Enrollment
274
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 080537006598
Spark! Discovery Preschool — Frederick, CO
Federal NCES profile for Spark! Discovery Preschool, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 2
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 100
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: St. Vrain Valley School District No. Re1j · 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)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.4:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+44% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.5%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Spark! Discovery Preschool 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
Spark! Discovery Preschool reports 274 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 12.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 24.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 44% 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 53% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 19.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 49% below the Colorado average and 62% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 0.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding St. Vrain Valley School District No. Re1j spends $14,058 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 54.1% from local sources (property taxes), 36.7% from the state, and 9.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Spark! Discovery Preschool 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 | 24.4:1 | ▲ 44% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.5% | ▼ 49% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 274 | top 33% | — | — |
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
19.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 49% 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
24.4:1
students per teacher
— 44% above state mean
Top 96% in Colorado — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
0.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$14,058
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 274 Top 33% in Colorado — larger than 67% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 12.0
Students per teacher 24.4:1 +44% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 19.5% -49% vs state
NCES ID 080537006598
Student demographics
White 48.5%
Hispanic or Latino 41.2%
Two or More 5.8%
Asian 2.9%
African American 1.5%
Largest group: White at 48.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 0.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Vrain Valley School District No. Re1j, which includes Spark! Discovery Preschool.
$14,058
Per student
-33%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 54.1%
State 36.7%
Federal 9.3%
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
- 1,727
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,509
- Students per teacher
- 24.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,491
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,268
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Enrollment
- 1,211
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
Similar other schools in Frederick
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Thunder Valley Pk-8
Standard public school
880 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Grand View Elementary
Standard public school
446 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Legacy Elementary School
Standard public school
430 students 18.9:1 students per teacher
Carbon Valley Academy
Standard public school
245 students 13.3:1 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 Spark! Discovery Preschool
How many students attend Spark! Discovery Preschool?
Spark! Discovery Preschool has 274 students enrolled. It is a other school in FREDERICK, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spark! Discovery Preschool?
The student-teacher ratio at Spark! Discovery Preschool is 24.4:1, which is 44% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 53% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Spark! Discovery Preschool?
19.5% of students at Spark! Discovery Preschool are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Spark! Discovery Preschool?
The largest demographic group at Spark! Discovery Preschool is White at 48.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in FREDERICK, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spark! Discovery Preschool?
Spark! Discovery Preschool has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.