Enrollment
279
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Colorado Springs, CO
Penrose Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Penrose Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080306000258
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Penrose Elementary School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Colorado schools.
- #26 of 80
- schools in Colorado Springs · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.7:1
- small classes for Colorado
- 53.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Penrose Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 79% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Penrose Elementary School ranks #26 of 80 schools in Colorado Springs, CO.
School address
NCES ID 080306000258 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.2%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Penrose Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Penrose Elementary School
Penrose Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Colorado Springs, Colorado, enrolling 279 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 53.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 279 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 222 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #33.
Its student body is led by White (47%) and Hispanic or Latino (36%) (diversity index 64/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 279 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Colorado Springs School District No. 11 in the County of E also operates Doherty High School (1,715 students) and Coronado High School (1,279 students) alongside Penrose Elementary 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 Penrose Elementary School compares
Penrose Elementary 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 | 12.7:1 | ▼ 23% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.2% | ▲ 38% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 279 | top 66% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
279
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 21% in Colorado - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$14,342
per pupil, district-wide
- below Colorado avg of $16,273
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 279 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.1 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 47.0%
Hispanic or Latino 35.5%
Two or More 9.7%
African American 4.7%
Asian 2.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
Largest group: White at 47.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.1, Penrose Elementary School is more mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Colorado Springs School District No. 11 in the County of E, which includes Penrose Elementary School.
$14,342
Per student
-12%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.8%
State 40.3%
Federal 11.9%
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 Penrose Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doherty High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Coronado High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Palmer High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jenkins Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mitchell High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Penrose Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,715
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,279
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 1,265
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 791
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 757
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
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 (~279 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Penrose Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Penrose Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Colorado Springs School District No. 11 in the County of E'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 Penrose Elementary School
How many students attend Penrose Elementary School?
Penrose Elementary School has 279 students enrolled. It is a public school in Colorado Springs, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Penrose Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Penrose Elementary School is 12.7:1, which is 23% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 19% 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 Penrose Elementary School?
53.2% of students at Penrose Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Penrose Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Penrose Elementary School is White at 47.0% of enrollment, in Colorado Springs, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Penrose Elementary School?
Penrose Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Penrose Elementary School rank among schools in Colorado Springs?
By Resource Investment Index, Penrose Elementary School ranks #26 of 80 schools in Colorado Springs, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Colorado Springs on the city page.
Is Penrose Elementary School a good school?
Penrose Elementary School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% 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 Colorado Springs School District No. 11 in the County of E?
Besides Penrose Elementary School, Colorado Springs School District No. 11 in the County of E also operates Doherty High School (1,715 students), Coronado High School (1,279 students), and Palmer High School (1,265 students). See the Colorado Springs School District No. 11 in the County of E district page for the complete list.
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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.