Elementary school (grades K-5) · Thornton, NH

Thornton Central School

Federal NCES profile for Thornton Central School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 330666000433
0/100100/10044/100
👥 S:T ratio
70
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
66
📋 Attendance
11
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Thornton Central School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of New Hampshire schools.

44
Resource Index · Typical
7.5:1
small classes for New Hampshire
20.5%
free-lunch eligible
172
students enrolled

Thornton Central School has class sizes smaller than 92% of New Hampshire schools. Computed live against every New Hampshire school reporting to NCES.

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

-12 students YoY

Thornton Central School shrank from 185 students in 2022-23 to 173 in 2023-24 (-6.5%).

Teacher FTE added 23.0 → 24.0 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Shrinking CCD campus

-12 students YoY 330666000433 · Thornton, NH Elementary · SMALL · TRAD

172 enr · 7.5:1 · 20.5% lunch · RII 44

Nearest enrollment peer: Columbine Elementary (172 students)

Thornton Central School shrank from 185 students in 2022-23 to 173 in 2023-24 (-6.5%). Teacher FTE added 23.0 → 24.0 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · New Hampshire schools → · Find another →

How Thornton Central School compares

Thornton Central School is a shrinking campus on CCD: ratios and free-lunch share vs New Hampshire and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs New Hampshire New Hampshire avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 7.5:1 ▼ 34% 11.3:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 20.5% ▼ 5% 21.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 172 top 67% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

7.5:1
Leaner classes than 96% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
172
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.

Equity indicators methodology

Economic need
20.5%
free-lunch eligible - 5% below the New Hampshire average of 21.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
7.5:1
students per teacher - 34% below state mean
Top 8% in New Hampshire - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
35.5%
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
$28,427
per pupil, district-wide - above New Hampshire avg of $24,919
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 172 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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.

Student demographics

White 91.3%
Hispanic or Latino 3.5%
Two or More 2.9%
African American 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%

Largest group: White at 91.3% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 16.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 16.4, Thornton Central School is less mixed than the New Hampshire school average of 24.3.

Programs

District finance for Thornton School District reports $28,427 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

Nationwide elementary schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Frequently asked questions about Thornton Central School

How many students attend Thornton Central School?

Thornton Central School has 172 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Thornton, NH. CCD year-over-year: 185 (2022-23) → 173 (2023-24), down 12.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Thornton Central School?

The student-teacher ratio at Thornton Central School is 7.5:1, which is 34% lower than the New Hampshire average of 11.3:1 and 52% 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 Thornton Central School?

20.5% of students at Thornton Central School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Hampshire average of 21.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thornton Central School?

The largest demographic group at Thornton Central School is White at 91.3% of enrollment, in Thornton, NH.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Thornton Central School?

Thornton Central School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

What other schools are in Thornton School District?

None reported; Thornton School District operates only Thornton Central School as a public school district in NCES's records.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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