Enrollment
179
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 080540000928
Big Thompson Elementary School — Loveland, CO
Federal NCES profile for Big Thompson Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 19
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: Thompson School District R-2j · 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)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.2:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.5%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Big Thompson Elementary 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
Big Thompson Elementary School reports 179 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 12.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% 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 8% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 15.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 60% below the Colorado average and 70% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 358 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Thompson School District R-2j spends $16,792 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 54.1% from local sources (property taxes), 36.1% from the state, and 9.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Big Thompson Elementary 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 | 17.2:1 | ▲ 2% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.5% | ▼ 60% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 179 | top 21% | — | — |
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
15.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 60% 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
17.2:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 65% in Colorado — lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.4%
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
$16,792
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 358 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 179 Top 21% in Colorado — larger than 79% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 12.0
Students per teacher 17.2:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 15.5% -60% vs state
NCES ID 080540000928
Student demographics
White 78.2%
Hispanic or Latino 12.8%
Two or More 6.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
African American 1.1%
Largest group: White at 78.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 358:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.4%
In-school suspensions 15
Out-of-school suspensions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Thompson School District R-2j, which includes Big Thompson Elementary School.
$16,792
Per student
-20%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 54.1%
State 36.1%
Federal 9.8%
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
- 1,354
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,074
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,032
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,005
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,005
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
Similar elementary schools in Loveland
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
New Vision Charter School
Standard public school
1,005 students 21.2:1 students per teacher
Namaqua Elementary School
Standard public school
236 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Garfield Elementary School
Standard public school
213 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Truscott Elementary School
Standard public school
194 students 10.7:1 students per teacher
Mary Blair Elementary School
Standard public school
170 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
B F Kitchen Elementary School
Standard public school
159 students 11.7:1 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 Big Thompson Elementary School
How many students attend Big Thompson Elementary School?
Big Thompson Elementary School has 179 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in LOVELAND, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Big Thompson Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Big Thompson Elementary School is 17.2:1, which is 2% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Big Thompson Elementary School?
15.5% of students at Big Thompson Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Big Thompson Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Big Thompson Elementary School is White at 78.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in LOVELAND, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Big Thompson Elementary School?
Big Thompson Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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.