Enrollment
1,344
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Lakewood, CO
Bear Creek High School
Federal NCES profile for Bear Creek High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 080480000697
👥 S:T ratio 33
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bear Creek High School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median. It is also one of the largest schools in Colorado.
- #10 of 12
- high schools in Lakewood · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.8:1
- students per teacher
- 37.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Bear Creek High School has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bear Creek High School ranks #10 of 12 high schools in Lakewood, CO.
School address
District: Jefferson County School District No. R-1 · Colorado
NCES ID 080480000697 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
80.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.3%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bear Creek High School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bear Creek High School
Bear Creek High School is a large high school in Lakewood, Colorado, enrolling 1,344 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 37.3% lands close to the Colorado typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Colorado, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,344 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 48 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #21.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (48%) and White (40%) (diversity index 61/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 18 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 269 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 62.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Jefferson County School District No. R-1 also operates Arvada West High School (1,923 students) and Ralston Valley Senior High School (1,875 students) alongside Bear Creek High School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bear Creek High School compares
Bear Creek High School on the metrics families compare, against Colorado and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.8:1 | ▲ 1% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.3% | ▼ 3% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,344 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,344
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% 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
16.8:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 61% in Colorado - lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
62.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,124
per pupil, district-wide
- below Colorado avg of $16,273
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 269 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
39
in-school suspensions + 125 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 47.6%
White 39.7%
Asian 6.6%
Two or More 3.4%
African American 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 47.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.0, Bear Creek High School is more mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 18
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson County School District No. R-1, which includes Bear Creek High School.
$13,124
Per student
-19%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.3%
State 36.9%
Federal 7.8%
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.
How Bear Creek High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arvada West High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ralston Valley Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chatfield High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lakewood High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Columbine High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bear Creek High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,923
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,875
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,808
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,735
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,710
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Colorado, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,344 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bear Creek High School's federal record.
- Compare Bear Creek High School against another school. Compare schools
- Jefferson County School District No. R-1's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Bear Creek High School
How many students attend Bear Creek High School?
Bear Creek High School has 1,344 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lakewood, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bear Creek High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bear Creek High School is 16.8:1, which is 1% higher than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bear Creek High School?
37.3% of students at Bear Creek High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bear Creek High School?
The largest demographic group at Bear Creek High School is Hispanic or Latino at 47.6% of enrollment, in Lakewood, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bear Creek High School?
Bear Creek High School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Bear Creek High School rank among high schools in Lakewood?
By Resource Investment Index, Bear Creek High School ranks #10 of 12 high schools in Lakewood, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Lakewood on the city page.
Is Bear Creek High School a good school?
Bear Creek High School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median. It is also one of the largest schools in Colorado. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Jefferson County School District No. R-1?
Besides Bear Creek High School, Jefferson County School District No. R-1 also operates Arvada West High School (1,923 students), Ralston Valley Senior High School (1,875 students), and Chatfield High School (1,808 students). See the Jefferson County School District No. R-1 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.