Enrollment
956
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 080345006492 Charter school
Ben Franklin Academy — Highlands Ranch, CO
Federal NCES profile for Ben Franklin Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 30/100.
👥 Class size 21
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 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: Douglas County School District No. Re 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)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.8:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
2.4%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-94% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ben Franklin Academy 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
Ben Franklin Academy reports 956 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 45.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 25% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 2.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 94% below the Colorado average and 95% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 1542 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Douglas County School District No. Re 1 spends $14,103 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.8% from local sources (property taxes), 40.8% from the state, and 6.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Ben Franklin Academy 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 | 19.8:1 | ▲ 17% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 2.4% | ▼ 94% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 956 | top 92% | — | — |
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
2.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 94% 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
19.8:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 87% in Colorado — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$14,103
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
Counselors0.6 FTE
Per 1542 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 956 Top 92% in Colorado — larger than 8% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 45.0
Students per teacher 19.8:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 2.4% -94% vs state
NCES ID 080345006492
Student demographics
White 76.4%
Hispanic or Latino 11.8%
Two or More 7.1%
Asian 3.7%
African American 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 76.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.6
Students per counselor 1542:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 9
Out-of-school suspensions 22
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Douglas County School District No. Re 1, which includes Ben Franklin Academy.
$14,103
Per student
-33%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.8%
State 40.8%
Federal 6.4%
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
- 2,803
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,325
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,206
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,169
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,007
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
Similar other schools in Highlands Ranch
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Stem School Highlands Ranch
Standard public school
1,394 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Skyview Academy
Standard public school
1,358 students 15:1 students per teacher
Northridge Elementary School
Standard public school
560 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Coyote Creek Elementary School
Standard public school
506 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Platte River Charter Academy
Standard public school
475 students 17:1 students per teacher
Stone Mountain Elementary
Standard public school
452 students 17.2:1 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 Ben Franklin Academy
How many students attend Ben Franklin Academy?
Ben Franklin Academy has 956 students enrolled. It is a other school in HIGHLANDS RANCH, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ben Franklin Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Ben Franklin Academy is 19.8:1, which is 17% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ben Franklin Academy?
2.4% of students at Ben Franklin Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ben Franklin Academy?
The largest demographic group at Ben Franklin Academy is White at 76.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in HIGHLANDS RANCH, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ben Franklin Academy?
Ben Franklin Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.