Enrollment
1,491
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Aurora, CO
Prairie Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 080291000201
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prairie Middle School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median. It is also one of the largest schools in Colorado.
- #14 of 16
- middle schools in Aurora · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.4:1
- students per teacher
- 57.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Prairie Middle School has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Middle School ranks #14 of 16 middle schools in Aurora, CO.
School address
NCES ID 080291000201 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
91.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-1% 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
What stands out at Prairie Middle School
Prairie Middle School is a higher-need, large middle school in Aurora, Colorado, enrolling 1,491 students.
At 16.4:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 57.2% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Colorado, bigger than 97% of state schools at 1,491 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 26 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #16.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (47%) and African American (21%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 70/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 497 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Discipline events run high: 378 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,491 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 31 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah also operates Cherry Creek High School (3,852 students) and Cherokee Trail High School (3,089 students) alongside Prairie Middle 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 Middle School compares
Prairie Middle 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 | 16.4:1 | ▼ 1% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.2% | ▲ 49% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,491 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,491
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 57% in Colorado - lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$14,137
per pupil, district-wide
- below Colorado avg of $16,273
Somewhat 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
- 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
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.
Student-body diversity index 69.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.5, Prairie Middle School is more mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah, which includes Prairie Middle School.
$14,137
Per student
-13%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Prairie Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry Creek High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cherokee Trail High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eaglecrest High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Grandview High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Smoky Hill High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prairie Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,852
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 3,089
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 2,851
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 2,684
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,297
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar middle 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 (~1,491 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prairie Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Prairie Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah'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 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 16.4:1, which is 1% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 4% higher 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 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% of enrollment, in Aurora, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Middle School?
Prairie Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical 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 Middle School rank among middle schools in Aurora?
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Middle School ranks #14 of 16 middle schools in Aurora, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Aurora on the city page.
Is Prairie Middle School a good school?
Prairie Middle School earns 35/100 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 Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah?
Besides Prairie Middle School, Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah also operates Cherry Creek High School (3,852 students), Cherokee Trail High School (3,089 students), and Eaglecrest High School (2,851 students). See the Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah 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.