Enrollment
721
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 080690001183
Thornton Middle School — Thornton, CO
Federal NCES profile for Thornton Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 0
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: Adams 12 Five Star Schools · Colorado
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)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.4:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.0%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+90% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thornton Middle School compares with Colorado 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
Thornton Middle School reports 721 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% above the Colorado state mean of 16.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 9% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 73.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 90% above the Colorado average and 41% above 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 73.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Adams 12 Five Star Schools spends $14,916 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 45.4% from local sources (property taxes), 44.8% from the state, and 9.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), 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 Thornton Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Colorado state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.4:1 | ▲ 3% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.0% | ▲ 90% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 721 | top 86% | — | — |
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
73.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 90% above the Colorado average of 38.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.4:1
students per teacher
— 3% above state mean
Top 68% in Colorado — lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
73.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,916
per pupil, district-wide
— below Colorado avg of $20,949
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
82
in-school suspensions + 252 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 46.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 6 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 721 Top 86% in Colorado — larger than 14% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 17.4:1 +3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 73.0% +90% vs state
NCES ID 080690001183
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 77.4%
White 10.7%
Asian 7.2%
African American 3.2%
Two or More 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 77.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 361:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 73.0%
In-school suspensions 82
Out-of-school suspensions 252
Expulsions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Adams 12 Five Star Schools, which includes Thornton Middle School.
$14,916
Per student
-29%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 45.4%
State 44.8%
Federal 9.8%
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
- 2,052
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,966
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,844
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,788
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 1,572
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
Similar middle schools in Thornton
4 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Rocky Top Middle School
Standard public school
1,052 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Rodger Quist Middle School
Standard public school
855 students 20.5:1 students per teacher
Century Middle School
Standard public school
717 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Shadow Ridge Middle School
Standard public school
632 students 17.7:1 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 Thornton Middle School
How many students attend Thornton Middle School?
Thornton Middle School has 721 students enrolled. It is a middle school in THORNTON, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thornton Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Thornton Middle School is 17.4:1, which is 3% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 9% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thornton Middle School?
73.0% of students at Thornton Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thornton Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Thornton Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 77.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in THORNTON, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thornton Middle School?
Thornton Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) 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.