Enrollment
130
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fountain, CO
Prairie Heights Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Heights Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 58/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080450006304
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 79
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prairie Heights Elementary School earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Colorado schools.
- #1 of 4
- schools in Fountain · Resource Index
- 58
- Resource Index · Higher
- 18.6:1
- large classes for Colorado
- 48.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Prairie Heights Elementary School has class sizes larger than 77% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Heights Elementary School ranks #1 of 4 schools in Fountain, CO.
School address
NCES ID 080450006304 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.6:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.9%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Heights Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prairie Heights Elementary School
Prairie Heights Elementary School is a small combined-grade school in Fountain, Colorado, enrolling 130 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 48.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 130 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 92 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #27.
Its student body is led by White (50%) and Hispanic or Latino (41%) (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 103 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Its district, Hanover School District No. 28 in the County of El Paso an, also runs Hanover Junior-Senior High School (134 students).
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 Prairie Heights Elementary School compares
Prairie Heights Elementary 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 | 18.6:1 | ▲ 12% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.9% | ▲ 27% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 130 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.6:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
130
Bigger than 13% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
48.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% 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
18.6:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 77% in Colorado - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$16,085
per pupil, district-wide
- below Colorado avg of $16,273
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.3 FTE
Per 103 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.7 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 50.0%
Hispanic or Latino 40.8%
African American 3.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 3.1%
Two or More 2.3%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: White at 50.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.1, Prairie Heights Elementary School is more mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hanover School District No. 28 in the County of El Paso an, which includes Prairie Heights Elementary School.
$16,085
Per student
-1%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.0%
State 56.1%
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 Prairie Heights Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover Junior-Senior High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prairie Heights Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 134
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
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 (~130 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prairie Heights Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Prairie Heights Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Hanover School District No. 28 in the County of El Paso an'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 Prairie Heights Elementary School
How many students attend Prairie Heights Elementary School?
Prairie Heights Elementary School has 130 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fountain, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Heights Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Heights Elementary School is 18.6:1, which is 12% higher than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Prairie Heights Elementary School?
48.9% of students at Prairie Heights Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie Heights Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Heights Elementary School is White at 50.0% of enrollment, in Fountain, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Heights Elementary School?
Prairie Heights Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Prairie Heights Elementary School rank among schools in Fountain?
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Heights Elementary School ranks #1 of 4 schools in Fountain, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Fountain on the city page.
Is Prairie Heights Elementary School a good school?
Prairie Heights Elementary School earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Colorado schools. 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 Hanover School District No. 28 in the County of El Paso an?
Besides Prairie Heights Elementary School, Hanover School District No. 28 in the County of El Paso an also operates Hanover Junior-Senior High School (134 students). See the Hanover School District No. 28 in the County of El Paso an district page for the complete list.
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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.