High school (grades 9-12) · Delta, CO

Delta High School

Federal NCES profile for Delta High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 080333000297
0/100100/10046/100
👥 S:T ratio
32
📚 AP courses
65
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
42
📋 Attendance
19
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Delta High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median.

#4 of 10
public schools in Delta · Resource Index
46
Resource Index · Typical
16.9:1
students per teacher
34.9%
free-lunch eligible

Delta High School has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Delta High School ranks #4 of 10 public schools in Delta, CO.

Enrollment

626

Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

37.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

16.9:1

vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg

+2% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

34.9%

vs 38.5% Colorado avg

-9% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Delta High School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

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

What stands out at Delta High School

Delta High School is a mid-sized high school in Delta, Colorado, enrolling 626 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 34.9% lands close to the Colorado typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

Enrollment of 626 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by headcount.

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

Against 244 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #104.

Its student body is led by White (59%) and Hispanic or Latino (34%) (diversity index 54/100).

On the academic-pipeline side it reports 13 Advanced Placement courses.

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 290 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Delta County Joint District No. 50 spends $12,649 per pupil, 22% below the Colorado average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 16.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.

Delta County Joint District No. 50 also operates Delta Middle School (498 students) and Garnet Mesa Elementary School (488 students) alongside Delta 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 Delta High School compares

Delta 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 16.9:1 ▲ 2% 16.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 34.9% ▼ 9% 38.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 626 top 18% - -

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

16.9:1
Leaner classes than 31% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
626
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
34.9%
free-lunch eligible - 9% 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
16.9:1
students per teacher - 2% above state mean
Top 62% in Colorado - lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.4%
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
$12,649
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
Counselors2.2 FTE
Per 290 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
35
in-school suspensions + 37 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.

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 58.5%
Hispanic or Latino 34.3%
Two or More 4.0%
Asian 2.9%
African American 0.3%

Largest group: White at 58.5% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 53.8/100

Simpson diversity index - at 53.8, Delta High School is more mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.

Programs

AP courses offered 13
Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Delta County Joint District No. 50, which includes Delta High School.

$12,649
Per student
-22%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.6%
State 53.7%
Federal 16.7%

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 Delta High School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Delta Middle School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Garnet Mesa Elementary School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Lincoln Elementary School Smaller Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Cedaredge Elementary School Smaller Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Vision Charter Academy Smaller No free-lunch data Higher S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Delta County Joint District No. 50 · 5 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 Delta 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 Delta High School

How many students attend Delta High School?

Delta High School has 626 students enrolled. It is a high school in Delta, CO.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Delta High School?

The student-teacher ratio at Delta High School is 16.9:1, which is 2% higher than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Delta High School?

34.9% of students at Delta High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Delta High School?

The largest demographic group at Delta High School is White at 58.5% of enrollment, in Delta, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.8/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Delta High School?

Delta High School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Delta High School rank among public schools in Delta?

By Resource Investment Index, Delta High School ranks #4 of 10 public schools in Delta, 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 Delta on the city page.

Is Delta High School a good school?

Delta High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median. 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 Delta County Joint District No. 50?

Besides Delta High School, Delta County Joint District No. 50 also operates Delta Middle School (498 students), Garnet Mesa Elementary School (488 students), and Lincoln Elementary School (371 students). See the Delta County Joint District No. 50 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.

View saved

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.