Other / mixed grade configuration · Thornton, CO

Meadow Community School

Federal NCES profile for Meadow Community School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080555002031
0/100100/10043/100
👥 S:T ratio
16
🌟 Gifted program
70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Meadow Community School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Colorado schools.

#8 of 21
schools in Thornton · Resource Index
43
Resource Index · Typical
21:1
large classes for Colorado
59.5%
free-lunch eligible

Meadow Community School has class sizes larger than 90% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Meadow Community School ranks #8 of 21 schools in Thornton, CO.

Enrollment

378

Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

18.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

21:1

vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg

+27% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

59.5%

vs 38.5% Colorado avg

+55% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Meadow Community School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Meadow Community School

Meadow Community School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Thornton, Colorado, enrolling 378 students.

Class loads run heavy: 21:1 is larger than about 90% of Colorado schools and 27% above the 16.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 59.5% of students eligible for free meals.

With 378 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 265 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #112.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (76%) and White (13%) (diversity index 41/100).

Mapleton School District No. 1 in the County of Adams & St also operates York International (776 students) and Explore Pk-8 (557 students) alongside Meadow Community 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 Meadow Community School compares

Meadow Community 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 21:1 ▲ 27% 16.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 59.5% ▲ 55% 38.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 378 top 47% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

21:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
378
Bigger than 44% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
59.5%
free-lunch eligible - 55% 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
21:1
students per teacher - 27% above state mean
Top 90% in Colorado - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Funding equity
$13,143
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 + 53 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.0 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

Hispanic or Latino 75.7%
White 13.2%
Asian 5.8%
African American 2.9%
Two or More 2.4%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 75.7% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 40.5/100

Simpson diversity index - at 40.5, Meadow Community School is less mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mapleton School District No. 1 in the County of Adams & St, which includes Meadow Community School.

$13,143
Per student
-19%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.2%
State 50.0%
Federal 12.8%

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 Meadow Community School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
York International Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Explore Pk-8 Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Trailside Academy Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Monterey Community School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Clayton Partnership School Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Meadow Community School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Mapleton School District No. 1 In The County Of Adams & St · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Meadow Community School's federal record.

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 Meadow Community School

How many students attend Meadow Community School?

Meadow Community School has 378 students enrolled. It is a public school in Thornton, CO.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Meadow Community School?

The student-teacher ratio at Meadow Community School is 21:1, which is 27% higher than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 34% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Meadow Community School?

59.5% of students at Meadow Community School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Meadow Community School?

The largest demographic group at Meadow Community School is Hispanic or Latino at 75.7% of enrollment, in Thornton, CO.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Meadow Community School?

Meadow Community School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.

How does Meadow Community School rank among schools in Thornton?

By Resource Investment Index, Meadow Community School ranks #8 of 21 schools in Thornton, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Thornton on the city page.

Is Meadow Community School a good school?

Meadow Community School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% 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 Mapleton School District No. 1 in the County of Adams & St?

Besides Meadow Community School, Mapleton School District No. 1 in the County of Adams & St also operates York International (776 students), Explore Pk-8 (557 students), and Trailside Academy (492 students). See the Mapleton School District No. 1 in the County of Adams & St district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

View saved

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.