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 35/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 080435000620
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Compiled from official source data by .
0/100100/10035/100
👥 S:T ratio
25
🌟 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 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of Colorado schools.

35
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

Palisade, CO 81526
District: Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 · Colorado

NCES ID 080435000620 Verify on NCES CCD record →

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

-56 students YoY

Palisade High School held near 1,069 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (-56 headcount).

Teacher FTE added 58.0 → 58.3 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Steady CCD campus

-56 students YoY 080435000620 · Palisade, CO High · MID · TRAD

1,073 enr · 18.8:1 · 34.1% lunch · RII 35

Nearest enrollment peer: Grand Junction High School (1,832 students)

Palisade High School held near 1,069 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (-56 headcount). Teacher FTE added 58.0 → 58.3 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · Colorado schools → · Find another →

Palisade High School in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Palisade High School reports 1,073 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How Palisade High School compares

Palisade High School held steady on CCD headcount: ratios and free-lunch share vs 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 methodology

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
$12,834
per pupil, district-wide - below Colorado avg of $17,910
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.

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

District finance for Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 reports $12,834 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

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

Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Nationwide high schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Similar enrollment (~1,073 students)

Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.8:1)

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. CCD year-over-year: 1,125 (2022-23) → 1,069 (2023-24), nearly flat (-56).

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 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Compiled from official source data by .