Enrollment
93
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Denver, CO
Denver Discovery School
Federal NCES profile for Denver Discovery School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 080336006624
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 81
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Denver Discovery School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Colorado schools.
- #12 of 31
- middle schools in Denver · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.6:1
- small classes for Colorado
- 80.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Denver Discovery School has class sizes smaller than 85% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Denver Discovery School ranks #12 of 31 middle schools in Denver, CO.
School address
NCES ID 080336006624 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.6%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+109% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Denver Discovery School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Denver Discovery School
Denver Discovery School is a high-poverty, small middle school in Denver, Colorado, enrolling 93 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.6:1, Denver Discovery School is leaner than roughly 85% of Colorado schools and 30% under the state's 16.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 80.6% of students qualify for free meals, 109% above the Colorado average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 93 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 25 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #19, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 93 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 90.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 76 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 93 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C also operates East High School (2,476 students) and Northfield High School (2,137 students) alongside Denver Discovery 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 Denver Discovery School compares
Denver Discovery 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 | 11.6:1 | ▼ 30% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.6% | ▲ 109% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 93 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.6:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
93
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 109% above the Colorado average of 38.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.6:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 15% in Colorado - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
90.3%
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
$15,336
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 93 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
53
in-school suspensions + 23 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 57.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 81.7 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.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C, which includes Denver Discovery School.
$15,336
Per student
-6%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 70.4%
State 16.8%
Federal 12.8%
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 Denver Discovery School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northfield High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Thomas Jefferson High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Denver Discovery School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,476
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 2,137
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,950
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,653
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,390
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar middle 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 (~93 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Denver Discovery School's federal record.
- Compare Denver Discovery School against another school. Compare schools
- School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C'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 Denver Discovery School
How many students attend Denver Discovery School?
Denver Discovery School has 93 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Denver, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Denver Discovery School?
The student-teacher ratio at Denver Discovery School is 11.6:1, which is 30% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 26% 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 Denver Discovery School?
80.6% of students at Denver Discovery School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Denver Discovery School?
Denver Discovery School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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).
How does Denver Discovery School rank among middle schools in Denver?
By Resource Investment Index, Denver Discovery School ranks #12 of 31 middle schools in Denver, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Denver on the city page.
Is Denver Discovery School a good school?
Denver Discovery School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% 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 School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C?
Besides Denver Discovery School, School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C also operates East High School (2,476 students), Northfield High School (2,137 students), and South High School (1,950 students). See the School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C 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.