Enrollment
401
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Wellington, CO
Rice Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Rice Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080399006315
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 6
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rice Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of Colorado schools.
- #1 of 3
- schools in Wellington · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.2:1
- small classes for Colorado
- 23.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Rice Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 82% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rice Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Wellington, CO.
School address
District: Poudre School District R-1 · Colorado
NCES ID 080399006315 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.7%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rice Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rice Elementary School
Rice Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Wellington, Colorado, enrolling 401 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 23.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 401 students, its enrollment sits close to the Colorado median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Among 385 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #308, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (24%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 401 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Poudre School District R-1 also operates Rocky Mountain High School (2,044 students) and Fossil Ridge High School (1,846 students) alongside Rice 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 Rice Elementary School compares
Rice 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 | 12.2:1 | ▼ 27% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.7% | ▼ 38% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 401 | top 43% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
401
Bigger than 48% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
23.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
12.2:1
students per teacher
- 27% below state mean
Top 18% in Colorado - lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
37.7%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 401 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.5 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 70.3%
Hispanic or Latino 23.8%
Two or More 4.0%
African American 0.5%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 70.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.7, Rice 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 Poudre School District R-1, which includes Rice Elementary 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 Rice Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountain High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fossil Ridge High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fort Collins High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Liberty Common Charter School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Timnath Middle-High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rice Elementary 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 other 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 (~401 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rice Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Rice Elementary 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 Rice Elementary School
How many students attend Rice Elementary School?
Rice Elementary School has 401 students enrolled. It is a public school in Wellington, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rice Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Rice Elementary School is 12.2:1, which is 27% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 22% 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 Rice Elementary School?
23.7% of students at Rice Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rice Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Rice Elementary School is White at 70.3% of enrollment, in Wellington, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rice Elementary School?
Rice Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Rice Elementary School rank among schools in Wellington?
By Resource Investment Index, Rice Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 schools in Wellington, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Wellington on the city page.
Is Rice Elementary School a good school?
Rice Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% 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 Rice Elementary 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.