Enrollment
298
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 080306006456 Charter school
Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning — Colorado Springs, CO
Federal NCES profile for Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.7%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning reports 298 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 26% below the Colorado state mean of 16.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 15.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 59% below the Colorado average and 70% below the national baseline.
On the finance side, the surrounding Colorado Springs School District No. 11 in the County of E spends $15,578 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 47.8% from local sources (property taxes), 40.3% from the state, and 11.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+), calculated from 2 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Colorado state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.5:1 | ▼ 26% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.7% | ▼ 59% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 298 | top 38% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
15.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 59% below the Colorado average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.5:1
students per teacher
— 26% below state mean
Top 17% in Colorado — lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$15,578
per pupil, district-wide
— below Colorado avg of $20,949
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 298 Top 38% in Colorado — larger than 62% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 12.5:1 -26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 15.7% -59% vs state
NCES ID 080306006456
Student demographics
White 72.5%
Hispanic or Latino 18.5%
Two or More 7.7%
African American 1.0%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 72.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Colorado Springs School District No. 11 in the County of E, which includes Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning.
$15,578
Per student
-26%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 47.8%
State 40.3%
Federal 11.9%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,715
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,279
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,265
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 791
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Enrollment
- 757
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
Similar elementary schools in Colorado Springs
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
The Classical Academy Charter
Standard public school
1,909 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Rocky Mountain Classical Academy
Standard public school
1,162 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
The Vanguard School (Elementary)
Standard public school
949 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Chinook Trail Elementary School
Standard public school
632 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
New Summit Charter Academy
Standard public school
628 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Grand Peak Academy
Standard public school
608 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning
How many students attend Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning?
Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning has 298 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in COLORADO SPRINGS, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning?
The student-teacher ratio at Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning is 12.5:1, which is 26% lower than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning?
15.7% of students at Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning?
The largest demographic group at Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning is White at 72.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in COLORADO SPRINGS, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning?
Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.