Enrollment
391
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Houston, TX
Thornwood El
Federal NCES profile for Thornwood El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 484110004700
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Thornwood El earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #282 of 435
- schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.5:1
- students per teacher
- 81.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Thornwood El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Thornwood El ranks #282 of 435 schools in Houston, TX.
School address
District: Spring Branch Isd · Texas
NCES ID 484110004700 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thornwood El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Thornwood El
Thornwood El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Houston, Texas, enrolling 391 students.
At 14.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 81.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 391 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,757 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,191.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (50%) and African American (26%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 66/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 738 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Spring Branch Isd also operates Memorial H S (2,636 students) and Northbrook H S (2,398 students) alongside Thornwood 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 Thornwood El compares
Thornwood 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 | 14.5:1 | ▼ 1% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.9% | ▲ 32% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 391 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
391
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
81.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 32% 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
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 53% in Texas - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
26.6%
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
$12,199
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.6 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 49.9%
African American 26.1%
White 14.3%
Asian 4.6%
Two or More 4.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 49.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.8, Thornwood El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spring Branch Isd, which includes Thornwood El.
$12,199
Per student
-11%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 74.2%
State 6.5%
Federal 19.3%
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 Thornwood El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memorial H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northbrook H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Stratford H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Spring Woods H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Memorial Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Thornwood El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,636
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,398
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 2,394
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 2,020
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,236
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
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 (~391 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Thornwood El's federal record.
- Compare Thornwood El against another school. Compare schools
- Spring Branch 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 Thornwood El
How many students attend Thornwood El?
Thornwood El has 391 students enrolled. It is a public school in Houston, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thornwood El?
The student-teacher ratio at Thornwood El is 14.5:1, which is 1% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 8% 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 Thornwood El?
81.9% of students at Thornwood El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thornwood El?
The largest demographic group at Thornwood El is Hispanic or Latino at 49.9% of enrollment, in Houston, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thornwood El?
Thornwood 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 Thornwood El rank among schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Thornwood El ranks #282 of 435 schools in Houston, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Houston on the city page.
Is Thornwood El a good school?
Thornwood El earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Spring Branch Isd?
Besides Thornwood El, Spring Branch Isd also operates Memorial H S (2,636 students), Northbrook H S (2,398 students), and Stratford H S (2,394 students). See the Spring Branch 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.