Delta County Joint District No. 50

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.

Delta, Colorado - 18 schools

An equity score of 44/100 ranks Delta County Joint District No. 50 #86 of 142 districts in Colorado (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $12,649 per pupil, Delta County Joint District No. 50 ranks #132 of 180 Colorado districts by per-pupil spending (Colorado districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

4,592
Total Enrollment
18
Schools
$12,649
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Delta County Joint District No. 50 operates 18 public schools serving 4,592 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Colorado. The school portfolio breaks down into 8 combined, 4 high, 4 elementary, 2 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly 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 Delta County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,649 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 180 Colorado districts by per-pupil spending. See how Colorado compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 29.6% local, 53.7% state, and 16.7% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 44/100, ranked #86 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 4 of 18 schools offering Advanced Placement (32 AP courses district-wide), a 238.3:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 42.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 72.1% White, 22.1% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Grand Mesa Choice Academy, with a diversity index of 55.5/100.

Its largest campus is Delta High School, enrolling 626 students (14% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Delta Online Learning Academy, at 14 students, a 45x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Delta County Joint District No. 50 school enrollment varies 45× across entities

Delta County Joint District No. 50 school enrollment ranges from 14 students (lowest) to 626 students (highest), a spread of 612 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. 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

Delta County Joint District No. 50 student-counselor ratio is 238:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)

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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

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

Delta County Joint District No. 50 chronic absenteeism rate is 42.1% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

16.7%
Federal
53.7%
State
29.6%
Local

Funding Equity

44
Equity Score
86 / 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 18 schools in Delta County Joint District No. 50.

White 72.1%
Hispanic or Latino 22.1%
Asian 0.7%
Multiracial 4.7%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 40.6/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Delta County Joint District No. 50's schools, below the Colorado average of 47.1.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Grand Mesa Choice Academy 55.5
  2. 2 Delta Middle School 54.3
  3. 3 Delta High School 53.8
  4. 4 Lincoln Elementary School 52.7
  5. 5 Backpack Early Learning Academy 51.1

Programs & Resources

4 / 18
Schools with AP
32 AP courses total
238.3:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
42.1%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Delta County Joint District No. 50

School Enrollment
Delta High School
626
Delta Middle School
498
Garnet Mesa Elementary School
488
Lincoln Elementary School
371
Cedaredge Elementary School
346
Vision Charter Academy
Charter
311
Hotchkiss Elementary School
297
Cedaredge High School
280
North Fork High School
265
Paonia K-8
247
Backpack Early Learning Academy
188
Vision Charter Academy K-8
Charter
172
Cedaredge Middle School
154
North Fork Montessori @ Crawford
120
North Fork School of Integrated Studies
112
Grand Mesa Choice Academy
68
Delta Academy of Applied Learning
25
Delta Online Learning Academy
14

How Delta County Joint District No. 50 Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Colorado districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Garfield School District No. Re-2 Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Education Reenvisioned Boces Similar size No spending data More locally funded
Weld County School District No. Re-5j Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Cheyenne Mountain School District No. 12 in the County of E Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Durango School District No. 9-R Similar size Similar spending More locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Delta County Joint District No. 50's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Colorado

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Compare Delta County Joint District No. 50

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 Delta County Joint District No. 50?

Delta County Joint District No. 50 has 18 schools, including 4 high, 2 middle, 4 elementary, 8 combined. Total enrollment is 4,592 students.

How much does Delta County Joint District No. 50 spend per student?

Delta County Joint District No. 50 spends $12,649 per student. The district has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #86 in Colorado.

What is the demographic composition of Delta County Joint District No. 50?

Delta County Joint District No. 50 students are 72.1% White, 22.1% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% African American, averaged across 18 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Delta County Joint District No. 50?

Delta County Joint District No. 50 has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #86 out of 142 districts in Colorado.