Enrollment
256
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Buena Vista, CO
Buena Vista High School
Federal NCES profile for Buena Vista High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 080264000157
👥 S:T ratio 54
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Buena Vista High School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Colorado schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Buena Vista · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.6:1
- small classes for Colorado
- 15.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Buena Vista High School has class sizes smaller than 85% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Buena Vista High School ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Buena Vista, CO.
School address
District: Buena Vista School District No. R-31 · Colorado
NCES ID 080264000157 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.7%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buena Vista High School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Buena Vista High School
Buena Vista High School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized high school in Buena Vista, Colorado, enrolling 256 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.6:1, Buena Vista High School is leaner than roughly 85% of Colorado schools and 30% under the state's 16.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 15.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 256 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 197 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #65.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 35/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 1 Advanced Placement course.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 235 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Buena Vista School District No. R-31 also operates Avery/Parsons Elementary School (383 students) and Buena Vista Middle School (211 students) alongside Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista High School compares
Buena Vista 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 | 11.6:1 | ▼ 30% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.7% | ▼ 59% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 256 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.6:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
256
Bigger than 26% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
11.6:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 15% in Colorado - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
30.1%
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
$13,814
per pupil, district-wide
- below Colorado avg of $16,273
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.1 FTE
Per 235 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
White 78.9%
Hispanic or Latino 15.6%
Two or More 2.0%
Asian 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
African American 0.8%
Largest group: White at 78.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 35.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.2, Buena Vista High School is less mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buena Vista School District No. R-31, which includes Buena Vista High School.
$13,814
Per student
-15%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 68.3%
State 21.8%
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.
How Buena Vista High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avery/Parsons Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Buena Vista Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| The Grove Bvsd's Early Learning Program | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chaffee County High School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Buena Vista High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 211
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 60
- Students per teacher
- 60:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 15
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~256 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Buena Vista High School's federal record.
- Compare Buena Vista High School against another school. Compare schools
- Buena Vista School District No. R-31'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 Buena Vista High School
How many students attend Buena Vista High School?
Buena Vista High School has 256 students enrolled. It is a high school in Buena Vista, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buena Vista High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Buena Vista High School is 11.6:1, which is 30% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 26% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Buena Vista High School?
15.7% of students at Buena Vista High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buena Vista High School?
The largest demographic group at Buena Vista High School is White at 78.9% of enrollment, in Buena Vista, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buena Vista High School?
Buena Vista High School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Buena Vista High School rank among public schools in Buena Vista?
By Resource Investment Index, Buena Vista High School ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Buena Vista, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Buena Vista on the city page.
Is Buena Vista High School a good school?
Buena Vista High School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Colorado schools. 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 Buena Vista School District No. R-31?
Besides Buena Vista High School, Buena Vista School District No. R-31 also operates Avery/Parsons Elementary School (383 students), Buena Vista Middle School (211 students), and The Grove Bvsd's Early Learning Program (60 students). See the Buena Vista School District No. R-31 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.