Enrollment
414
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fort Collins, CO
Shepardson Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Shepardson Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080399001280
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Shepardson Elementary School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median.
- #4 of 29
- schools in Fort Collins · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 18.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Shepardson Elementary School has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Shepardson Elementary School ranks #4 of 29 schools in Fort Collins, CO.
School address
District: Poudre School District R-1 · Colorado
NCES ID 080399001280 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
18.4%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shepardson Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Shepardson Elementary School
Shepardson Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Fort Collins, Colorado, enrolling 414 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 18.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 414 students, its enrollment sits close to the Colorado median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 411 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #46.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 296 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
13.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Poudre School District R-1 also operates Rocky Mountain High School (2,044 students) and Fossil Ridge High School (1,846 students) alongside Shepardson 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 Shepardson Elementary School compares
Shepardson 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 | 14.3:1 | ▼ 14% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 18.4% | ▼ 52% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 414 | top 41% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
414
Bigger than 50% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
18.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 35% in Colorado - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
13.5%
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
$13,223
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
Counselors1.4 FTE
Per 296 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 81.9%
Hispanic or Latino 9.4%
Two or More 5.3%
Asian 2.7%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: White at 81.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.7, Shepardson 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 Shepardson 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 Shepardson 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 | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Shepardson 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 (~414 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Shepardson Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Shepardson 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 Shepardson Elementary School
How many students attend Shepardson Elementary School?
Shepardson Elementary School has 414 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fort Collins, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shepardson Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Shepardson Elementary School is 14.3:1, which is 14% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 9% 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 Shepardson Elementary School?
18.4% of students at Shepardson Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shepardson Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Shepardson Elementary School is White at 81.9% of enrollment, in Fort Collins, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shepardson Elementary School?
Shepardson Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher 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 Shepardson Elementary School rank among schools in Fort Collins?
By Resource Investment Index, Shepardson Elementary School ranks #4 of 29 schools in Fort Collins, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Fort Collins on the city page.
Is Shepardson Elementary School a good school?
Shepardson Elementary School earns 55/100 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 Poudre School District R-1?
Besides Shepardson 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.