Enrollment
634
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 080291000200
Ponderosa Elementary School — Aurora, CO
Federal NCES profile for Ponderosa 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
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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.2%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ponderosa 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
Ponderosa Elementary School reports 634 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% 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 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 60.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 56% above the Colorado average and 16% above the national baseline.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah spends $17,211 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 48.6% from local sources (property taxes), 43.3% from the state, and 8.1% 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 Ponderosa 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 | 14.4:1 | ▼ 15% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.2% | ▲ 56% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 634 | top 83% | — | — |
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
60.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 56% 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
14.4:1
students per teacher
— 15% below state mean
Top 32% in Colorado — lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$17,211
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
16
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 634 Top 83% in Colorado — larger than 17% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 14.4:1 -15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 60.2% +56% vs state
NCES ID 080291000200
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 44.3%
African American 21.9%
White 15.0%
Two or More 10.3%
Asian 7.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 44.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 16
Out-of-school suspensions 19
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah, which includes Ponderosa Elementary School.
$17,211
Per student
-18%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 48.6%
State 43.3%
Federal 8.1%
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
- 3,852
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 3,089
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,851
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,684
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,297
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
Similar other schools in Aurora
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Aurora Central Campus
Standard public school
2,468 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Lotus School for Excellence
Standard public school
1,008 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Edna and John W. Mosley P-8
Standard public school
994 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Vista Peak P-8 Exploratory
Standard public school
960 students 20.7:1 students per teacher
Sixth Avenue Elementary School
Standard public school
950 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Aurora West College Preparatory Academy
Standard public school
927 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
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 Ponderosa Elementary School
How many students attend Ponderosa Elementary School?
Ponderosa Elementary School has 634 students enrolled. It is a other school in AURORA, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ponderosa Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ponderosa Elementary School is 14.4:1, which is 15% lower than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 9% 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 Ponderosa Elementary School?
60.2% of students at Ponderosa Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ponderosa Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Ponderosa Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 44.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in AURORA, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ponderosa Elementary School?
Ponderosa 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.