Enrollment
721
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 220186001427
Thomas Elementary School — Franklinton, LA
Federal NCES profile for Thomas Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 13
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 89
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: Washington Parish · Louisiana
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)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.8:1
vs 18.6:1 Louisiana avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.2%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomas Elementary School compares with Louisiana 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 Elementary School reports 721 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% above the Louisiana state mean of 18.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 37% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 45.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 28% below the Louisiana average and 13% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 361 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 4.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Washington Parish spends $13,975 per pupil district-wide, below the Louisiana average of $17,870 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.1% from local sources (property taxes), 55.5% from the state, and 22.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-), 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 Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Louisiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Louisiana | Louisiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.8:1 | ▲ 17% | 18.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.2% | ▼ 28% | 62.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 721 | top 84% | — | — |
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
45.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 28% below the Louisiana average of 62.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.8:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 88% in Louisiana — lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
4.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$13,975
per pupil, district-wide
— below Louisiana avg of $17,870
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 361 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 721 Top 84% in Louisiana — larger than 16% of 1,330 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 21.8:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 45.2% -28% vs state
NCES ID 220186001427
Student demographics
White 82.8%
African American 13.5%
Two or More 1.9%
Hispanic or Latino 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 82.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 361:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 4.3%
In-school suspensions 14
Out-of-school suspensions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Washington Parish, which includes Thomas Elementary School.
$13,975
Per student
-22%
vs Louisiana
Avg $17,870
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.1%
State 55.5%
Federal 22.5%
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
- 738
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Enrollment
- 649
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 567
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 389
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 373
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
Similar other schools in Franklinton
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Elementary School
How many students attend Thomas Elementary School?
Thomas Elementary School has 721 students enrolled. It is a other school in Franklinton, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomas Elementary School is 21.8:1, which is 17% higher than the Louisiana average of 18.6:1 and 37% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thomas Elementary School?
45.2% of students at Thomas Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thomas Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Thomas Elementary School is White at 82.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Franklinton, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas Elementary School?
Thomas Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-) 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.