Enrollment
260
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Littleton, CO
Mortensen Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Mortensen Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080480000991
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 13
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mortensen Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Colorado schools.
- #12 of 22
- schools in Littleton · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.8:1
- small classes for Colorado
- 27.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Mortensen Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 84% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mortensen Elementary School ranks #12 of 22 schools in Littleton, CO.
School address
District: Jefferson County School District No. R-1 · Colorado
NCES ID 080480000991 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.7%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mortensen Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mortensen Elementary School
Mortensen Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Littleton, Colorado, enrolling 260 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 260 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 255 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #118.
Its student body is led by White (67%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 260 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.6% 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 Mortensen 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 Mortensen Elementary School compares
Mortensen 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 29% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.7% | ▼ 28% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 260 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
260
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 29% below state mean
Top 16% in Colorado - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
34.6%
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
$13,124
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 260 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: 0.4 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 67.3%
Hispanic or Latino 22.3%
Two or More 5.4%
African American 2.3%
Asian 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 67.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.4, Mortensen 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 Jefferson County School District No. R-1, which includes Mortensen 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 Mortensen Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arvada West High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ralston Valley Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chatfield High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lakewood High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Columbine High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mortensen 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 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 (~260 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mortensen Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Mortensen 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 Mortensen Elementary School
How many students attend Mortensen Elementary School?
Mortensen Elementary School has 260 students enrolled. It is a public school in Littleton, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mortensen Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mortensen Elementary School is 11.8:1, which is 29% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 25% 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 Mortensen Elementary School?
27.7% of students at Mortensen Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mortensen Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Mortensen Elementary School is White at 67.3% of enrollment, in Littleton, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mortensen Elementary School?
Mortensen Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Mortensen Elementary School rank among schools in Littleton?
By Resource Investment Index, Mortensen Elementary School ranks #12 of 22 schools in Littleton, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Littleton on the city page.
Is Mortensen Elementary School a good school?
Mortensen Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% 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 Jefferson County School District No. R-1?
Besides Mortensen 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.