THORNTON EL

Located at 2825 COTTONWOOD LN, in TEMPLE, Texas, THORNTON EL is an average-sized elementary-level community that caters to 763 students (grades pre-K through 5), one of the schools within TEMPLE ISD. Enrollment runs roughly 47% larger than the state mean of about 519.

THORNTON EL is one of 17 schools operated by TEMPLE ISD, a district that caters to 9,073 students overall.

Looking at the student body, THORNTON EL shows that 59% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. Other groups include 20% White, 13% Black, 5% multiracial, 3% Asian. The wider county runs roughly 26% Hispanic, putting the school's mix considerably more Hispanic than the area baseline.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 44 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 17.5:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.1:1, putting THORNTON EL higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 67% of students at THORNTON EL qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Bell County (around 57%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), THORNTON EL performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 44.6%, the actual is 37.8%, a residual of -6.8 points.

Around the school, Bell County reports that median household income runs about $68,865, roughly 27% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. Across Bell County's 130 public schools (combined enrollment of about 71,041 students), THORNTON EL is one campus in the mix.

CATER EL is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.1 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), THORNTON EL ranks 4th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 38.6%.

Geographically, the school is in an urban area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked up 4%: 734 students in 2018 compared to 763 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 50% to 59% across the same window.

On this page, the feed for THORNTON EL typically covers pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.