Elementary school (grades K-5) · Colorado Springs, CO

Pioneer Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Pioneer Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 080192001430
0/100100/10044/100
👥 S:T ratio
39
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
24
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Pioneer Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median.

#22 of 51
elementary schools in Colorado Springs · Resource Index
44
Resource Index · Typical
15.3:1
students per teacher
36.2%
free-lunch eligible

Pioneer Elementary School has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer Elementary School ranks #22 of 51 elementary schools in Colorado Springs, CO.

Enrollment

382

Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

25.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

15.3:1

vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg

-8% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

36.2%

vs 38.5% Colorado avg

-6% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Pioneer Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Pioneer Elementary School

Pioneer Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Colorado Springs, Colorado, enrolling 382 students.

At 15.3:1, 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 36.2% lands close to the Colorado typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

With 382 students, its enrollment sits close to the Colorado median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,922 scored Colorado schools.

Against 350 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #134.

Its student body is led by White (47%) and Hispanic or Latino (31%) (diversity index 66/100).

Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 382 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.

The surrounding Academy School District No. 20 in the County of El Paso an spends $10,954 per pupil, 33% below the Colorado average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Academy School District No. 20 in the County of El Paso an also operates The Classical Academy Charter (1,909 students) and Pine Creek High School (1,875 students) alongside Pioneer 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 Pioneer Elementary School compares

Pioneer 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 15.3:1 ▼ 8% 16.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 36.2% ▼ 6% 38.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 382 top 46% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
382
Bigger than 45% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
36.2%
free-lunch eligible - 6% 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
15.3:1
students per teacher - 8% below state mean
Top 45% in Colorado - lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Funding equity
$10,954
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 382 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.3 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 47.4%
Hispanic or Latino 30.9%
Two or More 15.2%
African American 3.9%
Asian 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%

Largest group: White at 47.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 65.5/100

Simpson diversity index - at 65.5, Pioneer 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 Academy School District No. 20 in the County of El Paso an, which includes Pioneer Elementary School.

$10,954
Per student
-33%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.7%
State 48.4%
Federal 6.9%

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 Pioneer Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
The Classical Academy Charter Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Pine Creek High School Larger No free-lunch data Higher S:T ratio
Liberty High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Air Academy High School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Rampart High School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Pioneer Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Academy School District No. 20 In The County Of El Paso An · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Pioneer Elementary School's federal record.

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 Pioneer Elementary School

How many students attend Pioneer Elementary School?

Pioneer Elementary School has 382 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Colorado Springs, CO.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Elementary School is 15.3:1, which is 8% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 3% 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 Pioneer Elementary School?

36.2% 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 White at 47.4% of enrollment, in Colorado Springs, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.5/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Pioneer Elementary School?

Pioneer Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical 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 Pioneer Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Colorado Springs?

By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer Elementary School ranks #22 of 51 elementary 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 elementary schools in Colorado Springs on the city page.

Is Pioneer Elementary School a good school?

Pioneer Elementary School earns 44/100 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 Academy School District No. 20 in the County of El Paso an?

Besides Pioneer Elementary School, Academy School District No. 20 in the County of El Paso an also operates The Classical Academy Charter (1,909 students), Pine Creek High School (1,875 students), and Liberty High School (1,526 students). See the Academy School District No. 20 in the County of El Paso an district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.