Enrollment
1,052
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Thornton, CO
Rocky Top Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Rocky Top 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 080690001726
👥 S:T ratio 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 24
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rocky Top Middle School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of Colorado schools.
- #1 of 5
- middle schools in Thornton · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.8:1
- large classes for Colorado
- 15.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Rocky Top Middle School has class sizes larger than 78% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rocky Top Middle School ranks #1 of 5 middle schools in Thornton, CO.
School address
District: Adams 12 Five Star Schools · Colorado
NCES ID 080690001726 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
56.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.2%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rocky Top Middle School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rocky Top Middle School
Rocky Top Middle School is a lower-poverty, large middle school in Thornton, Colorado, enrolling 1,052 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 15.2% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Colorado, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,052 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 146 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #59.
Its student body is led by White (56%) and Hispanic or Latino (28%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 263 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.3% 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.
Adams 12 Five Star Schools also operates Legacy High School (2,052 students) and Horizon High School (1,966 students) alongside Rocky Top 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 Rocky Top Middle School compares
Rocky Top 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 | 18.8:1 | ▲ 13% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.2% | ▼ 61% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,052 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.8:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,052
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
15.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 61% 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
18.8:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 78% in Colorado - lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
30.3%
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
$13,222
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 263 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
78
in-school suspensions + 106 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.5 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 55.6%
Hispanic or Latino 27.9%
Asian 7.7%
Two or More 6.9%
African American 1.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 55.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.2, Rocky Top 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 Adams 12 Five Star Schools, which includes Rocky Top Middle School.
$13,222
Per student
-19%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.4%
State 44.8%
Federal 9.8%
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 Top Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Horizon High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Northglenn High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mountain Range High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Stargate Charter School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rocky Top Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,052
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,966
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,844
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,788
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,572
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
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 (~1,052 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rocky Top Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Rocky Top Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Adams 12 Five Star Schools'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 Top Middle School
How many students attend Rocky Top Middle School?
Rocky Top Middle School has 1,052 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Thornton, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rocky Top Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Rocky Top Middle School is 18.8:1, which is 13% higher than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Rocky Top Middle School?
15.2% of students at Rocky Top Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rocky Top Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Rocky Top Middle School is White at 55.6% of enrollment, in Thornton, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rocky Top Middle School?
Rocky Top 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 Rocky Top Middle School rank among middle schools in Thornton?
By Resource Investment Index, Rocky Top Middle School ranks #1 of 5 middle schools in Thornton, 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 Thornton on the city page.
Is Rocky Top Middle School a good school?
Rocky Top Middle School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% 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 Adams 12 Five Star Schools?
Besides Rocky Top Middle School, Adams 12 Five Star Schools also operates Legacy High School (2,052 students), Horizon High School (1,966 students), and Northglenn High School (1,844 students). See the Adams 12 Five Star Schools 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.