Enrollment
528
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Johnstown, CO
Pioneer Ridge Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Pioneer Ridge Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 080483001911
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pioneer Ridge Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Johnstown · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.5:1
- students per teacher
- 12.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Pioneer Ridge Elementary School has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer Ridge Elementary School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Johnstown, CO.
School address
District: Weld County School District No. Re-5j · Colorado
NCES ID 080483001911 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.0%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pioneer Ridge Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pioneer Ridge Elementary School
Pioneer Ridge Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Johnstown, Colorado, enrolling 528 students.
At 16.5:1, 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.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 12.0% free-meal eligibility runs 69% below the Colorado average.
Enrollment of 528 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Among 360 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #284, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 550 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Weld County School District No. Re-5j spends $11,639 per pupil, 28% below the Colorado average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Weld County School District No. Re-5j also operates Roosevelt High School (1,184 students) and Milliken Middle School (695 students) alongside Pioneer Ridge 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 Ridge Elementary School compares
Pioneer Ridge 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 | 16.5:1 | ▼ 1% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.0% | ▼ 69% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 528 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
528
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
12.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 69% below the Colorado average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 58% in Colorado - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.0%
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
$11,639
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
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.8 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 69.5%
Hispanic or Latino 26.5%
Two or More 1.9%
Asian 1.1%
African American 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 69.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.6, Pioneer Ridge 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 Weld County School District No. Re-5j, which includes Pioneer Ridge Elementary School.
$11,639
Per student
-28%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.4%
State 51.0%
Federal 7.6%
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 Ridge Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roosevelt High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Milliken Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Elwell Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Milliken Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Knowledge Quest Academy | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pioneer Ridge Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,184
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 695
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 618
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 472
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 395
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
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.
Similar enrollment (~528 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pioneer Ridge Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Pioneer Ridge Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Weld County School District No. Re-5j'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 Pioneer Ridge Elementary School
How many students attend Pioneer Ridge Elementary School?
Pioneer Ridge Elementary School has 528 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Johnstown, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Ridge Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Ridge Elementary School is 16.5:1, which is 1% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 5% higher 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 Ridge Elementary School?
12.0% of students at Pioneer Ridge Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pioneer Ridge Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Pioneer Ridge Elementary School is White at 69.5% of enrollment, in Johnstown, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pioneer Ridge Elementary School?
Pioneer Ridge Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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).
How does Pioneer Ridge Elementary School rank among public schools in Johnstown?
By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer Ridge Elementary School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Johnstown, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Johnstown on the city page.
Is Pioneer Ridge Elementary School a good school?
Pioneer Ridge Elementary School earns 37/100 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 Weld County School District No. Re-5j?
Besides Pioneer Ridge Elementary School, Weld County School District No. Re-5j also operates Roosevelt High School (1,184 students), Milliken Middle School (695 students), and Elwell Elementary School (618 students). See the Weld County School District No. Re-5j 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.