Thomas Caterer (31 July 1825 – c. 4 January 1917) was a pioneer schoolteacher of Adelaide, South Australia who founded in 1862 a private school for boys which in 1866 became Norwood Grammar School.
His brother, Frederick Isaac Caterer (c. 1840 – c. 24 August 1892), founded a similarly influential school in Glenelg.
His eldest son, T. Ainslie Caterer (died 1923), noted cricketer and teacher, was the first student of the University of Adelaide to be awarded a BA.
Thomas was born in Tetsworth, Oxfordshire in 1827, the son of Elizabeth (died at Upper Mitcham, South Australia 17 July 1875) and Isaac Caterer (died 17 March 1868), a schoolteacher who later became a Congregational minister. He was educated at Lewisham College and was for a time on the staff of Taunton's School, Somersetshire before teaching under Professor Newth in Reading, Berkshire. He emigrated to South Australia, arriving in Adelaide 17 December 1854 in the ship Standard He had married Marina Mudie (c. 1830 – 16 March 1899), sister of W. H. Mudie and daughter of the Rev. G. D. Mudie, then of England, but later Congregational minister of Salisbury, South Australia. She followed Thomas to Adelaide in the barque "David Malcolm", arriving 30 April 1855. She was an educated and accomplished woman who had been secretary to Elihu Burritt for some years.
He taught at J. L. Young's Adelaide Educational Institution for three or four years then secured appointments as headmaster at Port Adelaide 1857–1858,Glenelg 1858–1859, Auburn School 1860–1861 and Glen Osmond.