Enrollment
116
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Hesperus, CO
Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080348000450
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Colorado schools.
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.5:1
- small classes for Colorado
- 46.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 116
- students enrolled
Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 90% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Durango School District No. 9-R · Colorado
NCES ID 080348000450 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.5:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.9%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School
Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School is a small combined-grade school in Hesperus, Colorado, enrolling 116 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.5:1, Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School is leaner than roughly 90% of Colorado schools and 37% under the state's 16.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 46.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 116 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 88 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #51.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%) (diversity index 43/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Durango School District No. 9-R spends $11,863 per pupil, 27% below the Colorado average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Durango School District No. 9-R also operates Durango High School (1,352 students) and Colorado Connections Academy @ Durango (964 students) alongside Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary 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 Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School compares
Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary 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 | 10.5:1 | ▼ 37% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.9% | ▲ 22% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 116 | top 86% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.5:1
Leaner classes than 86% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
116
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 22% above the Colorado average of 38.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.5:1
students per teacher
- 37% below state mean
Top 10% in Colorado - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
32.8%
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
$11,863
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 72.4%
Hispanic or Latino 21.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.4%
Two or More 1.7%
African American 0.9%
Largest group: White at 72.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.8, Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School is less mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Durango School District No. 9-R, which includes Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School.
$11,863
Per student
-27%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.5%
State 44.9%
Federal 6.6%
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 Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durango High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Colorado Connections Academy @ Durango | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Escalante Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Park Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Riverview Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,352
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 964
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 461
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 452
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 374
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar other 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 (~116 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Durango School District No. 9-R'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 Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School
How many students attend Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School?
Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School has 116 students enrolled. It is a public school in Hesperus, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School is 10.5:1, which is 37% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 33% 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 Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School?
46.9% of students at Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School is White at 72.4% of enrollment, in Hesperus, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School?
Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School a good school?
Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% 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 Durango School District No. 9-R?
Besides Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School, Durango School District No. 9-R also operates Durango High School (1,352 students), Colorado Connections Academy @ Durango (964 students), and Escalante Middle School (461 students). See the Durango School District No. 9-R 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.