Enrollment
863
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 080480000696
Bear Creek K-8 School — Lakewood, CO
Federal NCES profile for Bear Creek K-8 School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 0
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
District: Jefferson County School District No. R-1 · Colorado
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)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.6%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bear Creek K-8 School 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
Bear Creek K-8 School reports 863 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 51.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% above the Colorado state mean of 16.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 15% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 42.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 11% above the Colorado average and 18% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 432 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 44.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Jefferson County School District No. R-1 spends $16,228 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 55.3% from local sources (property taxes), 36.9% from the state, and 7.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Bear Creek K-8 School 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 | 18.3:1 | ▲ 8% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.6% | ▲ 11% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 863 | top 90% | — | — |
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
42.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 11% above the Colorado average of 38.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.3:1
students per teacher
— 8% above state mean
Top 77% in Colorado — lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
44.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,228
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 432 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
71
in-school suspensions + 80 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 863 Top 90% in Colorado — larger than 10% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 51.0
Students per teacher 18.3:1 +8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 42.6% +11% vs state
NCES ID 080480000696
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 46.3%
White 39.6%
Asian 7.3%
Two or More 4.4%
African American 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 46.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 432:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 44.8%
In-school suspensions 71
Out-of-school suspensions 80
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson County School District No. R-1, which includes Bear Creek K-8 School.
$16,228
Per student
-23%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,923
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,875
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,808
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,735
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,710
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
Similar elementary schools in Lakewood
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Lasley Elementary School
Standard public school
576 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Dennison Elementary School
Standard public school
575 students 20.4:1 students per teacher
Devinny Elementary School
Standard public school
505 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Colorado Virtual Academy
Standard public school
493 students 52.8:1 students per teacher
Rooney Ranch Elementary School
Standard public school
492 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
South Lakewood Elementary School
Standard public school
393 students 15:1 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 Bear Creek K-8 School
How many students attend Bear Creek K-8 School?
Bear Creek K-8 School has 863 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in LAKEWOOD, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bear Creek K-8 School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bear Creek K-8 School is 18.3:1, which is 8% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bear Creek K-8 School?
42.6% of students at Bear Creek K-8 School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bear Creek K-8 School?
The largest demographic group at Bear Creek K-8 School is Hispanic or Latino at 46.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in LAKEWOOD, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bear Creek K-8 School?
Bear Creek K-8 School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.