Enrollment
346
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 080435000602
Clifton Elementary School — Clifton, CO
Federal NCES profile for Clifton Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 0
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: Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 · 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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.1%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Clifton 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
Clifton Elementary School reports 346 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 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: 57.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% above the Colorado average and 10% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 364 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 52.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 spends $13,239 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.9% from local sources (property taxes), 46.3% from the state, and 14.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Clifton 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 | 17:1 | ▲ 1% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.1% | ▲ 48% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 346 | top 47% | — | — |
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
57.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% above the Colorado average of 38.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
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.
Engagement
52.9%
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
$13,239
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
Counselors0.9 FTE
Per 364 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
59
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 346 Top 47% in Colorado — larger than 53% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 17:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 57.1% +48% vs state
NCES ID 080435000602
Student demographics
White 59.5%
Hispanic or Latino 37.3%
Two or More 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: White at 59.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.9
Students per counselor 364:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 52.9%
In-school suspensions 59
Out-of-school suspensions 19
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mesa County Valley School District No. 51, which includes Clifton Elementary School.
$13,239
Per student
-37%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.9%
State 46.3%
Federal 14.7%
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
- 1,832
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,427
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,352
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,073
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 704
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
Similar other schools in Clifton
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Clifton Elementary School
How many students attend Clifton Elementary School?
Clifton Elementary School has 346 students enrolled. It is a other school in CLIFTON, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Clifton Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Clifton Elementary 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 Clifton Elementary School?
57.1% of students at Clifton Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Clifton Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Clifton Elementary School is White at 59.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in CLIFTON, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Clifton Elementary School?
Clifton Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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.