Enrollment
537
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 250198000066
Thompson — Arlington, MA
Federal NCES profile for Thompson, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 68
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: Arlington · Massachusetts
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)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 12.1:1 Massachusetts avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thompson compares with Massachusetts 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
Thompson reports 537 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% above the Massachusetts state mean of 12.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 19% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Arlington spends $36,380 per pupil district-wide, above the Massachusetts average of $28,509 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 62.2% from local sources (property taxes), 32.9% from the state, and 4.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), 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 Thompson compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Massachusetts state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.9:1 | ▲ 7% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 537 | top 68% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
12.9:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 68% in Massachusetts — lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
12.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$36,380
per pupil, district-wide
— above Massachusetts avg of $28,509
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 537 Top 68% in Massachusetts — larger than 32% of 1,831 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 12.9:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 250198000066
Student demographics
White 60.6%
Asian 13.2%
Two or More 12.1%
Hispanic or Latino 9.1%
African American 4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 60.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Arlington, which includes Thompson.
$36,380
Per student
+28%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $28,509
+87%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 62.2%
State 32.9%
Federal 4.9%
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
- 1,677
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 963
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Enrollment
- 529
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 448
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 394
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
Similar elementary schools in Arlington
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
M Norcross Stratton
Standard public school
448 students 12.1:1 students per teacher
Brackett
Standard public school
394 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Cyrus E Dallin
Standard public school
390 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Hardy
Standard public school
382 students 11.7:1 students per teacher
John a Bishop
Standard public school
375 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Peirce
Standard public school
318 students 13.5:1 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 Thompson
How many students attend Thompson?
Thompson has 537 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Arlington, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thompson?
The student-teacher ratio at Thompson is 12.9:1, which is 7% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.1:1 and 19% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thompson?
The largest demographic group at Thompson is White at 60.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Arlington, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thompson?
Thompson has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) 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.