Enrollment
1,693
Idaho · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 160093001097
Thunder Ridge High School — Idaho Falls, ID
Federal NCES profile for Thunder Ridge High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 10
📚 AP courses 95
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 15
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: Bonneville Joint District · Idaho
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)
76.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.5:1
vs 17.3:1 Idaho avg
+30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
13.9%
vs 29.3% Idaho avg
-53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thunder Ridge High School compares with Idaho 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
Thunder Ridge High School reports 1,693 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 76.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 30% above the Idaho state mean of 17.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 42% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 13.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 53% below the Idaho average and 73% below the national baseline. The school offers 19 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 423 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bonneville Joint District spends $8,773 per pupil district-wide, below the Idaho average of $12,943 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.2% from local sources (property taxes), 64.4% from the state, and 16.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), 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 Thunder Ridge High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Idaho state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Idaho | Idaho avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.5:1 | ▲ 30% | 17.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.9% | ▼ 53% | 29.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,693 | top 99% | — | — |
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
13.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 53% below the Idaho average of 29.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
22.5:1
students per teacher
— 30% above state mean
Top 93% in Idaho — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$8,773
per pupil, district-wide
— below Idaho avg of $12,943
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 423 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 1,693 Top 99% in Idaho — larger than 1% of 778 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 76.0
Students per teacher 22.5:1 +30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 13.9% -53% vs state
NCES ID 160093001097
Student demographics
White 77.8%
Hispanic or Latino 18.1%
Two or More 2.1%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
African American 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 77.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 19
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 423:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bonneville Joint District, which includes Thunder Ridge High School.
$8,773
Per student
-32%
vs Idaho
Avg $12,943
-55%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.2%
State 64.4%
Federal 16.4%
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
- 1,230
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,176
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Enrollment
- 810
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Enrollment
- 661
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Enrollment
- 607
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
Similar high schools in Idaho Falls
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Skyline Senior High School
Standard public school
1,336 students 19.7:1 students per teacher
Idaho Falls Senior High School
Standard public school
1,298 students 20.5:1 students per teacher
Bonneville High School
Standard public school
1,176 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Compass Academy
Standard public school
393 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Emerson High School
Alternative education program
135 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Technical Careers High School
Vocational / career-technical school
118 students 9.2:1 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 Thunder Ridge High School
How many students attend Thunder Ridge High School?
Thunder Ridge High School has 1,693 students enrolled. It is a high school in IDAHO FALLS, ID.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thunder Ridge High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Thunder Ridge High School is 22.5:1, which is 30% higher than the Idaho average of 17.3:1 and 42% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thunder Ridge High School?
13.9% of students at Thunder Ridge High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Idaho average of 29.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thunder Ridge High School?
The largest demographic group at Thunder Ridge High School is White at 77.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in IDAHO FALLS, ID.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thunder Ridge High School?
Thunder Ridge High School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.