Enrollment
471
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 080207000026
Ortega Middle School — Alamosa, CO
Federal NCES profile for Ortega Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
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: Alamosa School District No. Re-11j · 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.4:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.1%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ortega 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
Ortega Middle School reports 471 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% above the Colorado state mean of 16.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 9% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 58.1% 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 236 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Alamosa School District No. Re-11j spends $12,140 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.6% from local sources (property taxes), 56.1% from the state, and 19.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), calculated from 3 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 Ortega 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 | 17.4:1 | ▲ 3% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.1% | ▲ 51% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 471 | top 67% | — | — |
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
58.1%
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
17.4:1
students per teacher
— 3% above state mean
Top 68% in Colorado — lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$12,140
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 236 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
33
in-school suspensions + 74 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 471 Top 67% in Colorado — larger than 33% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 17.4:1 +3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 58.1% +51% vs state
NCES ID 080207000026
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 67.9%
White 26.3%
Two or More 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.3%
African American 1.1%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 67.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 236:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 33
Out-of-school suspensions 74
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alamosa School District No. Re-11j, which includes Ortega Middle School.
$12,140
Per student
-42%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 24.6%
State 56.1%
Federal 19.3%
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
- 568
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 473
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 437
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 60
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Enrollment
- 29
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
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 Ortega Middle School
How many students attend Ortega Middle School?
Ortega Middle School has 471 students enrolled. It is a middle school in ALAMOSA, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ortega Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ortega Middle School is 17.4:1, which is 3% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 9% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ortega Middle School?
58.1% of students at Ortega Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ortega Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Ortega Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 67.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in ALAMOSA, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ortega Middle School?
Ortega Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.