Enrollment
449
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Salida, CO
Longfellow Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Longfellow Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 080633001108
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Longfellow Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median.
- #3 of 3
- elementary schools in Salida · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.5:1
- students per teacher
- 29.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Longfellow Elementary School has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Longfellow Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Salida, CO.
School address
District: Salida School District No. R-32 · Colorado
NCES ID 080633001108 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.9%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Longfellow Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Longfellow Elementary School
Longfellow Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Salida, Colorado, enrolling 449 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 29.9% lands close to the Colorado typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 449 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Among 367 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #286, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 436 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Salida School District No. R-32 also operates Salida High School (409 students) and Salida Middle School (327 students) alongside Longfellow 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 Longfellow Elementary School compares
Longfellow 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 | 14.5:1 | ▼ 13% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.9% | ▼ 22% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 449 | top 35% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
449
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 22% 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
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 37% in Colorado - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
31.6%
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
$13,598
per pupil, district-wide
- below Colorado avg of $16,273
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 436 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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 83.7%
Hispanic or Latino 13.1%
Two or More 2.7%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 83.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.2, Longfellow 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 Salida School District No. R-32, which includes Longfellow Elementary School.
$13,598
Per student
-16%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.4%
State 28.6%
Federal 13.0%
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 Longfellow Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salida High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Salida Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Salida Early Childhood Center | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Crest Academy | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Horizons Exploratory Academy | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Longfellow Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 409
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 327
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 74
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
- Enrollment
- 60
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 32
- Students per teacher
- 8:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
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 (~449 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Longfellow Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Longfellow Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Salida School District No. R-32'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 Longfellow Elementary School
How many students attend Longfellow Elementary School?
Longfellow Elementary School has 449 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Salida, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Longfellow Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Longfellow Elementary School is 14.5:1, which is 13% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 8% 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 Longfellow Elementary School?
29.9% of students at Longfellow Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Longfellow Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Longfellow Elementary School is White at 83.7% of enrollment, in Salida, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Longfellow Elementary School?
Longfellow Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Longfellow Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Salida?
By Resource Investment Index, Longfellow Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Salida, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Salida on the city page.
Is Longfellow Elementary School a good school?
Longfellow Elementary School earns 36/100 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 Salida School District No. R-32?
Besides Longfellow Elementary School, Salida School District No. R-32 also operates Salida High School (409 students), Salida Middle School (327 students), and Salida Early Childhood Center (74 students). See the Salida School District No. R-32 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.