Enrollment
462
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 080624001099
Cactus Valley Elementary School — Silt, CO
Federal NCES profile for Cactus Valley Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 31/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 8
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: Garfield School District No. Re-2 · 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.3%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cactus Valley 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
Cactus Valley Elementary School reports 462 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% below the Colorado state mean of 16.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 14% below the Colorado average and 36% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 462 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Garfield School District No. Re-2 spends $13,949 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 37.7% from local sources (property taxes), 55.9% from the state, and 6.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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 Cactus Valley 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 | 16:1 | ▼ 5% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.3% | ▼ 14% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 462 | top 66% | — | — |
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
33.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 14% 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
16:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 51% in Colorado — lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
36.6%
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
$13,949
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 462 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 462 Top 66% in Colorado — larger than 34% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 16:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.3% -14% vs state
NCES ID 080624001099
Student demographics
White 54.1%
Hispanic or Latino 44.4%
Two or More 1.1%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 54.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 462:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.6%
In-school suspensions 8
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Garfield School District No. Re-2, which includes Cactus Valley Elementary School.
$13,949
Per student
-33%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 37.7%
State 55.9%
Federal 6.5%
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
- 778
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 578
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 552
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 483
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 451
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
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 Cactus Valley Elementary School
How many students attend Cactus Valley Elementary School?
Cactus Valley Elementary School has 462 students enrolled. It is a other school in SILT, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cactus Valley Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cactus Valley Elementary School is 16:1, which is 5% lower than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cactus Valley Elementary School?
33.3% of students at Cactus Valley Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cactus Valley Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Cactus Valley Elementary School is White at 54.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in SILT, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cactus Valley Elementary School?
Cactus Valley Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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.