Enrollment
470
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 080192001496
Explorer Elementary School — Colorado Springs, CO
Federal NCES profile for Explorer Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 6
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.1%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Explorer Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Explorer Elementary School reports 470 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the Colorado state mean of 16.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 15.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 61% below the Colorado average and 71% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 470 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Academy School District No. 20 in the County of El Paso an spends $12,372 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 44.7% from local sources (property taxes), 48.4% from the state, and 6.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Explorer Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Colorado state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.7:1 | ▼ 7% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.1% | ▼ 61% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 470 | top 67% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
15.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 61% 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
15.7:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 46% in Colorado — lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$12,372
per pupil, district-wide
— below Colorado avg of $20,949
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 470 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 470 Top 67% in Colorado — larger than 33% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 15.7:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 15.1% -61% vs state
NCES ID 080192001496
Student demographics
White 61.1%
Hispanic or Latino 20.6%
Two or More 11.3%
African American 4.0%
Asian 2.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: White at 61.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 470:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 13
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Academy School District No. 20 in the County of El Paso an, which includes Explorer Elementary School.
$12,372
Per student
-41%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 44.7%
State 48.4%
Federal 6.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,909
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,875
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,526
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,380
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,305
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
Similar other schools in Colorado Springs
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Banning Lewis Ranch Academy
Standard public school
1,697 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Grand Mountain School
Standard public school
1,044 students 18:1 students per teacher
Thomas Maclaren State Charter School
Standard public school
927 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Weikel Elementary School
Standard public school
814 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Soaring Eagles Elementary School
Standard public school
764 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Colorado Early Colleges Colorado Springs
Standard public school
677 students 20.7:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Explorer Elementary School
How many students attend Explorer Elementary School?
Explorer Elementary School has 470 students enrolled. It is a other school in COLORADO SPRINGS, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Explorer Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Explorer Elementary School is 15.7:1, which is 7% lower than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Explorer Elementary School?
15.1% of students at Explorer Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Explorer Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Explorer Elementary School is White at 61.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in COLORADO SPRINGS, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Explorer Elementary School?
Explorer Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.