Enrollment
335
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Loveland, CO
Ponderosa Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Ponderosa Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080540006432
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 37
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ponderosa Elementary earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median.
- #8 of 12
- schools in Loveland · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.2:1
- students per teacher
- 17.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Ponderosa Elementary has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ponderosa Elementary ranks #8 of 12 schools in Loveland, CO.
School address
District: Thompson School District R-2j · Colorado
NCES ID 080540006432 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.3%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ponderosa Elementary compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ponderosa Elementary
Ponderosa Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Loveland, Colorado, enrolling 335 students.
At 15.2:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 17.3% of students eligible for free meals.
With 335 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 327 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #288, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 37/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 558 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Thompson School District R-2j also operates Loveland High School (1,354 students) and Mountain View High School (1,074 students) alongside Ponderosa Elementary.
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 Ponderosa Elementary compares
Ponderosa Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Colorado and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.2:1 | ▼ 8% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.3% | ▼ 55% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 335 | top 55% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
335
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 55% 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
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 44% in Colorado - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
25.1%
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
$15,018
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
Counselors0.6 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 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 77.3%
Hispanic or Latino 18.2%
Two or More 3.6%
African American 0.9%
Largest group: White at 77.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.8, Ponderosa Elementary is less mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Thompson School District R-2j, which includes Ponderosa Elementary.
$15,018
Per student
-8%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.1%
State 36.1%
Federal 9.8%
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 Ponderosa Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loveland High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mountain View High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Loveland Classical School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Thompson Valley High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| New Vision Charter School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ponderosa Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,354
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,074
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,032
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,005
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,005
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~335 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ponderosa Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Ponderosa Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Thompson School District R-2j'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 Ponderosa Elementary
How many students attend Ponderosa Elementary?
Ponderosa Elementary has 335 students enrolled. It is a public school in Loveland, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ponderosa Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Ponderosa Elementary is 15.2:1, 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 Ponderosa Elementary?
17.3% of students at Ponderosa Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ponderosa Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Ponderosa Elementary is White at 77.3% of enrollment, in Loveland, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ponderosa Elementary?
Ponderosa Elementary 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 Ponderosa Elementary rank among schools in Loveland?
By Resource Investment Index, Ponderosa Elementary ranks #8 of 12 schools in Loveland, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Loveland on the city page.
Is Ponderosa Elementary a good school?
Ponderosa Elementary 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 Thompson School District R-2j?
Besides Ponderosa Elementary, Thompson School District R-2j also operates Loveland High School (1,354 students), Mountain View High School (1,074 students), and Loveland Classical School (1,032 students). See the Thompson School District R-2j 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.