Enrollment
247
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Paonia, CO
Paonia K-8
Federal NCES profile for Paonia K-8, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080333001337
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Paonia K-8 earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median.
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.4:1
- students per teacher
- 44.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 247
- students enrolled
Paonia K-8 has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Delta County Joint District No. 50 · Colorado
NCES ID 080333001337 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.6%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Paonia K-8 compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Paonia K-8
Paonia K-8 is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Paonia, Colorado, enrolling 247 students.
At 15.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Colorado median, within a few percentage points of the 16.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 44.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 247 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 210 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #137.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 229 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Delta County Joint District No. 50 spends $12,649 per pupil, 22% below the Colorado average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 16.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Delta County Joint District No. 50 also operates Delta High School (626 students) and Delta Middle School (498 students) alongside Paonia K-8.
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 Paonia K-8 compares
Paonia K-8 on the metrics families compare, against Colorado and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.4:1 | ▼ 7% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.6% | ▲ 16% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 247 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.4:1
Leaner classes than 43% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
247
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% 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
15.4:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 46% in Colorado - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
43.7%
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
$12,649
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
Counselors1.1 FTE
Per 229 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.7 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 81.4%
Hispanic or Latino 10.9%
Two or More 5.7%
African American 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 81.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.2, Paonia K-8 is less mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Delta County Joint District No. 50, which includes Paonia K-8.
$12,649
Per student
-22%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.6%
State 53.7%
Federal 16.7%
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 Paonia K-8 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Delta Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Garnet Mesa Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cedaredge Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Paonia K-8's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 626
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 498
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 488
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 371
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 346
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~247 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Paonia K-8's federal record.
- Compare Paonia K-8 against another school. Compare schools
- Delta County Joint District No. 50'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 Paonia K-8
How many students attend Paonia K-8?
Paonia K-8 has 247 students enrolled. It is a public school in Paonia, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paonia K-8?
The student-teacher ratio at Paonia K-8 is 15.4:1, which is 7% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 2% 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 Paonia K-8?
44.6% of students at Paonia K-8 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Paonia K-8?
The largest demographic group at Paonia K-8 is White at 81.4% of enrollment, in Paonia, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paonia K-8?
Paonia K-8 has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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).
Is Paonia K-8 a good school?
Paonia K-8 earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median. 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 Delta County Joint District No. 50?
Besides Paonia K-8, Delta County Joint District No. 50 also operates Delta High School (626 students), Delta Middle School (498 students), and Garnet Mesa Elementary School (488 students). See the Delta County Joint District No. 50 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.