Enrollment
82
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Gardner, CO
Gardner Valley School
Federal NCES profile for Gardner Valley School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080708001211Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gardner Valley School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 91% of Colorado schools.
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 10.3:1
- small classes for Colorado
- 68.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 82
- students enrolled
Gardner Valley School has class sizes smaller than 91% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Huerfano School District Re-1 · Colorado
NCES ID 080708001211 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.3:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.4%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+78% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gardner Valley School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gardner Valley School
Gardner Valley School is a higher-need, small charter combined-grade school in Gardner, Colorado, enrolling 82 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.3:1, Gardner Valley School is leaner than roughly 91% of Colorado schools and 38% under the state's 16.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 68.4% of students qualify for free meals, 78% above the Colorado average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 91% of Colorado schools, with 82 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 91% of the 1,922 Colorado schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 26 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #23, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (51%) and Hispanic or Latino (40%) (diversity index 57/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 62.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Huerfano School District Re-1 also operates Peakview School (181 students) and John Mall Jr/Sr High School (179 students) alongside Gardner Valley 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 Gardner Valley School compares
Gardner Valley 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 | 10.3:1 | ▼ 38% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.4% | ▲ 78% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 82 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.3:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
82
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
68.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 78% 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
10.3:1
students per teacher
- 38% below state mean
Top 9% in Colorado - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
62.2%
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
$18,125
per pupil, district-wide
- above Colorado avg of $16,273
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
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 51.2%
Hispanic or Latino 40.2%
Two or More 7.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Largest group: White at 51.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.1, Gardner Valley School is more mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Huerfano School District Re-1, which includes Gardner Valley School.
$18,125
Per student
+11%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.6%
State 34.1%
Federal 24.3%
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 Gardner Valley School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peakview School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John Mall Jr/Sr High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gardner Valley School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 181
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 179
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
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 (~82 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gardner Valley School's federal record.
- Compare Gardner Valley School against another school. Compare schools
- Huerfano School District Re-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 Gardner Valley School
How many students attend Gardner Valley School?
Gardner Valley School has 82 students enrolled. It is a public school in Gardner, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gardner Valley School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gardner Valley School is 10.3:1, which is 38% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 34% 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 Gardner Valley School?
68.4% of students at Gardner Valley School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gardner Valley School?
The largest demographic group at Gardner Valley School is White at 51.2% of enrollment, in Gardner, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gardner Valley School?
Gardner Valley School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower 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 Gardner Valley School a good school?
Gardner Valley School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 91% 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 Huerfano School District Re-1?
Besides Gardner Valley School, Huerfano School District Re-1 also operates Peakview School (181 students) and John Mall Jr/Sr High School (179 students). See the Huerfano School District Re-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.