Adams 12 Five Star Schools
Public school district · Adams County · Colorado · NCES district ID 0806900
Adams 12 Five Star Schools spent $14,748 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 66% of the other Colorado districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $14,088). Its 54 schools enrolled 34,466 students in 2024-25; 45.7% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $15,831 per student, up 7.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 85% (Colorado: 82.7%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among Colorado's largest districts
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. Among the 10 districts shown, Adams 12 Five Star Schools ranks 6.
Where the money came from
$637,958,000 in revenue: 45.7% state, 46.0% local and 8.3% federal. Total spending including $34,131,000 of capital outlay was $587,915,000, or $16,447 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$291,674,000 46%
- Local$293,635,000 46%
- Federal$52,649,000 8%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 71 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25
35,747 students in 2022-23, 34,998 students in 2023-24, 34,466 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 35,747 | 2005.6 | 17.8 |
| 2023-24 | 34,998 | 2017.4 | 17.3 |
| 2024-25 | 34,466 | 1983.3 | 17.4 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$180,583,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $5,052 per student
Adams 12 Five Star Schools booked $180,583,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 2,016 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $89,579 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 97 in 100 Colorado districts with a figure (state median $62,708, 161 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Colorado teacher salary at $58,481 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $138,443,000 | 76.7% |
| Special education | $26,706,000 | 14.8% |
| Vocational | $4,567,000 | 2.5% |
| Other programs | $10,867,000 | 6.0% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,820 in 2018-19, $4,329 in 2019-20, $4,609 in 2020-21, $4,851 in 2021-22, $5,052 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Adams 12 Five Star Schools scored proficient or above: 32% in math, against 44.9% in reading and 31.8% in math across Colorado. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Colorado, not across states.
| Subject | This district | Colorado | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | 32% | 31.8% | 16,048 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Graduation rate, class of 2023
85% of the 2,925 students in Adams 12 Five Star Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 82.7% across Colorado. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | Colorado | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 85% | 82.7% |
| Students in the class | 2,925 | 68,390 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
34 elementary schools, 14,726 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEM Lab | 740 | 18.3 | 24.5% | Not Title I |
| Thunder Vista P-8 | 725 | 16.5 | 9.0% | Not Title I |
| STEM Launch | 677 | 14.7 | 65.3% | Schoolwide program |
| Hulstrom Options K-8 School | 663 | 18.0 | 8.0% | Not Title I |
| Silver Creek Elementary | 538 | 17.9 | 15.1% | Not Title I |
| Meridian Elementary School | 525 | 17.5 | 19.6% | Not Title I |
| Mountain View Elementary School | 517 | 16.4 | 32.9% | Not Title I |
| Hunters Glen Elementary School | 491 | 18.0 | 46.8% | Not Title I |
| Tarver Elementary School | 475 | 21.3 | 31.6% | Not Title I |
| Arapahoe Ridge Elementary School | 465 | 17.5 | 50.1% | Not Title I |
| Cotton Creek Elementary School | 455 | 15.2 | 38.9% | Not Title I |
| Eagleview Elementary School | 451 | 16.7 | 33.0% | Not Title I |
The other 22 elementary schools
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malley Drive Elementary School | 435 | 18.1 | 69.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Leroy Drive Elementary School | 435 | 15.0 | 70.6% | Schoolwide program |
| Federal Heights Elementary School | 430 | 14.3 | 79.1% | Schoolwide program |
| Stellar Elementary School | 418 | 16.7 | 55.7% | Not Title I |
| Coronado Hills Elementary School | 412 | 14.7 | 73.8% | Schoolwide program |
| Glacier Peak Elementary School | 412 | 16.8 | 41.0% | Not Title I |
| Westview Elementary School | 402 | 14.7 | 61.2% | Schoolwide program |
| Coyote Ridge Elementary School | 392 | 16.0 | 14.0% | Not Title I |
| Thornton Elementary School | 387 | 13.8 | 81.1% | Schoolwide program |
| Woodglen Elementary School | 383 | 17.0 | 55.6% | Not Title I |
| Prairie Hills Elementary School | 378 | 17.6 | 25.9% | Not Title I |
| Riverdale Elementary School | 372 | 16.2 | 58.9% | Not Title I |
| McElwain Elementary School | 361 | 14.4 | 86.7% | Schoolwide program |
| Stukey Elementary School | 348 | 13.9 | 78.4% | Schoolwide program |
| Hillcrest Elementary School | 338 | 13.5 | 74.6% | Schoolwide program |
| Skyview Elementary School | 326 | 13.2 | 51.8% | Not Title I |
| Cherry Drive Elementary School | 325 | 16.3 | 45.8% | Not Title I |
| North Star Elementary School | 320 | 14.5 | 75.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Rocky Mountain Elementary School | 318 | 14.4 | 81.4% | Schoolwide program |
| North Mor Elementary School | 304 | 16.0 | 71.4% | Schoolwide program |
| Centennial Elementary School | 293 | 13.0 | 65.2% | Schoolwide program |
| The Studio School | 215 | 12.8 | 40.9% | Not Title I |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
7 middle schools, 5,612 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Top Middle School | 1,052 | 18.5 | 22.7% | Not Title I |
| Silver Hills Middle School | 965 | 17.9 | 59.6% | Not Title I |
| Westlake Middle School | 853 | 18.6 | 27.8% | Not Title I |
| Thornton Middle School | 721 | 16.4 | 75.7% | Schoolwide program |
| Century Middle School | 717 | 18.6 | 40.9% | Not Title I |
| Northglenn Middle School | 672 | 15.6 | 73.7% | Schoolwide program |
| Shadow Ridge Middle School | 632 | 16.3 | 46.8% | Not Title I |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
8 high schools, 9,996 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy High School | 2,052 | 21.1 | 19.8% | Not Title I |
| Horizon High School | 1,966 | 20.1 | 27.2% | Not Title I |
| Northglenn High School | 1,844 | 19.2 | 60.5% | Not Title I |
| Mountain Range High School | 1,788 | 20.7 | 44.4% | Not Title I |
| Thornton High School | 1,439 | 16.3 | 69.1% | Not Title I |
| Pathways Future Center | 386 | 19.5 | 65.3% | Not Title I |
| Vantage Point | 331 | 10.4 | 65.0% | Schoolwide program |
| New America School - Thornton | 190 | 27.1 | 74.2% | Not Title I |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
5 other schools, 4,132 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stargate Charter School | 1,572 | 19.5 | 8.5% | Not Title I |
| Prospect Ridge Academy | 1,478 | 19.2 | 4.9% | Not Title I |
| Westgate Community School | 540 | 20.0 | 30.4% | Not Title I |
| Five Star Online Academy | 506 | 15.5 | not reported | Not reported |
| Bright Horizons Preschool | 36 | not reported | not reported | Not Title I |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
2 more schools on file: small, closed or in an earlier directory
These records carry fewer federal fields than a full school page needs, so each is summarized here with what NCES reports.
Adams12 Five Star Preschool
School in Thornton; 48 students.
Bright Horizons Preschool
School in Thornton; open in 2024-25; 36 students.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 and earlier directories: the last year each school was listed, its students and its teachers.
Contact Adams 12 Five Star Schools
- Website: adams12.org
- Phone: (720) 972-4000
- Office: 1500 E 128th Avenue, Thornton, CO 80241
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Adams 12 Five Star Schools
- Colorado districts by spending per studentAdams 12 Five Star Schools ranks 25 of 71 Colorado districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($14,748).#25 of 71
- Every school district in ColoradoAdams 12 Five Star Schools is the number 6 by size of 185 Colorado districts, with 35,747 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#6 of 185
- Aurora Public SchoolsThe next larger Colorado district: 38,135 students in fall 2022, $18,111 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$18,111
- St. Vrain Valley SchoolsThe next smaller Colorado district: 31,894 students in fall 2022, $14,045 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$14,045
- Compare Adams 12 Five Star Schools with Aurora Public SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Legacy High School, its largest high school2,052 students in 2024-25, 21.1 per teacher.2,052
- Teacher salary spending across ColoradoAdams 12 Five Star Schools spent $89,579 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $62,708); spending, not a salary.$89,579
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Adams 12 Five Star Schools
How many schools and students are in Adams 12 Five Star Schools?
54 schools were open in 2024-25 (34 elementary, 7 middle, 8 high, 5 other), enrolling 34,466 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Adams 12 Five Star Schools spend per student?
$14,748 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Colorado median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $14,088 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $15,831 per student, up 7.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Adams 12 Five Star Schools' money come from?
$637,958,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 45.7% state, 46.0% local and 8.3% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Adams 12 Five Star Schools live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 3,809 of the 43,462 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 8.8%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Adams 12 Five Star Schools spend on teacher salaries?
$180,583,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $5,052 per student. Divided by the 2,016 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $89,579 per teacher, more than 97 in 100 Colorado districts (state median $62,708). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Colorado teacher salary at $58,481 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in Adams 12 Five Star Schools do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Adams 12 Five Star Schools scored proficient or above: 32% in math, against 44.9% in reading and 31.8% in math across Colorado. Colorado's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is the graduation rate in Adams 12 Five Star Schools?
85% of the 2,925 students in Adams 12 Five Star Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 82.7% across Colorado. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Adams 12 Five Star Schools' NCES district ID?
0806900. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25