Enrollment
505
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 080309000833
Montezuma-Cortez Middle School — Cortez, CO
Federal NCES profile for Montezuma-Cortez Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 73
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Montezuma-Cortez School District No. Re-1 · Colorado
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.7:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.0%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Montezuma-Cortez Middle School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Montezuma-Cortez Middle School reports 505 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% below the Colorado state mean of 16.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 5% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 58.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 51% above the Colorado average and 12% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 136 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 52.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Montezuma-Cortez School District No. Re-1 spends $12,250 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 42.2% from local sources (property taxes), 42.0% from the state, and 15.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Montezuma-Cortez Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Colorado state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.7:1 | ▼ 1% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.0% | ▲ 51% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 505 | top 72% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
58.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 51% 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
16.7:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 60% in Colorado — lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
52.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,250
per pupil, district-wide
— below Colorado avg of $20,949
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.7 FTE
Per 136 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 68 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 505 Top 72% in Colorado — larger than 28% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 16.7:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 58.0% +51% vs state
NCES ID 080309000833
Student demographics
White 40.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 28.9%
Hispanic or Latino 22.4%
Two or More 7.9%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 40.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.7
Students per counselor 136:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 52.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 68
Expulsions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montezuma-Cortez School District No. Re-1, which includes Montezuma-Cortez Middle School.
$12,250
Per student
-42%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 42.2%
State 42.0%
Federal 15.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 598
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 359
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Enrollment
- 339
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 131
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Enrollment
- 130
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Montezuma-Cortez Middle School
How many students attend Montezuma-Cortez Middle School?
Montezuma-Cortez Middle School has 505 students enrolled. It is a middle school in CORTEZ, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Montezuma-Cortez Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Montezuma-Cortez Middle School is 16.7:1, which is 1% lower than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Montezuma-Cortez Middle School?
58.0% of students at Montezuma-Cortez Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Montezuma-Cortez Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Montezuma-Cortez Middle School is White at 40.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in CORTEZ, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Montezuma-Cortez Middle School?
Montezuma-Cortez Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.