Enrollment
636
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 080234001322
Columbia Middle School — Aurora, CO
Federal NCES profile for Columbia Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 58
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)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.9:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.4%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+57% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbia 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
Columbia Middle School reports 636 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 38.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% 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 13% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 60.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 57% above the Colorado average and 17% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 212 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a spends $19,113 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 46.4% from local sources (property taxes), 41.1% from the state, and 12.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-), 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 Columbia 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 | 17.9:1 | ▲ 6% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.4% | ▲ 57% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 636 | top 83% | — | — |
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
60.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 57% 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
17.9:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 73% in Colorado — lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$19,113
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 212 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
95
in-school suspensions + 121 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 34.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 636 Top 83% in Colorado — larger than 17% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 38.0
Students per teacher 17.9:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 60.4% +57% vs state
NCES ID 080234001322
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 48.0%
White 22.6%
African American 16.7%
Two or More 7.1%
Asian 4.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 48.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 212:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 95
Out-of-school suspensions 121
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a, which includes Columbia Middle School.
$19,113
Per student
-9%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 46.4%
State 41.1%
Federal 12.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,468
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,078
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,045
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,748
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,527
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
Similar middle schools in Aurora
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Prairie Middle School
Standard public school
1,491 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Thunder Ridge Middle School
Standard public school
1,106 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Infinity Middle School
Standard public school
1,020 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Sky Vista Middle School
Standard public school
969 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Fox Ridge Middle School
Standard public school
966 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Liberty Middle School
Standard public school
868 students 17.1:1 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 Columbia Middle School
How many students attend Columbia Middle School?
Columbia Middle School has 636 students enrolled. It is a middle school in AURORA, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbia Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbia Middle School is 17.9:1, which is 6% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Columbia Middle School?
60.4% of students at Columbia Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbia Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Columbia Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 48.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in AURORA, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbia Middle School?
Columbia Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) 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.