Enrollment
696
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 080192000001
Challenger Middle School — Colorado Springs, CO
Federal NCES profile for Challenger Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
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
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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
5.1%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-87% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Challenger Middle 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
Challenger Middle School reports 696 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 7% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 5.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 87% below the Colorado average and 90% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 278 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Academy School District No. 20 in the County of El Paso an spends $12,372 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 44.7% from local sources (property taxes), 48.4% from the state, and 6.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), 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 Challenger Middle 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 | 17:1 | ▲ 1% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 5.1% | ▼ 87% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 696 | top 85% | — | — |
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
5.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 87% 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
17:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 63% in Colorado — lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$12,372
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
Counselors2.5 FTE
Per 278 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 38 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 696 Top 85% in Colorado — larger than 15% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 17:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 5.1% -87% vs state
NCES ID 080192000001
Student demographics
White 67.2%
Hispanic or Latino 14.5%
Two or More 7.8%
Asian 6.6%
African American 3.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 67.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.5
Students per counselor 278:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 38
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Academy School District No. 20 in the County of El Paso an, which includes Challenger Middle School.
$12,372
Per student
-41%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 44.7%
State 48.4%
Federal 6.9%
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
- 1,909
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,875
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,526
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,380
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,305
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
Similar middle schools in Colorado Springs
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Chinook Trail Middle School
Standard public school
1,075 students 19.4:1 students per teacher
Eagleview Middle School
Standard public school
905 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Skyview Middle School
Standard public school
862 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Timberview Middle School
Standard public school
837 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Discovery Canyon Campus Middle School
Standard public school
821 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Jenkins Middle School
Standard public school
791 students 19.8:1 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 Challenger Middle School
How many students attend Challenger Middle School?
Challenger Middle School has 696 students enrolled. It is a middle school in COLORADO SPRINGS, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Challenger Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Challenger Middle School is 17:1, which is 1% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Challenger Middle School?
5.1% of students at Challenger Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Challenger Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Challenger Middle School is White at 67.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in COLORADO SPRINGS, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Challenger Middle School?
Challenger Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.