Enrollment
330
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Ft Collins, CO
Cottonwood Plains Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Cottonwood Plains Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080540000607
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cottonwood Plains Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Colorado schools.
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.2:1
- small classes for Colorado
- 39.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 330
- students enrolled
Cottonwood Plains Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 75% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Thompson School District R-2j · Colorado
NCES ID 080540000607 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.2:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.1%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cottonwood Plains Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cottonwood Plains Elementary School
Cottonwood Plains Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Ft Collins, Colorado, enrolling 330 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 39.1% lands close to the Colorado typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 330 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 306 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #224, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (48%) and White (44%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 330 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Thompson School District R-2j also operates Loveland High School (1,354 students) and Mountain View High School (1,074 students) alongside Cottonwood Plains 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 Cottonwood Plains Elementary School compares
Cottonwood Plains 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 | 13.2:1 | ▼ 20% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.1% | ▲ 2% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 330 | top 55% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.2:1
Leaner classes than 65% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
330
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% above the Colorado average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.2:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 25% in Colorado - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
44.5%
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
$15,018
per pupil, district-wide
- below Colorado avg of $16,273
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 330 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 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 48.2%
White 44.2%
Two or More 6.4%
African American 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 48.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.8, Cottonwood Plains 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 Thompson School District R-2j, which includes Cottonwood Plains Elementary School.
$15,018
Per student
-8%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.1%
State 36.1%
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 Cottonwood Plains Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loveland High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mountain View High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Loveland Classical School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Thompson Valley High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| New Vision Charter School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cottonwood Plains Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,354
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,074
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,032
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,005
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,005
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~330 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cottonwood Plains Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Cottonwood Plains Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Thompson School District R-2j'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 Cottonwood Plains Elementary School
How many students attend Cottonwood Plains Elementary School?
Cottonwood Plains Elementary School has 330 students enrolled. It is a public school in Ft Collins, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood Plains Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood Plains Elementary School is 13.2:1, which is 20% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 16% lower 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 Cottonwood Plains Elementary School?
39.1% of students at Cottonwood Plains Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cottonwood Plains Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Cottonwood Plains Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 48.2% of enrollment, in Ft Collins, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cottonwood Plains Elementary School?
Cottonwood Plains Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Cottonwood Plains Elementary School a good school?
Cottonwood Plains Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% 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 Thompson School District R-2j?
Besides Cottonwood Plains Elementary School, Thompson School District R-2j also operates Loveland High School (1,354 students), Mountain View High School (1,074 students), and Loveland Classical School (1,032 students). See the Thompson School District R-2j 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.