NCES CCD 2024-25 185 schools CO

Best-Resourced Schools in Colorado Springs, CO

185 public K-12 schools in Colorado Springs from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.

185
Schools
89,262
Students
46.4/100
Avg Resource Index
15.7:1
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

National city placement

Large, fragmented school market

According to NCES CCD 2024-25, Colorado Springs has more public-school enrollment than 99% of the 4,487 US cities in this directory. Colorado Springs is among the largest city school systems in this directory by enrollment, but its campuses are divided among 12 districts. That combination matters: citywide averages blend separate budgets, staffing policies, attendance boundaries, and program rules. For a family comparing schools here, the district column is as important as the city average; two nearby campuses may answer to different boards and draw on different F-33 funding pools.

Combined-grade campuses shape the local portfolio

80 of Colorado Springs's 185 listed schools use NCES's combined or “other” grade-level classification. Citywide averages therefore blend campuses serving unusually broad or nonstandard grade spans with conventional elementary, middle, and high schools. Grade configuration is a first-order comparison here, not a minor label.

Campus spread matters more than the city mean

The 62-point gap between Aspen Valley Campus and Sand Creek High School shows the range hidden by Colorado Springs's average Resource Investment Index. The city figure is useful for national placement, but families ultimately choose among campuses with different grade spans, enrollment, district affiliations, and reported support fields. Start with schools serving the relevant grade level, then compare the index components rather than assuming the city average describes any one classroom.

City enrollment
Top 1%
School count
Top 1%
Resource Index average
76th percentile
Teacher staffing
46th percentile

Colorado Springs school enrollment varies 80× across entities

Colorado Springs school enrollment ranges from 24 students (lowest) to 1,909 students (highest), a spread of 1,885 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing and program breadth can differ sharply at opposite ends of that enrollment range, so the city average should not be treated as a typical campus.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Colorado Springs operates 12 school districts — one of the single most fragmented governance structures in the country

Each school district has independent budgeting, hiring, and service delivery authority, and the sheer count here puts it in the extreme tail of fragmentation nationally. The fragmentation reflects historical patterns of inter-municipal boundary lines that pre-date modern city growth, students in different parts of the same city can attend different districts with different per-pupil spending, calendars, and graduation requirements. Per-region variation is largest in fragmented systems because each school district sets its own budget, contracts, and priorities without higher-level coordination above the regulatory floor.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Colorado Springs student-teacher ratio is 15.7:1 — near the typical range (US average ~15.7) — citywide staffing is neither unusually lean nor unusually crowded by this measure

student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Variation between sub-units within Colorado Springs is typically wider than the Colorado Springs-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe

37 of Colorado Springs's 185 listed schools are charters

20% of the city's listed public-school campuses are reported as charter schools in NCES CCD. Charter status identifies a different governance arrangement; it does not establish admissions availability, academic quality, or the share of city students enrolled in those campuses. Open each school record to compare enrollment and staffing directly.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

# School Score
1. Aspen Valley Campus 81
2. West Middle School 76
3. Spark Online Academy 73
4. Aspire Online Academy 73
5. Panorama Middle School 69
6. Mann Middle School 67
7. Galileo School of Math and Science 67
8. Civa Charter Academy 66
9. West Elementary School 66
10. Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy 65
11. Fremont Elementary School 64
12. Hanover Junior-Senior High School 64
13. Mitchell High School 63
14. Midland Elementary School 63
15. Globe Charter School 63
16. Fox Meadow Middle School 62
17. Rogers Elementary School 62
18. The Bijou School 62
19. Odyssey Early College and Career Options 61
20. Stratton Elementary School 61
21. D3 My Way Virtual School 61
22. Edison Elementary School 61
23. Buena Vista Elementary School 61
24. Sabin Middle School 60
25. Roosevelt Charter Academy 60
26. Madison Elementary School 60
27. High Plains Elementary School 60
28. Trailblazer Elementary School 60
29. Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning 59
30. Stratton Meadows Elementary School 59
31. James Irwin Charter High School 58
32. Frontier Elementary School 58
33. Carver Elementary School 58
34. Zebulon Pike 58
35. Sierra High School 57
36. Russell Middle School 57
37. Jackson Elementary School 57
38. Audubon Elementary School 57
39. Pikes Peak Early College 57
40. Journey K8 57
41. Palmer High School 56
42. Springs Studio for Academic Excellence 56
43. Odyssey Elementary School 56
44. Nikola Tesla Education Opportunity Center 56
45. Rampart High School 55
46. Carmel Community School 55
47. James Irwin Charter Middle School 55
48. Power Technical Early College 55
49. Chipeta Elementary School 55
50. Wilson Elementary School 55

Showing top 50 of 185 schools.

Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Colorado Springs

Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.

  1. 1 James Madison Charter Academy School 76.2/100
  2. 2 Grand Mountain School 72.4/100
  3. 3 Webster Elementary School 71.6/100
  4. 4 Mesa Ridge High School 70.8/100
  5. 5 Sunrise Elementary School 70.5/100

What do families ask about schools in Colorado Springs?

Which Colorado Springs school has the highest Resource Investment Index?

Aspen Valley Campus has the highest Resource Investment Index among the Colorado Springs schools in this federal-data comparison at 81/100. The index summarizes reported staffing, counseling, gifted-program, and attendance inputs; it is not an academic rating.

How many schools are in Colorado Springs, CO?

Colorado Springs has 185 public schools with a total enrollment of 89,262 students. 37 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 15.7:1.

Other Cities in Colorado

Side-by-side: Compare any two schools or districts in Colorado →

Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. The Resource Investment Index uses reported student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance; it is not an academic rating. Cities must include at least five schools to be listed. This public-data comparison is for informational purposes: verify current enrollment, attendance boundaries, and programs with the school district before acting. See the guide to understanding NCES data.