Enrollment
89
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Daly City, CA
Thornton High
Federal NCES profile for Thornton High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 061893001427
👥 S:T ratio 41
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 93
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Thornton High earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of California schools.
- #1 of 4
- high schools in Daly City · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.8:1
- small classes for California
- 40.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Thornton High has class sizes smaller than 90% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Thornton High ranks #1 of 4 high schools in Daly City, CA.
School address
District: Jefferson Union High · California
NCES ID 061893001427 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
-27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thornton High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Thornton High
Thornton High is a small high school in Daly City, California, enrolling 89 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 14.8:1, Thornton High is leaner than roughly 90% of California schools and 31% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 40.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 89 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 172 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #57.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (63%) and Asian (16%) (diversity index 57/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 37 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 80.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Daly City's high schools, it stands alongside Westmoor High (1,278 students): Thornton High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.8:1 vs 22:1).
Jefferson Union High also operates Westmoor High (1,278 students) and Jefferson High (1,072 students) alongside Thornton High.
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 High compares
Thornton High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.8:1 | ▼ 31% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.3% | ▼ 27% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 89 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
89
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 31% below state mean
Top 10% in California - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
80.9%
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
$17,939
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.4 FTE
Per 37 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.4 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 62.5%
Asian 15.9%
White 11.4%
Two or More 6.8%
African American 2.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 62.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.6, Thornton High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson Union High, which includes Thornton High.
$17,939
Per student
+9%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 81.8%
State 13.2%
Federal 5.1%
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 High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westmoor High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jefferson High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Terra Nova High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Oceana High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Thornton High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,278
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,072
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 740
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 471
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar high schools in Daly City
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~89 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Thornton High's federal record.
- Compare Thornton High against another school. Compare schools
- Jefferson Union High'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 High
How many students attend Thornton High?
Thornton High has 89 students enrolled. It is a high school in Daly City, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thornton High?
The student-teacher ratio at Thornton High is 14.8:1, which is 31% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 6% 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 High?
40.3% of students at Thornton High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thornton High?
The largest demographic group at Thornton High is Hispanic or Latino at 62.5% of enrollment, in Daly City, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thornton High?
Thornton High has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Thornton High rank among high schools in Daly City?
By Resource Investment Index, Thornton High ranks #1 of 4 high schools in Daly City, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Daly City on the city page.
Is Thornton High a good school?
Thornton High earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of California 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 Jefferson Union High?
Besides Thornton High, Jefferson Union High also operates Westmoor High (1,278 students), Jefferson High (1,072 students), and Terra Nova High (740 students). See the Jefferson Union High 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.