Other / mixed grade configuration · Durango, CO

Sunnyside Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Sunnyside Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080348000457
0/100100/10053/100
👥 S:T ratio
57
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
79
📋 Attendance
7
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Sunnyside Elementary School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Colorado schools.

#3 of 8
schools in Durango · Resource Index
53
Resource Index · Higher
10.7:1
small classes for Colorado
33.0%
free-lunch eligible

Sunnyside Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 90% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Sunnyside Elementary School ranks #3 of 8 schools in Durango, CO.

Enrollment

107

Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

10.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

10.7:1

vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg

-36% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

33.0%

vs 38.5% Colorado avg

-14% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Sunnyside Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Sunnyside Elementary School

Sunnyside Elementary School is a small combined-grade school in Durango, Colorado, enrolling 107 students.

Classes run notably small here: at 10.7:1, Sunnyside Elementary School is leaner than roughly 90% of Colorado schools and 36% under the state's 16.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 33.0% lands close to the Colorado typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

Enrollment of 107 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.

Against 99 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #47.

Its student body is led by White (63%) and Hispanic or Latino (30%) (diversity index 52/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 107 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Durango School District No. 9-R spends $11,863 per pupil, 27% below the Colorado average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Durango School District No. 9-R also operates Durango High School (1,352 students) and Colorado Connections Academy @ Durango (964 students) alongside Sunnyside 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 Sunnyside Elementary School compares

Sunnyside 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 10.7:1 ▼ 36% 16.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 33.0% ▼ 14% 38.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 107 top 88% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

10.7:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
107
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
33.0%
free-lunch eligible - 14% 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
10.7:1
students per teacher - 36% below state mean
Top 10% in Colorado - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
37.4%
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
$11,863
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 107 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.5 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 62.6%
Hispanic or Latino 29.9%
Two or More 4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%

Largest group: White at 62.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 51.6/100

Simpson diversity index - at 51.6, Sunnyside Elementary School is more mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Durango School District No. 9-R, which includes Sunnyside Elementary School.

$11,863
Per student
-27%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.5%
State 44.9%
Federal 6.6%

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 Sunnyside Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Durango High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Colorado Connections Academy @ Durango Larger No free-lunch data Higher S:T ratio
Escalante Middle School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Park Elementary School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Riverview Elementary School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Sunnyside Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Durango School District No. 9-R · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Sunnyside Elementary School's federal record.

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 Sunnyside Elementary School

How many students attend Sunnyside Elementary School?

Sunnyside Elementary School has 107 students enrolled. It is a public school in Durango, CO.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Sunnyside Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Sunnyside Elementary School is 10.7:1, which is 36% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 32% 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 Sunnyside Elementary School?

33.0% of students at Sunnyside Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sunnyside Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Sunnyside Elementary School is White at 62.6% of enrollment, in Durango, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.6/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Sunnyside Elementary School?

Sunnyside Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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 Sunnyside Elementary School rank among schools in Durango?

By Resource Investment Index, Sunnyside Elementary School ranks #3 of 8 schools in Durango, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Durango on the city page.

Is Sunnyside Elementary School a good school?

Sunnyside Elementary School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Colorado schools. 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 Durango School District No. 9-R?

Besides Sunnyside Elementary School, Durango School District No. 9-R also operates Durango High School (1,352 students), Colorado Connections Academy @ Durango (964 students), and Escalante Middle School (461 students). See the Durango School District No. 9-R district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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.