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Thornton School

Q: Is Thornton School a good school?

Thornton School ranks 103 rd of 166 Rhode Island elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 1-5

103^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 166 Rhode Island Elementary Schools

Better than 38% of Rhode Island elementary schools

Summary

Thornton School is an elementary school located in Johnston, Rhode Island, serving grades 1-5 with a total enrollment of 346 students. While the school is part of the Johnston School District, which is ranked 35 out of 60 districts in the state, Thornton School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Rhode Island elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a current ranking of 103 out of 166 schools for the 2024-2025 school year.

Thornton School's academic performance, as measured by RICAS (Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System) test scores, is consistently below the state and district averages. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 28.4% of Thornton students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 31.3% in the Johnston district and 36.7% statewide. In mathematics, the proficiency rate was 25.3% at Thornton, compared to 23.2% in Johnston and 38.4% statewide. However, the school's spending per student has increased from $14,584 in 2019-2020 to $17,723 in 2022-2023, indicating a higher investment in the school's resources.

Interestingly, Thornton School's performance is generally lower than the nearby Winsor Hill School, which is also part of the Johnston School District and has consistently outperformed Thornton in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency rates. The high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch at Thornton School, which has increased from 45.26% in 2021-2022 to 62.72% in 2023-2024, may be a contributing factor to the school's lower academic performance.

340

Students ?

10.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,836

Per pupil spending ?

68.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4 School Street
Johnston, RI 02919

(401) 943-7369

District: Johnston

Students who attend Thornton School usually attend:

Middle:	Nicholas A. Ferri Middle
High:	Johnston Senior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

46.2%

White:

37.9%

African American:

8.8%

See top rated Rhode Island elementary schools

Compare Thornton School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 48th percentile in 2015 → 38th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school27%

District avg26%

103^rd of 166

Rhode Island public elementary schools ?

Bottom 38%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 48% (2015) to bottom 38% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Rhode Island Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Elementary Schools in the Johnston

35^th of 60Johnston among Rhode Island districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	33.7	103 of 166	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.8	125 of 166	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.3	105 of 167	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.5	106 of 166	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.5	111 of 166	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.9	116 of 169	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.0	121 of 169	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	26.6	126 of 168	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	36.8	112 of 170	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	50.1	88 of 169	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	36.6	115 of 159	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	32.5	126 of 165	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	27.6	128 of 165	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	23.4	137 of 165	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	37.7	118 of 169	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	29.9	125 of 169	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	43.0	29 of 58	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	34.7	102 of 164	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	49.9	52 of 111	53.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	42.1	89 of 158	43.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	32.3	110 of 166	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	38.7	52 of 97	46.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Rhode Island percentile	Rating
2025	29.6	97 of 129	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Hispanic (2025)53rd percentile+15 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)50th percentile+12 vs school

Special Education (2025)46th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)44th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)38th percentile~ school

Male (2025)34th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)25th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Rhode Island (2024-2025) ?

Science30%

English Language Arts28%

Mathematics25%

★

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Schools Near Thornton School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NGSA Science (2025)	RICAS English Language Arts (2025)				RICAS Mathematics (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NGSA Science All Grades	RICAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	RICAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	RICAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	RICAS English Language Arts All Grades	RICAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	RICAS Mathematics 4th Grade	RICAS Mathematics 5th Grade	RICAS Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Thornton School	Public	1-5	4 School Street	Johnston	02919	Providence County	Johnston	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 943-7369	340	31	10.9	68.8%	129 (37.9%)	30 (8.8%)	157 (46.2%)	14 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.9%)	33.7	103^rd of 166 public elementary schools	38.0%		23.8	125^th of 166 public elementary schools	24.7%	22	29.8	23.9	32.3	29.8	28.4	31.0	29.0	14.0	25.3	$16,836	$1,732	$15,104
Stone Hill School	Public	K-5	21 Village Avenue	Cranston	02920	Providence County	Cranston	No	(n/a)	No	No	(401) 270-8022	234	20	11.7	46.6%	127 (54.3%)	10 (4.3%)	61 (26.1%)	22 (9.4%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	12 (5.1%)	70.1	50^th of 166 public elementary schools	69.9%		71.3	47^th of 166 public elementary schools	71.7%	3	51.4	31.4	46.3	48.6	42.5	40.0	46.3	51.4	46.0	$19,250	$1,299	$17,951
George J. Peters School	Public	K-5	15 Mayberry Street	Cranston	02920	Providence County	Cranston	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 270-8199	244	18	13.5	62.3%	104 (42.6%)	10 (4.1%)	94 (38.5%)	12 (4.9%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (9.0%)	26	125^th of 166 public elementary schools	24.7%		19	137^th of 166 public elementary schools	17.5%	12	23.3	33.3	14.0	23.3	24.1	29.4	7.0	23.3	20.4	$16,542	$1,431	$15,111
Arlington School	Public	PK, KG-5	155 Princess Avenue	Cranston	02920	Providence County	Cranston	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 270-8179	209	16	13.0	77.5%	32 (15.3%)	11 (5.3%)	128 (61.2%)	15 (7.2%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (10.5%)	26.1	124^th of 166 public elementary schools	25.3%		15.5	147^th of 166 public elementary schools	11.4%	23	22.2	8.3	13.6	43.2	25.3	12.5		8.1	8.4	$18,280	$1,870	$16,409
Winsor Hill School	Public	1-5	100 Theresa Street	Johnston	02919	Providence County	Johnston	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 831-4619	380	32	11.8	60.5%	195 (51.3%)	35 (9.2%)	123 (32.4%)	14 (3.7%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (2.6%)	25.5	129^th of 166 public elementary schools	22.3%		31.7	106^th of 166 public elementary schools	36.1%	23	15.9	23.8	31.5	17.6	25.1	25.0	19.4	24.6	22.6	$13,973	$2,228	$11,745
Gladstone Street School	Public	K-5	50 Gladstone Street	Cranston	02920	Providence County	Cranston	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 270-8080	402	35	11.4	88.6%	27 (6.7%)	24 (6.0%)	298 (74.1%)	28 (7.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (5.7%)	11.5	157^th of 166 public elementary schools	5.4%		9.9	157^th of 166 public elementary schools	5.4%		8.6	21.4		12.7	12.8	16.7	6.8	11.1	11.5	$17,128	$2,136	$14,992
Anthony Carnevale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	50 Springfield Street	Providence	02909	Providence County	Providence	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 278-0554	519	39	13.3	84.2%	38 (7.3%)	62 (11.9%)	374 (72.1%)	18 (3.5%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (4.0%)	10.9	158^th of 166 public elementary schools	4.8%		12.6	155^th of 166 public elementary schools	6.6%	3	9.2	13.2	9.2	7.8	10.2	25.0	15.7	6.2	15.9	$27,010	$4,944	$22,066
Frank D. Spaziano Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	35 Merino Street	Providence	02909	Providence County	Providence	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 456-9389	588	31	18.9	85.9%	36 (6.1%)	23 (3.9%)	507 (86.2%)	4 (0.7%)	9 (1.5%)	3 (0.5%)	6 (1.0%)	13.1	153^rd of 166 public elementary schools	7.8%		22.7	133^rd of 166 public elementary schools	19.9%	20	12.0	8.3	14.3	16.7	13.3	17.3	15.9	15.2	16.1	$16,846	$2,579	$14,267
Mary E. Fogarty Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	85 Laurel Hill Ave	Providence	02909	Providence County	Providence	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 456-9381	430	24	17.9	90.0%	33 (7.7%)	82 (19.1%)	275 (64.0%)	17 (4.0%)	7 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (3.5%)	15.7	148^th of 166 public elementary schools	10.8%		6.8	166^th of 166 public elementary schools	0.0%	18	6.6	27.5	8.7	17.6	18.0	26.6	13.7	11.8	17.5	$18,932	$3,691	$15,241
Webster Avenue School	Public	K-5	191 Webster Avenue	Providence	02909	Providence County	Providence	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(401) 456-9414	308	20	15.4	83.8%	24 (7.8%)	18 (5.8%)	253 (82.1%)	4 (1.3%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (1.0%)	4 (1.3%)	9.2	162^nd of 166 public elementary schools	2.4%		8.6	161^st of 166 public elementary schools	3.0%	1	9.4	19.6	11.5	8.2	13.2	9.4	9.3	9.4	9.4	$19,126	$4,052	$15,074

Frequently Asked Questions about Thornton School

What district is Thornton School in?

Johnston

How many students attend Thornton School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 340 students attended Thornton School.

What schools do graduates of Thornton School attend?

Students who attend Thornton School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Nicholas A. Ferri Middle
High : Johnston Senior High

Is Thornton School a good school?

Thornton School ranks 103^rd of 166 Rhode Island elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Thornton School?

Students at Thornton School are 46% Hispanic, 38% White, 9% African American, 4% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

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RIRhode Island Elementary School Rankings

RIRhode Island District Rankings

Schools in Johnston, RI

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Rhode Island Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.