Enrollment
412
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fort Collins, CO
Laurel Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Laurel Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080399000583
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Laurel Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Colorado schools.
- #20 of 29
- schools in Fort Collins · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.9:1
- small classes for Colorado
- 44.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Laurel Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 77% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Laurel Elementary School ranks #20 of 29 schools in Fort Collins, CO.
School address
District: Poudre School District R-1 · Colorado
NCES ID 080399000583 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.6%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Laurel Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Laurel Elementary School
Laurel Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Fort Collins, Colorado, enrolling 412 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 44.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 412 students, its enrollment sits close to the Colorado median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 306 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #171.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (35%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 294 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Poudre School District R-1 also operates Rocky Mountain High School (2,044 students) and Fossil Ridge High School (1,846 students) alongside Laurel 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 Laurel Elementary School compares
Laurel 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 | 12.9:1 | ▼ 22% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.6% | ▲ 16% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 412 | top 41% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.9:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
412
Bigger than 49% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% 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
12.9:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 23% in Colorado - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
44.7%
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
$13,223
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
Counselors1.4 FTE
Per 294 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
23
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.1 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 55.1%
Hispanic or Latino 35.2%
Two or More 6.3%
African American 1.9%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 55.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.8, Laurel Elementary School is more mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Poudre School District R-1, which includes Laurel Elementary School.
$13,223
Per student
-19%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 57.5%
State 35.4%
Federal 7.1%
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 Laurel Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountain High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fossil Ridge High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fort Collins High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Liberty Common Charter School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Timnath Middle-High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Laurel Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,044
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,846
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,836
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 1,516
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,456
- Students per teacher
- 28:1
- Resource Index
- 0/100
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 (~412 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Laurel Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Laurel Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Poudre School District R-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 Laurel Elementary School
How many students attend Laurel Elementary School?
Laurel Elementary School has 412 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fort Collins, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Laurel Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Laurel Elementary School is 12.9:1, which is 22% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 18% 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 Laurel Elementary School?
44.6% of students at Laurel Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Laurel Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Laurel Elementary School is White at 55.1% of enrollment, in Fort Collins, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Laurel Elementary School?
Laurel Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Laurel Elementary School rank among schools in Fort Collins?
By Resource Investment Index, Laurel Elementary School ranks #20 of 29 schools in Fort Collins, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Fort Collins on the city page.
Is Laurel Elementary School a good school?
Laurel Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% 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 Poudre School District R-1?
Besides Laurel Elementary School, Poudre School District R-1 also operates Rocky Mountain High School (2,044 students), Fossil Ridge High School (1,846 students), and Fort Collins High School (1,836 students). See the Poudre School District R-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.