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.
Durango, Colorado - 13 schools
An equity score of 39/100 ranks Durango School District No. 9-R #99 of 142 districts in Colorado (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,863 per pupil, Durango School District No. 9-R ranks #148 of 180 Colorado districts by per-pupil spending (Colorado districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
5,452
Total Enrollment
13
Schools
$11,863
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Durango School District No. 9-R operates 13 public schools serving 5,452 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Colorado. The school portfolio breaks down into 8 combined, 2 high, 2 middle, 1 elementary 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 La Plata County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,863 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 48.5% local, 44.9% state, and 6.6% 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 39/100, ranked #99 of 142 in Colorado against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 13 schools offering Advanced Placement (22 AP courses district-wide), a 281.3:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 39.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 65.3% White, 22.9% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Park Elementary School, with a diversity index of 60.3/100.
Its largest campus is Durango High School, enrolling 1,352 students (26% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Durango Big Picture High School, at 99 students, a 14x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Durango High School accounts for 24.8% of all Durango School District No. 9-R student enrollment
That concentration means Durango School District No. 9-R-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Durango School District No. 9-R school enrollment varies 14× across entities
Durango School District No. 9-R school enrollment ranges from 99 students (lowest) to 1,352 students (highest), a spread of 1,253 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Durango School District No. 9-R student-counselor ratio is 281:1 — 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 Durango School District No. 9-R is typically wider than the Durango School District No. 9-R-aggregate figure suggests.
Durango School District No. 9-R chronic absenteeism rate is 39.9% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Comparisons are relative to Durango School District No. 9-R'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.
How many schools are in Durango School District No. 9-R?
Durango School District No. 9-R has 13 schools, including 2 high, 8 combined, 2 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 5,452 students.
How much does Durango School District No. 9-R spend per student?
Durango School District No. 9-R spends $11,863 per student. The district has an equity score of 39/100, ranking #99 in Colorado.
What is the demographic composition of Durango School District No. 9-R?
Durango School District No. 9-R students are 65.3% White, 22.9% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian, 0.6% African American, averaged across 13 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Durango School District No. 9-R?
Durango School District No. 9-R has an equity score of 39/100, ranking #99 out of 142 districts in Colorado.