Enrollment
361
Elementary
DISTRICT 236 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·FREER ISD·NCES 481982005366
Norman M Thomas Elementary School
1404 S NORTON, FREER, TX 78357 · (361) 394-6025 · Duval County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL361 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 13% of Texas public elementary schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- C+Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Texas public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
26 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.1:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
89%
323 students
DISTRICT 88% · STATE 65%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 66 | 18% |
| Kindergarten | 51 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 45 | 12% |
| Grade 2 | 53 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 49 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 47 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 50 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (51) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (50).
Student demographics
15%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 13% · STATE 63% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within FREER ISD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at Norman M Thomas Elementary School.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
40.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +30.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
34.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +14.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 40 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 34 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 30 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 14 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 15.0% | 25.0% | 19.0% | 41.0% |
| Mathematics | 10.0% | 24.0% | 28.0% | 38.0% |
Share of tested students at each STAAR level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
STAAR results by year
| School year | Reading | Mathematics |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 40.0% | 34.0% |
| 2024-25 | 29.0% | 26.0% |
| 2023-24 | 30.0% | 36.0% |
| 2022-23 | 50.0% | 17.0% |
| 2021-22 | 25.0% | 50.0% |
| 2020-21 | 10.0% | 20.0% |
% Meets Grade Level or Above, all students and all tested grades.
Source: STAAR. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
27.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
35.5%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 28% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 35% typical for Texas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Texas's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Norman M Thomas Elementary School
Norman M Thomas Elementary School's state test result (27.6% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norman M Thomas Elementary School this school | 361 | 89.5% | 27.6% |
| Robbin E L Washington International Elementary School EL PASO | 371 | 88.4% | 44.5% |
| Los Encinos Ses CORPUS CHRISTI | 360 | 89.4% | 43.5% |
| Browning Elementary School HOUSTON | 348 | 88.8% | 33.7% |
| Rosita Valley Literacy Academy EAGLE PASS | 363 | 89.8% | N/A |
| Bluebonnet Elementary School HEREFORD | 366 | 87.4% | 43.0% |
Matched among Texas elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Norman M Thomas Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 27.6% | #3,877 of 4,401 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 34.0% | #3,550 of 4,466 ▲ 483 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 40.0% | #3,670 of 4,466 ▲ 541 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +3.5pp | #2,329 of 3,998 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 361 | #3,797 of 4,938 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.8:1 | #1,327 of 4,622 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 15.0% | #3,923 of 4,628 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 89.5% | #1,131 of 4,789 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -11.3% | #1,925 of 2,838 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
361
-31 (-8%) vs 2020
-33% since 1990-91, when it was 535
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
was 17.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 361 | 26.2 | 13.8:1 | 89% (323) |
| 2023-24 | 355 | 21.6 | 16.5:1 | 85% (302) |
| 2022-23 | 374 | 22.6 | 16.6:1 | 80% (299) |
| 2020-21 | 392 | 23 | 17.0:1 | 77% (302) |
| 2017-18 | 407 | 23 | 17.7:1 | 73% (296) |
| 2015-16 | 402 | 25 | 16.1:1 | 73% (292) |
| 2010-11 | 406 | 25 | 16.2:1 | 72% (294) |
| 2000-01 | 505 | 33 | 15.3:1 | 63% (316) |
| 1990-91 | 535 | 35 | 15.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Norman M Thomas Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 11% (407 to 361); teachers up 14% (23 to 26.2).
About Norman M Thomas Elementary School
Among the schools in FREER, Texas, is Norman M Thomas Elementary School, a small elementary school. Enrollment in 2024-25 was 361 students in pre-K through 5. Against the 519-student average for elementary schools in Texas, enrollment here is 30% lower.
The district, FREER ISD, has 709 students enrolled across 3 schools.
Hispanic students are the large majority at Norman M Thomas Elementary School, with 92% of enrollment. The next largest groups are 6% White. In Duval County overall, about 82% of residents are Hispanic. Norman M Thomas Elementary School has a diversity index of 15%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
At Norman M Thomas Elementary School, 26.2 full-time-equivalent teachers work with students, a ratio of about 13.8:1. That ratio is under the 15.1:1 average for elementary schools in Texas. Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch make up 89% of enrollment. Across public schools in Duval County, the average is about the same, 88%.
Norman M Thomas Elementary School is graded D by allk12, scoring above 13% of Texas public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Norman M Thomas Elementary School sits between the top and bottom 10% of Texas schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate on state tests of 27.6% and a predicted 35.5%.
In Duval County (population about 9,742), median household income is about $49,038, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 7%, and about 18% of people live in poverty. A total of 10 public schools operate in Duval County, serving about 2,346 students.
Nearby, Freer High School is about 0.2 miles away. Norman M Thomas Elementary School is one of several public schools in the area, with 2 others within five miles. Norman M Thomas Elementary School's average proficiency of 27.6% compares with 39.7% for its nearest scored neighbors.
Norman M Thomas Elementary School is in rural territory far from an urban area, a location NCES labels Rural: Remote.
Federal counts put enrollment at 392 in 2020-21 and 361 in 2024-25, an 8% decrease. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 17.0:1 in 2020-21 to 13.8:1 in 2024-25.
Discussions about Norman M Thomas Elementary School may include school safety, transportation, and start times. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Duval County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
9,742
Census ACS
Median income
$49,038
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
7%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
18%
Below federal line
Schools in county
10
2,346 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in FREER ISD
- Freer High SchoolHigh · 202 students
- Lucy Aragon Junior High SchoolMiddle · 146 students
Other schools in FREER
- Freer High SchoolHigh · 202 students
- Lucy Aragon Junior High SchoolMiddle · 146 students
Nearby schools
- Freer High School0.2 mi · 202
- Lucy Aragon Junior High School0.4 mi · 146
- Benavides Secondary22.6 mi · 87
- Benavides Elementary School22.9 mi · 61
- Bernarda Jaime Junior High School24.2 mi · 319
- San Diego High School24.2 mi · 446
Frequently asked questions
About Norman M Thomas Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Norman M Thomas Elementary School?
Norman M Thomas Elementary School enrolls approximately 361 students in grades PK-05.
Is Norman M Thomas Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Norman M Thomas Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Norman M Thomas Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Norman M Thomas Elementary School is approximately 13.8:1 (26 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Norman M Thomas Elementary School?
At Norman M Thomas Elementary School, the student body is approximately 6% White, 92% Hispanic, 0% Black, 0% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Is Norman M Thomas Elementary School public or private?
Norman M Thomas Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by FREER ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.