Enrollment
243
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 080405006298
Pioneer Elementary School — Fort Morgan, CO
Federal NCES profile for Pioneer Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 56/100.
👥 Class size 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
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
District: School District No. Re-3 Fort Morgan · Colorado
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)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.4%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pioneer 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
Pioneer Elementary School reports 243 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% below the Colorado state mean of 16.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 8% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 62.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 62% above the Colorado average and 20% above the national baseline.
On the finance side, the surrounding School District No. Re-3 Fort Morgan spends $12,715 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.1% from local sources (property taxes), 54.9% from the state, and 13.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (C), calculated from 2 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 Pioneer 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 | 14.6:1 | ▼ 14% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.4% | ▲ 62% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 243 | top 29% | — | — |
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
62.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 62% 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
14.6:1
students per teacher
— 14% below state mean
Top 34% in Colorado — lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$12,715
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 243 Top 29% in Colorado — larger than 71% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 14.6:1 -14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 62.4% +62% vs state
NCES ID 080405006298
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 70.0%
White 13.2%
African American 11.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.5%
Asian 2.1%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 70.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for School District No. Re-3 Fort Morgan, which includes Pioneer Elementary School.
$12,715
Per student
-39%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.1%
State 54.9%
Federal 13.0%
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
- 945
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 749
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 421
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 409
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 321
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Fort Morgan
3 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 Pioneer Elementary School
How many students attend Pioneer Elementary School?
Pioneer Elementary School has 243 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in FORT MORGAN, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Elementary School is 14.6:1, which is 14% lower than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pioneer Elementary School?
62.4% of students at Pioneer Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pioneer Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Pioneer Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 70.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in FORT MORGAN, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pioneer Elementary School?
Pioneer Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (C) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.