Enrollment
1,406
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Parker, CO
Ponderosa High School
Federal NCES profile for Ponderosa High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 58/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 080345001341
👥 S:T ratio 26
📚 AP courses 85
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ponderosa High School earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Colorado schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Colorado.
- #1 of 4
- high schools in Parker · Resource Index
- 58
- Resource Index · Higher
- 18.5:1
- large classes for Colorado
- 1,406
- students enrolled
Ponderosa High School has class sizes larger than 76% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ponderosa High School ranks #1 of 4 high schools in Parker, CO.
School address
District: Douglas County School District No. Re 1 · Colorado
NCES ID 080345001341 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
76.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ponderosa High School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ponderosa High School
Ponderosa High School is a large high school in Parker, Colorado, enrolling 1,406 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Colorado, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,406 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%) (diversity index 38/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 17 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 236 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
The surrounding Douglas County School District No. Re 1 spends $11,848 per pupil, 27% below the Colorado average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Douglas County School District No. Re 1 also operates American Academy (2,803 students) and Rock Canyon High School (2,325 students) alongside Ponderosa High 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 Ponderosa High School compares
Ponderosa High 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 | 18.5:1 | ▲ 11% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,406 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,406
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 76% in Colorado - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$11,848
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
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 236 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 66 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 77.0%
Hispanic or Latino 14.5%
Two or More 4.3%
African American 2.3%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 77.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.3, Ponderosa High School is less mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 17
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Douglas County School District No. Re 1, which includes Ponderosa High School.
$11,848
Per student
-27%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.8%
State 40.8%
Federal 6.4%
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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Academy | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rock Canyon High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Legend High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mountain Vista High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chaparral High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ponderosa High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,803
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 2,325
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 2,206
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 2,169
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 2,007
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar high 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 (~1,406 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ponderosa High School's federal record.
- Compare Ponderosa High School against another school. Compare schools
- Douglas County School District No. Re 1'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 High School
How many students attend Ponderosa High School?
Ponderosa High School has 1,406 students enrolled. It is a high school in Parker, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ponderosa High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ponderosa High School is 18.5:1, which is 11% higher than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ponderosa High School?
The largest demographic group at Ponderosa High School is White at 77.0% of enrollment, in Parker, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ponderosa High School?
Ponderosa High School has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Ponderosa High School rank among high schools in Parker?
By Resource Investment Index, Ponderosa High School ranks #1 of 4 high schools in Parker, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Parker on the city page.
Is Ponderosa High School a good school?
Ponderosa High School earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Colorado schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Colorado. 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 Douglas County School District No. Re 1?
Besides Ponderosa High School, Douglas County School District No. Re 1 also operates American Academy (2,803 students), Rock Canyon High School (2,325 students), and Legend High School (2,206 students). See the Douglas County School District No. Re 1 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.