Enrollment
583
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Wheat Ridge, CO
Prospect Valley Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Prospect Valley Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 080480000776
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prospect Valley Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Colorado schools.
- #1 of 8
- public schools in Wheat Ridge · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 27.8:1
- large classes for Colorado
- 14.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Prospect Valley Elementary School has class sizes larger than 96% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prospect Valley Elementary School ranks #1 of 8 public schools in Wheat Ridge, CO.
School address
District: Jefferson County School District No. R-1 · Colorado
NCES ID 080480000776 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27.8:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
+67% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.1%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prospect Valley Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prospect Valley Elementary School
Prospect Valley Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, enrolling 583 students.
Class loads run heavy: 27.8:1 is larger than about 96% of Colorado schools and 67% above the 16.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 14.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 583 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 360 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #123.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 43/100).
12.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Jefferson County School District No. R-1 also operates Arvada West High School (1,923 students) and Ralston Valley Senior High School (1,875 students) alongside Prospect Valley 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 Prospect Valley Elementary School compares
Prospect Valley 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 | 27.8:1 | ▲ 67% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.1% | ▼ 63% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 583 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
27.8:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
583
Bigger than 71% 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
27.8:1
students per teacher
- 67% above state mean
Top 96% in Colorado - lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
12.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$13,124
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 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 72.9%
Hispanic or Latino 19.4%
Two or More 5.1%
Asian 1.4%
African American 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 72.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.8, Prospect Valley Elementary School is less mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson County School District No. R-1, which includes Prospect Valley Elementary School.
$13,124
Per student
-19%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.3%
State 36.9%
Federal 7.8%
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 Prospect Valley Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arvada West High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ralston Valley Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Chatfield High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lakewood High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Columbine High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prospect Valley Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,923
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,875
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,808
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,735
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,710
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~583 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prospect Valley Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Prospect Valley Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Jefferson County School District No. 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 Prospect Valley Elementary School
How many students attend Prospect Valley Elementary School?
Prospect Valley Elementary School has 583 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Wheat Ridge, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prospect Valley Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Prospect Valley Elementary School is 27.8:1, which is 67% higher than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 77% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Prospect Valley Elementary School?
14.1% of students at Prospect Valley Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prospect Valley Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Prospect Valley Elementary School is White at 72.9% of enrollment, in Wheat Ridge, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prospect Valley Elementary School?
Prospect Valley Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Prospect Valley Elementary School rank among public schools in Wheat Ridge?
By Resource Investment Index, Prospect Valley Elementary School ranks #1 of 8 public schools in Wheat Ridge, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Wheat Ridge on the city page.
Is Prospect Valley Elementary School a good school?
Prospect Valley Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% 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 Jefferson County School District No. R-1?
Besides Prospect Valley Elementary School, Jefferson County School District No. R-1 also operates Arvada West High School (1,923 students), Ralston Valley Senior High School (1,875 students), and Chatfield High School (1,808 students). See the Jefferson County School District No. R-1 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.