Enrollment
144
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Idaho Springs, CO
Carlson Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Carlson Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080300000218
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Carlson Elementary School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Colorado schools.
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.1:1
- small classes for Colorado
- 22.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 144
- students enrolled
Carlson Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 88% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Clear Creek School District No. Re-1 · Colorado
NCES ID 080300000218 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.1:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-33% 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
What stands out at Carlson Elementary School
Carlson Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Idaho Springs, Colorado, enrolling 144 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.1:1, Carlson Elementary School is leaner than roughly 88% of Colorado schools and 33% 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 22.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 144 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 111 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #39.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 45/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Clear Creek School District No. Re-1 also operates Clear Creek High School (182 students) and King-Murphy Elementary School (151 students) alongside Carlson Elementary 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 Carlson Elementary School compares
Carlson Elementary 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 | 11.1:1 | ▼ 33% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.8% | ▼ 41% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 144 | top 83% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.1:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
144
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
11.1:1
students per teacher
- 33% below state mean
Top 12% in Colorado - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
25.0%
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
$18,688
per pupil, district-wide
- above Colorado avg of $16,273
Somewhat 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 45.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.3, Carlson Elementary School is about as mixed as the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Clear Creek School District No. Re-1, which includes Carlson Elementary School.
$18,688
Per student
+15%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
+13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Carlson Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Creek High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| King-Murphy Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Clear Creek Middle School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Georgetown Community School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Carlson Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 182
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 151
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 79
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 78
- Students per teacher
- 7.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar other 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 (~144 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Carlson Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Carlson Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Clear Creek School District No. Re-1'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 Carlson Elementary School
How many students attend Carlson Elementary School?
Carlson Elementary School has 144 students enrolled. It is a public school in Idaho Springs, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carlson Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Carlson Elementary School is 11.1:1, which is 33% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 29% 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 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% of enrollment, 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 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Carlson Elementary School a good school?
Carlson Elementary School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% 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 Clear Creek School District No. Re-1?
Besides Carlson Elementary School, Clear Creek School District No. Re-1 also operates Clear Creek High School (182 students), King-Murphy Elementary School (151 students), and Clear Creek Middle School (79 students). See the Clear Creek School District No. Re-1 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.