Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Aurora, Colorado - 61 schools

An equity score of 57/100 ranks Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a #51 of 142 districts in Colorado (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $16,314 per pupil, Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a ranks #61 of 180 Colorado districts by per-pupil spending (Colorado districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

38,135
Total Enrollment
61
Schools
$16,314
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a operates 61 public schools serving 38,135 students, placing it among the larger districts in Colorado. The school portfolio breaks down into 40 combined, 7 high, 7 middle, 7 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage across a sizeable portfolio before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Arapahoe County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,314 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 180 Colorado districts by per-pupil spending. See how Colorado compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 46.4% local, 41.1% state, and 12.5% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 57/100, ranked #51 of 142 in Colorado against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 6 of 61 schools offering Advanced Placement (42 AP courses district-wide), a 331.4:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, . Demographically, the student body averages 59.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% African American, 11.4% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Aurora Frontier K-8, with a diversity index of 77.1/100.

Its largest campus is Aurora Central Campus, enrolling 2,468 students (6% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Aps Early Beginnings - a Zoom Site, at 23 students, a 107x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a school enrollment varies 107× across entities

Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a school enrollment ranges from 23 students (lowest) to 2,468 students (highest), a spread of 2,445 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 69.6% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch

free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a student-counselor ratio is 331:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a is typically wider than the Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Where does the funding come from?

12.5%
Federal
41.1%
State
46.4%
Local

Funding Equity

57
Equity Score
51 / 142
State Rank
50
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 61 schools in Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a.

White 11.4%
Hispanic or Latino 59.6%
African American 16.8%
Asian 4.8%
Multiracial 5.8%
Other 1.6%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 56.1/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a's schools, above the Colorado average of 47.1.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Aurora Frontier K-8 77.1
  2. 2 Aurora Quest K-8 75.7
  3. 3 Murphy Creek K-8 School 75.4
  4. 4 Side Creek Elementary School 74.3
  5. 5 Arkansas Elementary School 73.5

Programs & Resources

6 / 61
Schools with AP
42 AP courses total
331.4:1
Student-Counselor Ratio

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a

School Enrollment
Aurora Central Campus
2,468
Rangeview High School
2,078
Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory
2,045
Gateway High School
1,748
Hinkley High School
1,527
Lotus School for Excellence
Charter
1,008
Edna and John W. Mosley P-8
994
Vista Peak P-8 Exploratory
960
Sixth Avenue Elementary School
950
Aurora West College Preparatory Academy
927
Harmony Ridge P-8
894
Murphy Creek K-8 School
855
Aurora Hills Middle School
821
Mrachek Middle School
811
Global Village Academy Aurora
Charter
802
Academy of Advanced Learning
Charter
789
Aurora Frontier K-8
761
Rocky Mountain Prep: Fletcher
Charter
701
Vanguard Classical School - East
Charter
690
Virginia Court Elementary School
657
Columbia Middle School
636
East Middle School
634
Tollgate Elementary School of Expeditionary Learni
601
Kenton Elementary School
583
Vega Collegiate Academy
Charter
583
Aurora Quest K-8
575
Crawford Elementary School
567
North Middle School Health Sciences and Technology
565
Aurora Academy Charter School
Charter
536
Altura Elementary School
527
Elkhart Elementary School
525
Side Creek Elementary School
512
Iowa Elementary School
502
Vassar Elementary School
500
Jewell Elementary School
493
Yale Elementary School
492
Park Lane Elementary School
486
Clyde Miller K-8
466
Laredo Elementary School
449
Aurora Science & Tech Middle School
Charter
448
Vaughn Elementary School
446
Aurora Science & Tech High School
Charter
434
Arkansas Elementary School
432
Dalton Elementary School
430
Dartmouth Elementary School
422
Boston K-8 School
413
Fulton Academy of Excellence
410
William Smith High School
410
Axl Academy
Charter
402
Sable Elementary School
387
Montview Math & Health Sciences Elementary School
380
Vanguard Classical School - West
Charter
380
Lansing Elementary Community School
366
Clara Brown Entrepreneurial Academy
282
Paris Elementary School
270
Empower Community High School
Charter
214
Laredo Child Development Center
210
Meadowood Child Development Center
166
South Middle School
139
Jamaica Child Development Center
106
Aps Early Beginnings - a Zoom Site
23

How Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Colorado districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Adams 12 Five Star Schools Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
St. Vrain Valley School District No. Re1j Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Poudre School District R-1 Similar size Lower spending More locally funded
Boulder Valley School District No. Re2 Smaller Similar spending More locally funded
Academy School District No. 20 in the County of El Paso an Smaller Lower spending Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Colorado

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Compare Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a?

Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a has 61 schools, including 40 combined, 7 high, 7 middle, 7 elementary. Total enrollment is 38,135 students.

How much does Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a spend per student?

Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a spends $16,314 per student. The district has an equity score of 57/100, ranking #51 in Colorado.

What is the demographic composition of Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a?

Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a students are 59.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% African American, 11.4% White, 4.8% Asian, averaged across 61 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a?

Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a has an equity score of 57/100, ranking #51 out of 142 districts in Colorado.