Enrollment
327
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 080633001107
Salida Middle School — Salida, CO
Federal NCES profile for Salida Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 18
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Salida School District No. R-32 · Colorado
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
-25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.7%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Salida Middle School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Salida Middle School reports 327 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% below the Colorado state mean of 16.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 25.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 33% below the Colorado average and 50% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 318 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Salida School District No. R-32 spends $16,657 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 58.4% from local sources (property taxes), 28.6% from the state, and 13.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Salida Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Colorado state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.6:1 | ▼ 25% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.7% | ▼ 33% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 327 | top 44% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
25.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 33% 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
12.6:1
students per teacher
— 25% below state mean
Top 18% in Colorado — lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
33.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,657
per pupil, district-wide
— below Colorado avg of $20,949
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 317 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 45 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 327 Top 44% in Colorado — larger than 56% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 12.6:1 -25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 25.7% -33% vs state
NCES ID 080633001107
Student demographics
White 75.8%
Hispanic or Latino 18.0%
Two or More 5.5%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 75.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 318:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.0%
In-school suspensions 16
Out-of-school suspensions 45
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Salida School District No. R-32, which includes Salida Middle School.
$16,657
Per student
-20%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 58.4%
State 28.6%
Federal 13.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 449
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 409
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 74
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Enrollment
- 60
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 32
- Students per teacher
- 8.5:1
Similar elementary schools in Salida
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Salida Middle School
How many students attend Salida Middle School?
Salida Middle School has 327 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in SALIDA, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salida Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Salida Middle School is 12.6:1, which is 25% lower than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Salida Middle School?
25.7% of students at Salida Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Salida Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Salida Middle School is White at 75.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in SALIDA, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salida Middle School?
Salida Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.