Enrollment
325
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Thornton, CO
Cherry Drive Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Cherry Drive Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080690001290
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 2
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cherry Drive Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median.
- #13 of 21
- schools in Thornton · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.3:1
- students per teacher
- 37.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Cherry Drive Elementary School has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cherry Drive Elementary School ranks #13 of 21 schools in Thornton, CO.
School address
District: Adams 12 Five Star Schools · Colorado
NCES ID 080690001290 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.9%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cherry Drive Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cherry Drive Elementary School
Cherry Drive Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Thornton, Colorado, enrolling 325 students.
At 16.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Colorado median, within a few percentage points of the 16.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 37.9% lands close to the Colorado typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 325 students, its enrollment sits close to the Colorado median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Among 313 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #255, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (59%) and White (31%) (diversity index 56/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Adams 12 Five Star Schools also operates Legacy High School (2,052 students) and Horizon High School (1,966 students) alongside Cherry Drive 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 Cherry Drive Elementary School compares
Cherry Drive 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 | 16.3:1 | ▼ 2% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.9% | ▼ 2% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 325 | top 56% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
325
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% 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
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 56% in Colorado - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
39.1%
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
$13,222
per pupil, district-wide
- below Colorado avg of $16,273
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 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
Hispanic or Latino 58.8%
White 30.5%
Asian 4.6%
Two or More 3.4%
African American 2.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 58.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.7, Cherry Drive Elementary School is more mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Adams 12 Five Star Schools, which includes Cherry Drive Elementary School.
$13,222
Per student
-19%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.4%
State 44.8%
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 Cherry Drive Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Horizon High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northglenn High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mountain Range High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Stargate Charter School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cherry Drive Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,052
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,966
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,844
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,788
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,572
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
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 (~325 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cherry Drive Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Cherry Drive Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Adams 12 Five Star Schools'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 Cherry Drive Elementary School
How many students attend Cherry Drive Elementary School?
Cherry Drive Elementary School has 325 students enrolled. It is a public school in Thornton, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cherry Drive Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cherry Drive Elementary School is 16.3:1, which is 2% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 4% higher 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 Cherry Drive Elementary School?
37.9% of students at Cherry Drive Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cherry Drive Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Cherry Drive Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 58.8% of enrollment, in Thornton, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cherry Drive Elementary School?
Cherry Drive Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical 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).
How does Cherry Drive Elementary School rank among schools in Thornton?
By Resource Investment Index, Cherry Drive Elementary School ranks #13 of 21 schools in Thornton, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Thornton on the city page.
Is Cherry Drive Elementary School a good school?
Cherry Drive Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median. 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 Adams 12 Five Star Schools?
Besides Cherry Drive Elementary School, Adams 12 Five Star Schools also operates Legacy High School (2,052 students), Horizon High School (1,966 students), and Northglenn High School (1,844 students). See the Adams 12 Five Star Schools 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.