Enrollment
443
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Pierce, CO
Highland Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Highland Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 080231000049
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland Elementary School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median.
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.4:1
- students per teacher
- 32.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 443
- students enrolled
Highland Elementary School has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Weld County School District No. Re-9 · Colorado
NCES ID 080231000049 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.6%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland Elementary School
Highland Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Pierce, Colorado, enrolling 443 students.
At 16.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Colorado median, within a few percentage points of the 16.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 32.6% lands close to the Colorado typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 443 students, its enrollment sits close to the Colorado median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 1,922 Colorado schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 353 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #350, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (56%) and Hispanic or Latino (40%) (diversity index 52/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Weld County School District No. Re-9 spends $10,570 per pupil, 35% below the Colorado average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Weld County School District No. Re-9 also operates Highland High School (299 students) and Highland Middle School (234 students) alongside Highland 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 Highland Elementary School compares
Highland 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 | 16.4:1 | ▼ 1% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.6% | ▼ 15% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 443 | top 37% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
443
Bigger than 54% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% 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
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 57% in Colorado - lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
43.3%
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
$10,570
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 56.4%
Hispanic or Latino 39.7%
Two or More 3.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 56.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.3, Highland Elementary School is more mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Weld County School District No. Re-9, which includes Highland Elementary School.
$10,570
Per student
-35%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.4%
State 28.4%
Federal 9.2%
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 Highland Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Highland Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 299
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 234
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar elementary 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 (~443 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Highland Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Weld County School District No. Re-9'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 Highland Elementary School
How many students attend Highland Elementary School?
Highland Elementary School has 443 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Pierce, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland Elementary School is 16.4:1, which is 1% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 4% higher 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 Highland Elementary School?
32.6% of students at Highland Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Highland Elementary School is White at 56.4% of enrollment, in Pierce, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Elementary School?
Highland Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (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 Highland Elementary School a good school?
Highland Elementary School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median. 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 Weld County School District No. Re-9?
Besides Highland Elementary School, Weld County School District No. Re-9 also operates Highland High School (299 students) and Highland Middle School (234 students). See the Weld County School District No. Re-9 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.