Enrollment
2,297
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 080291000203
Smoky Hill High School — Aurora, CO
Federal NCES profile for Smoky Hill High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 24
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
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
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)
118.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.3%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smoky Hill High 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
Smoky Hill High School reports 2,297 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 118.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% above the Colorado state mean of 16.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 20% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 32.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% below the Colorado average and 38% below the national baseline. The school offers 15 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 295 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah spends $17,211 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 48.6% from local sources (property taxes), 43.3% from the state, and 8.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-), 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 Smoky Hill High 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 | 19.1:1 | ▲ 13% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.3% | ▼ 16% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,297 | top 99% | — | — |
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
32.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% 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
19.1:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 83% in Colorado — lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$17,211
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
Counselors7.8 FTE
Per 294 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 212 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 21 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 2,297 Top 99% in Colorado — larger than 1% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 118.0
Students per teacher 19.1:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.3% -16% vs state
NCES ID 080291000203
Student demographics
White 34.3%
Hispanic or Latino 33.4%
African American 16.3%
Two or More 9.6%
Asian 5.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 34.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 7.8
Students per counselor 295:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 212
Expulsions 21
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah, which includes Smoky Hill High School.
$17,211
Per student
-18%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 48.6%
State 43.3%
Federal 8.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,852
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 3,089
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,851
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,684
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,228
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
Similar high schools in Aurora
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Cherokee Trail High School
Standard public school
3,089 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Grandview High School
Standard public school
2,684 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Overland High School
Standard public school
2,228 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Rangeview High School
Standard public school
2,078 students 21.4:1 students per teacher
Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory
Standard public school
2,045 students 21.4:1 students per teacher
Gateway High School
Standard public school
1,748 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
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 Smoky Hill High School
How many students attend Smoky Hill High School?
Smoky Hill High School has 2,297 students enrolled. It is a high school in AURORA, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smoky Hill High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Smoky Hill High School is 19.1:1, which is 13% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Smoky Hill High School?
32.3% of students at Smoky Hill High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Smoky Hill High School?
The largest demographic group at Smoky Hill High School is White at 34.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in AURORA, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smoky Hill High School?
Smoky Hill High School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.