Enrollment
523
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 080408000565
Patriot Elementary School — Fort Carson, CO
Federal NCES profile for Patriot Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
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
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)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.1:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.7%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Patriot Elementary 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
Patriot Elementary School reports 523 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 8% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 22.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% below the Colorado average and 56% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 523 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fountain School District No. 8 in the County of El Paso an spends $16,635 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 5.9% from local sources (property taxes), 56.6% from the state, and 37.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), 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 Patriot Elementary 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 | 17.1:1 | ▲ 1% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.7% | ▼ 41% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 523 | top 73% | — | — |
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
22.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% 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
17.1:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 64% in Colorado — lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$16,635
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 523 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 523 Top 73% in Colorado — larger than 27% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 17.1:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 22.7% -41% vs state
NCES ID 080408000565
Student demographics
White 45.9%
Hispanic or Latino 28.1%
African American 10.9%
Two or More 9.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.5%
Asian 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Largest group: White at 45.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 523:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 18
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fountain School District No. 8 in the County of El Paso an, which includes Patriot Elementary School.
$16,635
Per student
-21%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 5.9%
State 56.6%
Federal 37.4%
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
- 1,974
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,051
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 814
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 668
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 657
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Fort Carson
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Patriot Elementary School
How many students attend Patriot Elementary School?
Patriot Elementary School has 523 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in FORT CARSON, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Patriot Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Patriot Elementary School is 17.1:1, which is 1% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Patriot Elementary School?
22.7% of students at Patriot Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Patriot Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Patriot Elementary School is White at 45.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in FORT CARSON, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Patriot Elementary School?
Patriot Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) 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.