Enrollment
1,409
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Fort Collins, CO
Poudre High School
Federal NCES profile for Poudre High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 080399000541
👥 S:T ratio 39
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Poudre High School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median. It is also one of the largest schools in Colorado.
- #1 of 5
- high schools in Fort Collins · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.3:1
- students per teacher
- 31.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Poudre High School has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Poudre High School ranks #1 of 5 high schools in Fort Collins, CO.
School address
District: Poudre School District R-1 · Colorado
NCES ID 080399000541 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
92.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-8% 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
What stands out at Poudre High School
Poudre High School is a large high school in Fort Collins, Colorado, enrolling 1,409 students.
At 15.3:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 31.2% lands close to the Colorado typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Colorado, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,409 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Among 80 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #1, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (63%) and Hispanic or Latino (30%) (diversity index 51/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 10 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 157 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Poudre School District R-1 also operates Rocky Mountain High School (2,044 students) and Fossil Ridge High School (1,846 students) alongside Poudre 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 Poudre High School compares
Poudre 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 | 15.3:1 | ▼ 8% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.2% | ▼ 19% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,409 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,409
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
15.3:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 45% in Colorado - lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Funding equity
$13,223
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
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 51.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.3, Poudre High School is more mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 10
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Poudre School District R-1, which includes Poudre High School.
$13,223
Per student
-19%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Poudre High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountain High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fossil Ridge High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fort Collins High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Liberty Common Charter School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Timnath Middle-High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Poudre High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,044
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,846
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,836
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 1,516
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,456
- Students per teacher
- 28:1
- Resource Index
- 0/100
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 (~1,409 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Poudre High School's federal record.
- Compare Poudre High School against another school. Compare schools
- Poudre School District R-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 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 15.3:1, 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 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% of enrollment, in Fort Collins, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Poudre High School?
Poudre High School has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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 Poudre High School rank among high schools in Fort Collins?
By Resource Investment Index, Poudre High School ranks #1 of 5 high schools in Fort Collins, 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 Fort Collins on the city page.
Is Poudre High School a good school?
Poudre High School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median. 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 Poudre School District R-1?
Besides Poudre High School, Poudre School District R-1 also operates Rocky Mountain High School (2,044 students), Fossil Ridge High School (1,846 students), and Fort Collins High School (1,836 students). See the Poudre School District R-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.