Enrollment
348
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Colorado Springs, CO
Prairie Hills Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Hills Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 080192000531
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prairie Hills Elementary School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Colorado schools.
- #13 of 51
- elementary schools in Colorado Springs · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.9:1
- small classes for Colorado
- 19.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Prairie Hills Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 77% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Hills Elementary School ranks #13 of 51 elementary schools in Colorado Springs, CO.
School address
NCES ID 080192000531 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.4%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Hills Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prairie Hills Elementary School
Prairie Hills Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Colorado Springs, Colorado, enrolling 348 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 19.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 348 students, its enrollment sits close to the Colorado median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 353 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #94.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 348 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
The surrounding Academy School District No. 20 in the County of El Paso an spends $10,954 per pupil, 33% below the Colorado average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Academy School District No. 20 in the County of El Paso an also operates The Classical Academy Charter (1,909 students) and Pine Creek High School (1,875 students) alongside Prairie Hills Elementary 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 Prairie Hills Elementary School compares
Prairie Hills 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 | 12.9:1 | ▼ 22% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.4% | ▼ 50% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 348 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.9:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
348
Bigger than 39% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 50% 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
12.9:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 23% in Colorado - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$10,954
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 348 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.6 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 70.4%
Hispanic or Latino 17.2%
Two or More 7.8%
African American 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 70.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.8, Prairie Hills Elementary School is about as mixed as the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Academy School District No. 20 in the County of El Paso an, which includes Prairie Hills Elementary School.
$10,954
Per student
-33%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.7%
State 48.4%
Federal 6.9%
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 Hills Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Classical Academy Charter | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pine Creek High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Liberty High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Air Academy High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rampart High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prairie Hills Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,909
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,875
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,526
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,380
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,305
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar elementary 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 (~348 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prairie Hills Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Prairie Hills Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Academy School District No. 20 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 Hills Elementary School
How many students attend Prairie Hills Elementary School?
Prairie Hills Elementary School has 348 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Colorado Springs, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Hills Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Hills Elementary School is 12.9:1, which is 22% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 18% 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 Prairie Hills Elementary School?
19.4% of students at Prairie Hills Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie Hills Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Hills Elementary School is White at 70.4% of enrollment, in Colorado Springs, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Hills Elementary School?
Prairie Hills Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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 Hills Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Colorado Springs?
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Hills Elementary School ranks #13 of 51 elementary schools in Colorado Springs, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Colorado Springs on the city page.
Is Prairie Hills Elementary School a good school?
Prairie Hills Elementary School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller 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 Academy School District No. 20 in the County of El Paso an?
Besides Prairie Hills Elementary School, Academy School District No. 20 in the County of El Paso an also operates The Classical Academy Charter (1,909 students), Pine Creek High School (1,875 students), and Liberty High School (1,526 students). See the Academy School District No. 20 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.