Enrollment
453
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Denver, CO
Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest
Federal NCES profile for Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080336006646Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 54
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median.
- #22 of 125
- schools in Denver · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.8:1
- students per teacher
- 81.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest ranks #22 of 125 schools in Denver, CO.
School address
NCES ID 080336006646 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.6%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+112% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest
Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Denver, Colorado, enrolling 453 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 81.6% of students qualify for free meals, 112% above the Colorado average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 453 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 150 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #29.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C also operates East High School (2,476 students) and Northfield High School (2,137 students) alongside Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest.
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 Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest compares
Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest on the metrics families compare, against Colorado and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.8:1 | ▲ 1% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.6% | ▲ 112% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 453 | top 35% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
453
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
81.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 112% above the Colorado average of 38.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.8:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 61% in Colorado - lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$15,336
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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
Hispanic or Latino 85.2%
African American 6.2%
White 3.5%
Asian 2.4%
Two or More 2.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 85.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.8, Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest is less mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C, which includes Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest.
$15,336
Per student
-6%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 70.4%
State 16.8%
Federal 12.8%
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 Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northfield High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Thomas Jefferson High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,476
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 2,137
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,950
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,653
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,390
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~453 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest's federal record.
- Compare Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest against another school. Compare schools
- School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C'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 Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest
How many students attend Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest?
Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest has 453 students enrolled. It is a public school in Denver, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest?
The student-teacher ratio at Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest is 16.8:1, which is 1% higher than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest?
81.6% of students at Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest?
The largest demographic group at Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest is Hispanic or Latino at 85.2% of enrollment, in Denver, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest?
Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher 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 Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest rank among schools in Denver?
By Resource Investment Index, Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest ranks #22 of 125 schools in Denver, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Denver on the city page.
Is Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest a good school?
Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median. 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 School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C?
Besides Rocky Mountain Prep: Southwest, School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C also operates East High School (2,476 students), Northfield High School (2,137 students), and South High School (1,950 students). See the School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C 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.