Enrollment
568
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Fort Collins, CO
Preston Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Preston Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 080399001091
👥 S:T ratio 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 72
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Preston Middle School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Colorado schools.
- #6 of 7
- middle schools in Fort Collins · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.3:1
- large classes for Colorado
- 14.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Preston Middle School has class sizes larger than 74% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Preston Middle School ranks #6 of 7 middle schools in Fort Collins, CO.
School address
District: Poudre School District R-1 · Colorado
NCES ID 080399001091 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.1%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Preston Middle School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Preston Middle School
Preston Middle School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Fort Collins, Colorado, enrolling 568 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 14.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 568 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 366 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #194.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 142 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion 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 Preston 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 Preston Middle School compares
Preston 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 | 18.3:1 | ▲ 10% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.1% | ▼ 63% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 568 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.3:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
568
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
14.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 63% 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
18.3:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 74% in Colorado - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
45.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 142 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 73.8%
Hispanic or Latino 16.5%
Asian 3.9%
Two or More 3.5%
African American 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 73.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.5, Preston Middle School is less mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Poudre School District R-1, which includes Preston Middle 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 Preston Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountain High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Fossil Ridge High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Fort Collins High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Liberty Common Charter School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Timnath Middle-High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Preston Middle 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 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 (~568 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Preston Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Preston Middle 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 Preston Middle School
How many students attend Preston Middle School?
Preston Middle School has 568 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Fort Collins, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Preston Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Preston Middle School is 18.3:1, which is 10% higher than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Preston Middle School?
14.1% of students at Preston Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Preston Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Preston Middle School is White at 73.8% of enrollment, in Fort Collins, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Preston Middle School?
Preston Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Preston Middle School rank among middle schools in Fort Collins?
By Resource Investment Index, Preston Middle School ranks #6 of 7 middle 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 middle schools in Fort Collins on the city page.
Is Preston Middle School a good school?
Preston Middle School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% 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 Poudre School District R-1?
Besides Preston Middle 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.