Enrollment
763
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Temple, TX
Thornton El
Federal NCES profile for Thornton El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 484233004828
👥 S:T ratio 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Thornton El earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Texas schools.
- #8 of 12
- schools in Temple · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.3:1
- large classes for Texas
- 75.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Thornton El has class sizes larger than 82% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Thornton El ranks #8 of 12 schools in Temple, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.3%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thornton El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Thornton El
Thornton El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Temple, Texas, enrolling 763 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 75.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 763 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,836 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,149.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (59%) and White (20%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 512 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Temple Isd also operates Temple H S (2,320 students) and Travis Science Academy (686 students) alongside Thornton 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 Thornton El compares
Thornton 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 | 17.3:1 | ▲ 18% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.3% | ▲ 22% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 763 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.3:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
763
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
75.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 22% 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
17.3:1
students per teacher
- 18% above state mean
Top 82% in Texas - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.0%
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
$11,894
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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 512 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
53
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.0 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 58.8%
White 19.9%
African American 12.8%
Two or More 5.2%
Asian 2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 58.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.5, Thornton El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Temple Isd, which includes Thornton El.
$11,894
Per student
-13%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.7%
State 37.6%
Federal 19.7%
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 Thornton El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temple H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Travis Science Academy | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bonham Middle | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lamar Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jefferson El | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Thornton El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,320
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 686
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 627
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 553
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 504
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
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 (~763 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Thornton El's federal record.
- Compare Thornton El against another school. Compare schools
- Temple 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 Thornton El
How many students attend Thornton El?
Thornton El has 763 students enrolled. It is a public school in Temple, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thornton El?
The student-teacher ratio at Thornton El is 17.3:1, which is 18% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thornton El?
75.3% of students at Thornton El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thornton El?
The largest demographic group at Thornton El is Hispanic or Latino at 58.8% of enrollment, in Temple, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thornton El?
Thornton El has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Thornton El rank among schools in Temple?
By Resource Investment Index, Thornton El ranks #8 of 12 schools in Temple, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Temple on the city page.
Is Thornton El a good school?
Thornton El earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of 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 Temple Isd?
Besides Thornton El, Temple Isd also operates Temple H S (2,320 students), Travis Science Academy (686 students), and Bonham Middle (627 students). See the Temple 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.