Enrollment
1,277
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Littleton, CO
Dakota Ridge Senior High School
Federal NCES profile for Dakota Ridge Senior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 080480001543
👥 S:T ratio 27
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dakota Ridge Senior High School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Colorado schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Colorado.
- #4 of 5
- high schools in Littleton · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.2:1
- large classes for Colorado
- 15.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Dakota Ridge Senior High School has class sizes larger than 74% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dakota Ridge Senior High School ranks #4 of 5 high schools in Littleton, CO.
School address
District: Jefferson County School District No. R-1 · Colorado
NCES ID 080480001543 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
70.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.2:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.6%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dakota Ridge Senior High School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dakota Ridge Senior High School
Dakota Ridge Senior High School is a lower-poverty, large high school in Littleton, Colorado, enrolling 1,277 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 15.6% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Colorado, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,277 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Among 104 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #81, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (69%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 48/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 10 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 319 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Jefferson County School District No. R-1 also operates Arvada West High School (1,923 students) and Ralston Valley Senior High School (1,875 students) alongside Dakota Ridge Senior 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 Dakota Ridge Senior High School compares
Dakota Ridge Senior 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 | 18.2:1 | ▲ 10% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.6% | ▼ 59% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,277 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.2:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,277
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
15.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% 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
18.2:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 74% in Colorado - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
43.6%
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
$13,124
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 319 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
36
in-school suspensions + 42 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.1 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 69.3%
Hispanic or Latino 19.1%
Two or More 5.6%
Asian 4.9%
African American 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 69.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.8, Dakota Ridge Senior High School is about as mixed as the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 10
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson County School District No. R-1, which includes Dakota Ridge Senior High School.
$13,124
Per student
-19%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.3%
State 36.9%
Federal 7.8%
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 Dakota Ridge Senior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arvada West High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ralston Valley Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chatfield High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lakewood High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Columbine High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dakota Ridge Senior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,923
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,875
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,808
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,735
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,710
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~1,277 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dakota Ridge Senior High School's federal record.
- Compare Dakota Ridge Senior High School against another school. Compare schools
- Jefferson County School District No. R-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 Dakota Ridge Senior High School
How many students attend Dakota Ridge Senior High School?
Dakota Ridge Senior High School has 1,277 students enrolled. It is a high school in Littleton, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dakota Ridge Senior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dakota Ridge Senior High School is 18.2:1, which is 10% higher than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dakota Ridge Senior High School?
15.6% of students at Dakota Ridge Senior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dakota Ridge Senior High School?
The largest demographic group at Dakota Ridge Senior High School is White at 69.3% of enrollment, in Littleton, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dakota Ridge Senior High School?
Dakota Ridge Senior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Dakota Ridge Senior High School rank among high schools in Littleton?
By Resource Investment Index, Dakota Ridge Senior High School ranks #4 of 5 high schools in Littleton, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Littleton on the city page.
Is Dakota Ridge Senior High School a good school?
Dakota Ridge Senior High School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Colorado schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Colorado. 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 Jefferson County School District No. R-1?
Besides Dakota Ridge Senior High School, Jefferson County School District No. R-1 also operates Arvada West High School (1,923 students), Ralston Valley Senior High School (1,875 students), and Chatfield High School (1,808 students). See the Jefferson County School District No. R-1 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.