Enrollment
578
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · New Castle, CO
Coal Ridge High School
Federal NCES profile for Coal Ridge High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 080624001906
👥 S:T ratio 18
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 16
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Coal Ridge High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Colorado schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in New Castle · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.6:1
- large classes for Colorado
- 31.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Coal Ridge High School has class sizes larger than 88% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Coal Ridge High School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in New Castle, CO.
School address
District: Garfield School District No. Re-2 · Colorado
NCES ID 080624001906 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.6:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
+24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.7%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Coal Ridge High School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Coal Ridge High School
Coal Ridge High School is a mid-sized high school in New Castle, Colorado, enrolling 578 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.6:1 is larger than about 88% of Colorado schools and 24% above the 16.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 31.7% lands close to the Colorado typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 578 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 290 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #184.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (50%) and White (48%) (diversity index 53/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 11 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 282 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Garfield School District No. Re-2 spends $12,122 per pupil, 26% below the Colorado average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Garfield School District No. Re-2 also operates Rifle High School (778 students) and Rifle Middle School (552 students) alongside Coal Ridge High 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 Coal Ridge High School compares
Coal Ridge High 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 | 20.6:1 | ▲ 24% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.7% | ▼ 18% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 578 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.6:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
578
Bigger than 71% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% 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
20.6:1
students per teacher
- 24% above state mean
Top 88% in Colorado - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
33.6%
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
$12,122
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 282 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
46
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.6 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 49.7%
White 47.6%
Two or More 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
African American 0.2%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 49.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.6, Coal Ridge High School is more mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Garfield School District No. Re-2, which includes Coal Ridge High School.
$12,122
Per student
-26%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.7%
State 55.9%
Federal 6.5%
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 Coal Ridge High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Rifle Middle School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Riverside School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cactus Valley Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Highland Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Coal Ridge High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 778
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 552
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 483
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 462
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 451
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
Similar high 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 (~578 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Coal Ridge High School's federal record.
- Compare Coal Ridge High School against another school. Compare schools
- Garfield School District No. Re-2'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 Coal Ridge High School
How many students attend Coal Ridge High School?
Coal Ridge High School has 578 students enrolled. It is a high school in New Castle, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Coal Ridge High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Coal Ridge High School is 20.6:1, which is 24% higher than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 31% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Coal Ridge High School?
31.7% of students at Coal Ridge High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Coal Ridge High School?
The largest demographic group at Coal Ridge High School is Hispanic or Latino at 49.7% of enrollment, in New Castle, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Coal Ridge High School?
Coal Ridge High School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Coal Ridge High School rank among public schools in New Castle?
By Resource Investment Index, Coal Ridge High School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in New Castle, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in New Castle on the city page.
Is Coal Ridge High School a good school?
Coal Ridge High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger 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 Garfield School District No. Re-2?
Besides Coal Ridge High School, Garfield School District No. Re-2 also operates Rifle High School (778 students), Rifle Middle School (552 students), and Riverside School (483 students). See the Garfield School District No. Re-2 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.