Enrollment
1,491
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 080291000201
Prairie Middle School — Aurora, CO
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 1
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
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)
91.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.2%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Middle 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
Prairie Middle School reports 1,491 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 91.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% below the Colorado state mean of 16.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 57.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 49% above the Colorado average and 10% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 497 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah spends $17,211 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 48.6% from local sources (property taxes), 43.3% from the state, and 8.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Prairie Middle 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 | 15.2:1 | ▼ 10% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.2% | ▲ 49% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,491 | top 97% | — | — |
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
57.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 49% 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
15.2:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 40% in Colorado — lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$17,211
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 497 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
27
in-school suspensions + 351 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 31 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,491 Top 97% in Colorado — larger than 3% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 91.0
Students per teacher 15.2:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 57.2% +49% vs state
NCES ID 080291000201
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 47.3%
African American 20.5%
White 16.8%
Two or More 8.7%
Asian 5.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 47.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 497:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 27
Out-of-school suspensions 351
Expulsions 31
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah, which includes Prairie Middle School.
$17,211
Per student
-18%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 48.6%
State 43.3%
Federal 8.1%
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
- 3,852
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 3,089
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,851
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,684
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,297
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
Similar middle schools in Aurora
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Thunder Ridge Middle School
Standard public school
1,106 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Infinity Middle School
Standard public school
1,020 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Sky Vista Middle School
Standard public school
969 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Fox Ridge Middle School
Standard public school
966 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Liberty Middle School
Standard public school
868 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Laredo Middle School
Standard public school
846 students 17:1 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 Prairie Middle School
How many students attend Prairie Middle School?
Prairie Middle School has 1,491 students enrolled. It is a middle school in AURORA, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Middle School is 15.2:1, which is 10% lower than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Prairie Middle School?
57.2% of students at Prairie Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 47.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in AURORA, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Middle School?
Prairie Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.