Enrollment
146
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Westcliffe, CO
Custer County Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Custer County Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080720001226
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Custer County Elementary School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Colorado schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Westcliffe · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.4:1
- small classes for Colorado
- 33.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Custer County Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 91% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Custer County Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Westcliffe, CO.
School address
District: Custer County School District Consolidate 1 · Colorado
NCES ID 080720001226 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.3%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Custer County Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Custer County Elementary School
Custer County Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Westcliffe, Colorado, enrolling 146 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.4:1, Custer County Elementary School is leaner than roughly 91% of Colorado schools and 37% under the state's 16.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 33.3% lands close to the Colorado typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 146 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 126 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #54.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 228 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Custer County School District Consolidate 1 also operates Custer County High School (98 students) and Custer Middle School (69 students) alongside Custer County 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 Custer County Elementary School compares
Custer County 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 | 10.4:1 | ▼ 37% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.3% | ▼ 14% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 146 | top 83% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.4:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
146
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% 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
10.4:1
students per teacher
- 37% below state mean
Top 9% in Colorado - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.5%
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
$13,864
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
Counselors0.6 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.5 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
White 86.3%
Hispanic or Latino 8.2%
Two or More 4.8%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: White at 86.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.6, Custer County Elementary School is less mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Custer County School District Consolidate 1, which includes Custer County Elementary School.
$13,864
Per student
-15%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 65.9%
State 17.4%
Federal 16.6%
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 Custer County Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custer County High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Custer Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Custer County Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 98
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 69
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
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 (~146 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Custer County Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Custer County Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Custer County School District Consolidate 1'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 Custer County Elementary School
How many students attend Custer County Elementary School?
Custer County Elementary School has 146 students enrolled. It is a public school in Westcliffe, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Custer County Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Custer County Elementary School is 10.4:1, which is 37% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 34% 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 Custer County Elementary School?
33.3% of students at Custer County Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Custer County Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Custer County Elementary School is White at 86.3% of enrollment, in Westcliffe, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Custer County Elementary School?
Custer County Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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).
How does Custer County Elementary School rank among public schools in Westcliffe?
By Resource Investment Index, Custer County Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Westcliffe, 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 Westcliffe on the city page.
Is Custer County Elementary School a good school?
Custer County Elementary School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% 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 Custer County School District Consolidate 1?
Besides Custer County Elementary School, Custer County School District Consolidate 1 also operates Custer County High School (98 students) and Custer Middle School (69 students). See the Custer County School District Consolidate 1 district page for the complete list.
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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.