Thornton Elementary School
Public elementary school in Temple, Texas · Temple ISD · Grades Pre-K–5
Thornton Elementary School serves 763 students in grades Pre-K–5 in Temple (Bell County). It is one of 15 schools in Temple ISD. By enrollment it is the 583rd largest of 4,726 public elementary schools in Texas (median 516 students). With 17.5 students per full-time teacher, it has more students per teacher than the typical Texas elementary school (14.8).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank and medians compare all 4,726 Texas elementary schools with enrollment listed on this site.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Students per teacher = students ÷ 43.64 full-time-equivalent teachers.
School facts
| School type | Regular School |
| Level | Elementary |
| Grades | Pre-K–5 |
| District | Temple ISD |
| County | Bell County |
| Area type | City, small |
| School meals | Free meals for every student (Community Eligibility Provision) |
| NCES school ID | 484233004828 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory and school characteristics; area type from NCES EDGE locale codes.
Compared with the district and Texas
| This school | Temple ISD | Texas elementary schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 763 | 8,764 | 516 |
| Students per teacher | 17.5 | 14.6 | 14.8 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 67.1% | 71.4% | 72% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 88% of Texas elementary schools have fewer students per teacher than this school (share of schools with a lower ratio). State test results aren't published here yet.
Thornton Elementary School in context
Size
Of the 8 elementary schools in Temple ISD, Thornton Elementary School is the largest, with 8.7% of the district's students. Its 8 closest elementary schools sit a median 3.1 miles away with a median enrollment of 473; Thornton Elementary School is larger than most of them.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 enrollment and school type. Share of district students = this school's students ÷ the district's students. Nearest schools by straight-line distance between NCES EDGE locations.
Grades
Its largest grade is grade 2 with 137 students, and its smallest is pre-K with 3, against an average of 109 per grade. Its first and last grades are close in size: 124 in kindergarten and 131 in grade 5. It also enrolls 3 children in pre-K.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade.
Students
The largest group is Hispanic students: 58.8% here and 48.9% across Temple ISD. White students are next, at 19.9%. Students from all 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
67.1% of its students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, against 71.4% across Temple ISD and a median of 72% for Texas elementary schools. Under the Community Eligibility Provision, every student can eat breakfast and lunch at no charge, and families fill out no meal application.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Teachers
With 43.64 full-time-equivalent teachers for 763 students, Thornton Elementary School has 17.5 students per teacher. At the median Texas elementary school ratio of 14.8, a school with 763 students would have about 51.6 teachers, so Thornton Elementary School has 8 fewer.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Texas elementary schools (14.8).
Location
Thornton Elementary School is inside a principal city of fewer than 100,000 people, which NCES calls city, small. The nearest other elementary school is Scott Elementary School, 1.2 miles away in the same district. Within 10 miles there are 22 other elementary schools, 13 of them within 5 miles.
Source: NCES EDGE school locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines.
Students by race and ethnicity
| Hispanic | 58.8% |
| White | 19.9% |
| Black | 12.8% |
| Two or more races | 5.2% |
| Asian | 2.8% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0.3% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 0.1% |
47.7% of students are girls and 52.3% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Pre-K | 3 |
| Kindergarten | 124 |
| Grade 1 | 106 |
| Grade 2 | 137 |
| Grade 3 | 128 |
| Grade 4 | 134 |
| Grade 5 | 131 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
2825 Cottonwood Ln, Temple, TX 76502
Phone: (254)215-5700
Website: tisd.org
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: Thornton Elementary School. Blue: the nearest elementary schools.
Nearby elementary schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Elementary School | Temple ISD | 1.2 mi | 442 | 16 | 73.1% |
| Western Hills Elementary School | Temple ISD | 1.9 mi | 417 | 17.6 | 70% |
| Raye-Allen Elementary School | Temple ISD | 2.2 mi | 441 | 15.9 | 63.9% |
| Sampson-Howard Elementary School | Temple ISD | 3.0 mi | 611 | 16.8 | 81.2% |
| Kennedy-Powell Elementary School | Temple ISD | 3.2 mi | 384 | 16.4 | 61.5% |
| Charter Oak Elementary School | Belton ISD | 3.8 mi | 602 | 12.8 | 40.9% |
| Joe M Pirtle Elementary School | Belton ISD | 4.1 mi | 575 | 14 | 40.3% |
| Jefferson Elementary School | Temple ISD | 4.3 mi | 504 | 17 | 73.4% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Distance in a straight line between NCES EDGE locations.
Other schools in Temple ISD
| School | Level | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonham Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 627 |
| Fred W Edwards Academy Aec | High | 9–12 | 77 |
| Hector P Garcia Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 396 |
| Jefferson Elementary School | Elementary | K–5 | 504 |
| Kennedy-Powell Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 384 |
| Lamar Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 553 |
| Meridith-Dunbar Early Childhood Academy | Pre-K | Pre-K | 487 |
| Raye-Allen Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 441 |
| Sampson-Howard Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 611 |
| Scott Elementary School | Elementary | K–5 | 442 |
| Temple High School | High | 9–12 | 2,320 |
| Travis Science Academy | Middle | 6–8 | 686 |
| Western Hills Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 417 |
| Wheatley Alternative Education Center | Other | 1–12 | 55 |