Enrollment
478
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Golden, CO
Mitchell Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Mitchell Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 080480000757
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 27
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mitchell Elementary School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median.
- #5 of 5
- elementary schools in Golden · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.5:1
- students per teacher
- 6.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Mitchell Elementary School has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mitchell Elementary School ranks #5 of 5 elementary schools in Golden, CO.
School address
District: Jefferson County School District No. R-1 · Colorado
NCES ID 080480000757 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
6.9%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-82% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mitchell Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mitchell Elementary School
Mitchell Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Golden, Colorado, enrolling 478 students.
At 16.5:1, 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.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 6.9% free-meal eligibility runs 82% below the Colorado average.
Enrollment of 478 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 297 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #265, 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 478 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Jefferson County School District No. R-1 also operates Arvada West High School (1,923 students) and Ralston Valley Senior High School (1,875 students) alongside Mitchell 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 Mitchell Elementary School compares
Mitchell 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 | 16.5:1 | ▼ 1% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 6.9% | ▼ 82% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 478 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
478
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
6.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 82% below the Colorado average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 58% in Colorado - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.3%
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
$13,124
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 478 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 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 84.3%
Hispanic or Latino 7.1%
Two or More 4.2%
Asian 3.3%
African American 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 84.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.1, Mitchell 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 Jefferson County School District No. R-1, which includes Mitchell Elementary School.
$13,124
Per student
-19%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.3%
State 36.9%
Federal 7.8%
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 Mitchell Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arvada West High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ralston Valley Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chatfield High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lakewood High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Columbine High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mitchell Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,923
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,875
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,808
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,735
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,710
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~478 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mitchell Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Mitchell Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Jefferson County School District No. 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 Mitchell Elementary School
How many students attend Mitchell Elementary School?
Mitchell Elementary School has 478 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Golden, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mitchell Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mitchell Elementary School is 16.5:1, which is 1% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 5% 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 Mitchell Elementary School?
6.9% of students at Mitchell Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mitchell Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Mitchell Elementary School is White at 84.3% of enrollment, in Golden, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mitchell Elementary School?
Mitchell Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Mitchell Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Golden?
By Resource Investment Index, Mitchell Elementary School ranks #5 of 5 elementary schools in Golden, 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 Golden on the city page.
Is Mitchell Elementary School a good school?
Mitchell Elementary School earns 34/100 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 Jefferson County School District No. R-1?
Besides Mitchell Elementary School, Jefferson County School District No. R-1 also operates Arvada West High School (1,923 students), Ralston Valley Senior High School (1,875 students), and Chatfield High School (1,808 students). See the Jefferson County School District No. 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.