Enrollment
538
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Thornton, CO
Silver Creek Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Silver Creek Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 080690002028
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Silver Creek Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median.
- #2 of 8
- elementary schools in Thornton · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.4:1
- students per teacher
- 10.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Silver Creek Elementary has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Silver Creek Elementary ranks #2 of 8 elementary schools in Thornton, CO.
School address
District: Adams 12 Five Star Schools · Colorado
NCES ID 080690002028 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.4:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.3%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-73% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Silver Creek Elementary compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Silver Creek Elementary
Silver Creek Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Thornton, Colorado, enrolling 538 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 10.3% free-meal eligibility runs 73% below the Colorado average.
Enrollment of 538 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 341 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #94.
Its student body is led by White (63%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%) (diversity index 55/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Adams 12 Five Star Schools also operates Legacy High School (2,052 students) and Horizon High School (1,966 students) alongside Silver Creek Elementary.
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 Silver Creek Elementary compares
Silver Creek Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Colorado and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.4:1 | ▲ 5% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.3% | ▼ 73% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 538 | top 25% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.4:1
Leaner classes than 28% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
538
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
10.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 73% below the Colorado average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.4:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 67% in Colorado - lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.9%
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 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 62.5%
Hispanic or Latino 21.9%
Asian 7.4%
Two or More 7.1%
African American 1.1%
Largest group: White at 62.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.1, Silver Creek Elementary 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 Silver Creek Elementary.
$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 Silver Creek Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Horizon High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher 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 Silver Creek Elementary'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 elementary 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 (~538 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Silver Creek Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Silver Creek Elementary 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 Silver Creek Elementary
How many students attend Silver Creek Elementary?
Silver Creek Elementary has 538 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Thornton, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Silver Creek Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Silver Creek Elementary is 17.4:1, which is 5% higher than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Silver Creek Elementary?
10.3% of students at Silver Creek Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Silver Creek Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Silver Creek Elementary is White at 62.5% of enrollment, in Thornton, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Silver Creek Elementary?
Silver Creek Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Silver Creek Elementary rank among elementary schools in Thornton?
By Resource Investment Index, Silver Creek Elementary ranks #2 of 8 elementary 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 elementary schools in Thornton on the city page.
Is Silver Creek Elementary a good school?
Silver Creek Elementary earns 49/100 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 Adams 12 Five Star Schools?
Besides Silver Creek Elementary, 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.