Enrollment
461
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 080435006498
Grand River Academy — Grand Junction, CO
Federal NCES profile for Grand River Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 58/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 72
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
District: Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 · Colorado
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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Grand River Academy 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
Grand River Academy reports 461 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% 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 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 221 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 spends $13,239 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.9% from local sources (property taxes), 46.3% from the state, and 14.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (C), calculated from 4 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 Grand River Academy 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 | 16.4:1 | ▼ 3% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 461 | top 66% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher
— 3% below state mean
Top 56% in Colorado — lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$13,239
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
Counselors2.1 FTE
Per 221 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 461 Top 66% in Colorado — larger than 34% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 16.4:1 -3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 080435006498
Student demographics
White 75.9%
Hispanic or Latino 18.9%
Two or More 4.6%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 75.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.1
Students per counselor 221:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.3%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mesa County Valley School District No. 51, which includes Grand River Academy.
$13,239
Per student
-37%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.9%
State 46.3%
Federal 14.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,832
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,427
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,352
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,073
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 704
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
Similar other schools in Grand Junction
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Caprock Academy
Standard public school
871 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Independence Academy
Standard public school
491 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Appleton Elementary School
Standard public school
439 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Thunder Mountain Elementary School
Standard public school
432 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Pear Park Elementary School
Standard public school
428 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Mesa View Elementary School
Standard public school
375 students 16.2:1 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 Grand River Academy
How many students attend Grand River Academy?
Grand River Academy has 461 students enrolled. It is a other school in GRAND JUNCTION, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Grand River Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Grand River Academy is 16.4:1, which is 3% lower than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Grand River Academy?
The largest demographic group at Grand River Academy is White at 75.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in GRAND JUNCTION, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Grand River Academy?
Grand River Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (C) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.