Enrollment
361
Elementary
DISTRICT 236 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·FREER ISD·NCES 481982005366
NORMAN M THOMAS EL
1404 S NORTON, FREER, TX 78357 · (361) 394-6025 · Duval County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL361 STUDENTS
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
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. 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.
Test scores
STAAR 2023-24 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
30.0%
TX avg 51.8% . +20.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
36.0%
TX avg 42.0% . +16.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 30 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 36 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 52 and 42. Reading scores are up about 20 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 16 points.
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
30.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
34.8%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-4.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 30% 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 →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
361
-46 (-11%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
was 17.7:1
% White
6%
was 5%
% Hispanic
92%
was 93%
% Black
0%
was 0%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About NORMAN M THOMAS EL
NORMAN M THOMAS EL, a close-knit elementary-level community in FREER, Texas, overseen by FREER ISD, instructs 361 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. That puts it 30% smaller than the typical public school in Texas, which averages around 519 students.
Within FREER ISD, which oversees 3 schools and 709 students, NORMAN M THOMAS EL is one campus in the system.
Demographically, NORMAN M THOMAS EL logs that 92% of students identify as Hispanic, making the school strongly Hispanic-majority. Beyond that, the school logs 6% White. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 82%.
In terms of school funding signals, The school employs 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 13.8:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.1:1, putting NORMAN M THOMAS EL tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 89% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy.
After controlling for student poverty, NORMAN M THOMAS EL performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 34.8%, the actual is 30.0%, a residual of -4.8 points.
In the area at large, Duval County reports that the typical household earns roughly $49,038 per year, about 7% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 18%. Across Duval County's 10 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,346 students), NORMAN M THOMAS EL is one campus in the mix.
The closest other public school is FREER H S, roughly 0.2 miles away. 2 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), NORMAN M THOMAS EL ranks 7th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 37.8%.
Geographically, the school is in a low-density area.
Five-year trend. NORMAN M THOMAS EL's enrollment has edged down 11% since 2018, when it stood at 407 (now 361). Class-load math has pulled in: from 17.7:1 in 2018 to 13.8:1 in 2025.
On this page, members of the NORMAN M THOMAS EL community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
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 H SHigh · 202 students
- LUCY ARAGON J HMiddle · 146 students
Other schools in FREER
- FREER H SHigh · 202 students
- LUCY ARAGON J HMiddle · 146 students
Nearby schools
- FREER H S0.2 mi · 202
- LUCY ARAGON J H0.4 mi · 146
- BENAVIDES SECONDARY22.6 mi · 87
- BENAVIDES EL22.9 mi · 61
- BERNARDA JAIME J H24.2 mi · 319
- SAN DIEGO H S24.2 mi · 446
Frequently asked questions
About NORMAN M THOMAS ELWhat is the total enrollment at NORMAN M THOMAS EL?
NORMAN M THOMAS EL enrolls approximately 361 students in grades PK-05.
Is NORMAN M THOMAS EL an elementary, middle, or high school?
NORMAN M THOMAS EL is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at NORMAN M THOMAS EL?
The student-to-teacher ratio at NORMAN M THOMAS EL is approximately 13.8:1 (26 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at NORMAN M THOMAS EL?
At NORMAN M THOMAS EL, the student body is approximately 6% White, 92% Hispanic, 0% Black, 0% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Is NORMAN M THOMAS EL public or private?
NORMAN M THOMAS EL 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.