Enrollment
144
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 080300000218
Carlson Elementary School — Idaho Springs, CO
Federal NCES profile for Carlson Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 38
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: Clear Creek 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)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
-34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.8%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carlson 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
Carlson Elementary School reports 144 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 13.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 34% 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 30% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 22.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% below the Colorado average and 56% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Clear Creek School District No. Re-1 spends $24,455 per pupil district-wide, above the Colorado average of $20,949 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 75.3% from local sources (property taxes), 17.0% from the state, and 7.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), 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 Carlson 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 | 11.2:1 | ▼ 34% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.8% | ▼ 41% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 144 | top 17% | — | — |
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
22.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% 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
11.2:1
students per teacher
— 34% below state mean
Top 10% in Colorado — lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
25.0%
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
$24,455
per pupil, district-wide
— above Colorado avg of $20,949
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 144 Top 17% in Colorado — larger than 83% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 13.0
Students per teacher 11.2:1 -34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 22.8% -41% vs state
NCES ID 080300000218
Student demographics
White 71.5%
Hispanic or Latino 16.0%
Two or More 9.7%
African American 2.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
Largest group: White at 71.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.0%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Clear Creek School District No. Re-1, which includes Carlson Elementary School.
$24,455
Per student
+17%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
+25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 75.3%
State 17.0%
Federal 7.7%
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
- 182
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 151
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 79
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 78
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
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 Carlson Elementary School
How many students attend Carlson Elementary School?
Carlson Elementary School has 144 students enrolled. It is a other school in IDAHO SPRINGS, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carlson Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Carlson Elementary School is 11.2:1, which is 34% lower than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 30% lower 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 Carlson Elementary School?
22.8% of students at Carlson Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carlson Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Carlson Elementary School is White at 71.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in IDAHO SPRINGS, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carlson Elementary School?
Carlson Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.