Enrollment
1,073
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Palisade, CO
Palisade High School
Federal NCES profile for Palisade High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 080435000620
👥 S:T ratio 25
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palisade High School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of Colorado schools.
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.8:1
- large classes for Colorado
- 34.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 1,073
- students enrolled
Palisade High School has class sizes larger than 78% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 · Colorado
NCES ID 080435000620 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
57.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.1%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palisade High School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Palisade High School
Palisade High School is a large high school in Palisade, Colorado, enrolling 1,073 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 34.1% lands close to the Colorado typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Colorado, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,073 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 90 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #57.
Its student body is led by White (66%) and Hispanic or Latino (28%) (diversity index 48/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 8 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 275 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 spends $11,650 per pupil, 28% below the Colorado average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 also operates Grand Junction High School (1,832 students) and Fruita Monument High School (1,427 students) alongside Palisade High 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 Palisade High School compares
Palisade High 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 | 18.8:1 | ▲ 13% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.1% | ▼ 11% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,073 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.8:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,073
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% 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
18.8:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 78% in Colorado - lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
43.2%
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
$11,650
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
Counselors3.9 FTE
Per 275 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
102
in-school suspensions + 107 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 66.1%
Hispanic or Latino 28.1%
Two or More 3.4%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 66.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.3, Palisade High School is about as mixed as the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 8
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mesa County Valley School District No. 51, which includes Palisade High School.
$11,650
Per student
-28%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.9%
State 46.3%
Federal 14.7%
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 Palisade High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Junction High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fruita Monument High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Central High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Fruita 8/9 School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Fruita Middle School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Palisade High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,832
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,427
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,352
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 704
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 690
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar high 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 (~1,073 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palisade High School's federal record.
- Compare Palisade High School against another school. Compare schools
- Mesa County Valley School District No. 51'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 Palisade High School
How many students attend Palisade High School?
Palisade High School has 1,073 students enrolled. It is a high school in Palisade, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palisade High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Palisade High School is 18.8:1, which is 13% higher than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Palisade High School?
34.1% of students at Palisade High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palisade High School?
The largest demographic group at Palisade High School is White at 66.1% of enrollment, in Palisade, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palisade High School?
Palisade High School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Palisade High School a good school?
Palisade High School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% 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 Mesa County Valley School District No. 51?
Besides Palisade High School, Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 also operates Grand Junction High School (1,832 students), Fruita Monument High School (1,427 students), and Central High School (1,352 students). See the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 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.