The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in Math. The lowest is 26% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Thomas Es
Thomas ES serves students from prekindergarten through sixth grade in the Thomas-Fay-Custer Unified District. The school enrolls a modest number of students across those grades. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of American Indian or Alaska Native and two or more races students and a Hispanic population. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, students with disabilities, and English learners was not available.
The community of Thomas is a small, rural city in Custer County. It began as an agricultural trade center and has become a bedroom community, with a large portion of its employed residents commuting to jobs elsewhere. The town has a compact commercial center at the intersection of two state highways, with residential streets and open farmland around it. A small oil refinery is a notable local employer, along with the school district itself. Thomas has experienced a slow population decline in recent years, and the estimated population continues this trend. The school is integrated into the town rather than on a separate campus, and a library and a city park provide some civic amenities.
State testing data from the most recent school year is limited. For many tested grade levels in math, English language arts, and science, results were suppressed, which can happen when the number of tested students in a group is small. This pattern means a parent will find it difficult to get a full picture of the school’s academic performance from the state assessments alone. One reported figure stands out. In fourth grade English language arts, a notable portion of students scored at the proficient level or above. In fifth grade math, roughly half of students reached that same benchmark. Compared to other districts in Custer County, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint.
Because Thomas ES does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism was also not available.
In terms of course access, program offerings, and staffing ratios, no specific information was found. The district has no recent major changes publicly reported that would alter the school experience. The absence of certain data points is common for a school of this size and grade band in a rural setting, but a family looking for a detailed academic profile may want to follow up with the school directly. The school is not a charter school, and its magnet status and Title I status are not specified in the available records.
Thomas ES appears to be a straightforward elementary program in a small, rural community where many adults commute out for work. The student body is not highly diverse by race or ethnicity. Academic performance shows a mix of suppressed results and a couple of reported figures that land around the midpoint or slightly above it when compared with the county. For a parent, the limited testing data makes it hard to gauge the school’s overall academic strength from state results alone, though the available numbers do not point to any particular weakness. The town itself is seeing a gradual population decline, and housing values have been rising, according to local estimates.
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