Enrollment
281
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Penrose, CO
Penrose Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Penrose Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080396000516
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Penrose Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median.
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.6:1
- students per teacher
- 34.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 281
- students enrolled
Penrose Elementary School has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Fremont Re-2 · Colorado
NCES ID 080396000516 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.9%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-9% 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 mid-sized combined-grade school in Penrose, Colorado, enrolling 281 students.
At 15.6:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 34.9% lands close to the Colorado typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 281 students, its enrollment sits close to the Colorado median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Among 276 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #214, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 281 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Fremont Re-2 spends $10,160 per pupil, 38% below the Colorado average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Fremont Re-2 also operates Florence Jr./Sr. High School (572 students) and Fremont Elementary School (441 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 | 15.6:1 | ▼ 6% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.9% | ▼ 9% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 281 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
281
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% 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
15.6:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 48% in Colorado - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
45.9%
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
$10,160
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 281 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 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 80.1%
Hispanic or Latino 14.9%
Two or More 4.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 80.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.4, Penrose Elementary School is less mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fremont Re-2, which includes Penrose Elementary School.
$10,160
Per student
-38%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.2%
State 50.6%
Federal 12.2%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florence Jr./Sr. High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fremont Elementary School | Larger | Higher 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
- 572
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 441
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
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 (~281 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Penrose Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Penrose Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Fremont Re-2'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 281 students enrolled. It is a public school in Penrose, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Penrose Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Penrose Elementary School is 15.6:1, which is 6% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 1% 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?
34.9% 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 80.1% of enrollment, in Penrose, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Penrose Elementary School?
Penrose Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Penrose Elementary School a good school?
Penrose Elementary School earns 38/100 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 Fremont Re-2?
Besides Penrose Elementary School, Fremont Re-2 also operates Florence Jr./Sr. High School (572 students) and Fremont Elementary School (441 students). See the Fremont Re-2 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.