High school (grades 9-12) · Westcliffe, CO

Custer County High School

Federal NCES profile for Custer County High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 080720001225
0/100100/10034/100
👥 S:T ratio
56
📚 AP courses
10
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Custer County High School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of Colorado schools.

#3 of 3
public schools in Westcliffe · Resource Index
34
Resource Index · Typical
10.9:1
small classes for Colorado
23.7%
free-lunch eligible

Custer County High School has class sizes smaller than 89% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Custer County High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Westcliffe, CO.

Enrollment

98

Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

9.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

10.9:1

vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg

-34% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

23.7%

vs 38.5% Colorado avg

-38% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Custer County High School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median
0:135:110.9:1

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Custer County High School

Custer County High School is a small high school in Westcliffe, Colorado, enrolling 98 students.

Classes run notably small here: at 10.9:1, Custer County High School is leaner than roughly 89% of Colorado schools and 34% under the state's 16.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 23.7% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 98 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,922 scored Colorado schools.

Among 79 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #67, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (9%) (diversity index 38/100).

On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.8% 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.

Discipline events run high: 24 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 98 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

Custer County School District Consolidate 1 also operates Custer County Elementary School (146 students) and Custer Middle School (69 students) alongside Custer County 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 Custer County High School compares

Custer County 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 10.9:1 ▼ 34% 16.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 23.7% ▼ 38% 38.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 98 top 89% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

10.9:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
98
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
23.7%
free-lunch eligible - 38% 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
10.9:1
students per teacher - 34% below state mean
Top 11% in Colorado - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
40.8%
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.5 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 77.6%
Hispanic or Latino 9.2%
Two or More 9.2%
African American 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.0%

Largest group: White at 77.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 38.0/100

Simpson diversity index - at 38.0, Custer County High School is less mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.

Programs

AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Custer County School District Consolidate 1, which includes Custer County High 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 High School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Custer County Elementary School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Custer Middle School Smaller Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Custer County High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Custer County School District Consolidate 1 · 2 sibling schools

View district profile

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Custer County High School's federal record.

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 High School

How many students attend Custer County High School?

Custer County High School has 98 students enrolled. It is a high school in Westcliffe, CO.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Custer County High School?

The student-teacher ratio at Custer County High School is 10.9:1, which is 34% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 31% 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 High School?

23.7% of students at Custer County High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Custer County High School?

The largest demographic group at Custer County High School is White at 77.6% of enrollment, in Westcliffe, CO.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Custer County High School?

Custer County High School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Custer County High School rank among public schools in Westcliffe?

By Resource Investment Index, Custer County High School ranks #3 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 High School a good school?

Custer County High School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% 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 High School, Custer County School District Consolidate 1 also operates Custer County Elementary School (146 students) and Custer Middle School (69 students). See the Custer County School District Consolidate 1 district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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.