning Center
Standard public school
692 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Taylor El
Standard public school
662 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Dyess El
Standard public school
621 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Bonham El
Standard public school
481 students 13.8:1 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 Thomas El
How many students attend Thomas El?
Thomas El has 378 students enrolled. It is a other school in ABILENE, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas El?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomas El is 15.9:1, which is 9% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in ABILENE, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas El?
Thomas El has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) 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.