Enrollment
1,409
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 080399000541
Poudre High School — Fort Collins, CO
Federal NCES profile for Poudre High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 28
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 69
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
District: Poudre School District R-1 · Colorado
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)
92.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.1:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.2%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Poudre High 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
Poudre High School reports 1,409 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 92.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% above the Colorado state mean of 16.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 14% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 31.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 19% below the Colorado average and 40% below the national baseline. The school offers 10 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 157 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Poudre School District R-1 spends $17,617 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 57.5% from local sources (property taxes), 35.4% from the state, and 7.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), calculated from 4 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 Poudre High 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 | 18.1:1 | ▲ 7% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.2% | ▼ 19% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,409 | top 96% | — | — |
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
31.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 19% 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
18.1:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 75% in Colorado — lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$17,617
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
Counselors9.0 FTE
Per 157 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 66 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,409 Top 96% in Colorado — larger than 4% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 92.0
Students per teacher 18.1:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 31.2% -19% vs state
NCES ID 080399000541
Student demographics
White 62.7%
Hispanic or Latino 30.4%
Two or More 3.8%
African American 1.3%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 62.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 10
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 9.0
Students per counselor 157:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 66
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Poudre School District R-1, which includes Poudre High School.
$17,617
Per student
-16%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 57.5%
State 35.4%
Federal 7.1%
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
- 2,044
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,846
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,836
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,516
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,456
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
Similar high schools in Fort Collins
4 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Rocky Mountain High School
Standard public school
2,044 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Fossil Ridge High School
Standard public school
1,846 students 20.5:1 students per teacher
Fort Collins High School
Standard public school
1,836 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Centennial High School
Alternative education program
118 students 12.8:1 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 Poudre High School
How many students attend Poudre High School?
Poudre High School has 1,409 students enrolled. It is a high school in FORT COLLINS, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Poudre High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Poudre High School is 18.1:1, which is 7% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 14% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Poudre High School?
31.2% of students at Poudre High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Poudre High School?
The largest demographic group at Poudre High School is White at 62.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in FORT COLLINS, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Poudre High School?
Poudre High School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.