Other / mixed grade configuration · Aurora, CO

Sunrise Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Sunrise Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080291001378
0/100100/10052/100
👥 S:T ratio
34
🌟 Gifted program
70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Sunrise Elementary School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Colorado schools.

#25 of 70
schools in Aurora · Resource Index
52
Resource Index · Higher
16.6:1
students per teacher
43.1%
free-lunch eligible

Sunrise Elementary School has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Sunrise Elementary School ranks #25 of 70 schools in Aurora, CO.

Enrollment

497

Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

30.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

16.6:1

vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg

+0% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

43.1%

vs 38.5% Colorado avg

+12% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

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

At or below 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 Sunrise Elementary School

Sunrise Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Aurora, Colorado, enrolling 497 students.

At 16.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Colorado median, within a few percentage points of the 16.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 43.1% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 497 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.

Among 280 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #28, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (36%) and White (28%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 74/100).

Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah also operates Cherry Creek High School (3,852 students) and Cherokee Trail High School (3,089 students) alongside Sunrise 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 Sunrise Elementary School compares

Sunrise 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 16.6:1 ▼ 0% 16.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 43.1% ▲ 12% 38.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 497 top 29% - -

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

16.6:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
497
Bigger than 61% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
43.1%
free-lunch eligible - 12% above the Colorado average of 38.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.6:1
students per teacher - 0% above state mean
Top 59% in Colorado - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$14,137
per pupil, district-wide - below Colorado avg of $16,273
Somewhat 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
13
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 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

Hispanic or Latino 36.2%
White 27.8%
African American 17.7%
Two or More 12.9%
Asian 4.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 36.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 74.2/100

Simpson diversity index - at 74.2, Sunrise 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 Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah, which includes Sunrise Elementary School.

$14,137
Per student
-13%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.

How Sunrise Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Cherry Creek High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Cherokee Trail High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Eaglecrest High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Grandview High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Smoky Hill High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Cherry Creek School District No. 5 In The County Of Arapah · 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 Sunrise 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 Sunrise Elementary School

How many students attend Sunrise Elementary School?

Sunrise Elementary School has 497 students enrolled. It is a public school in Aurora, CO.

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

The student-teacher ratio at Sunrise Elementary School is 16.6:1, which is 0% higher than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sunrise Elementary School?

43.1% of students at Sunrise Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.

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

The largest demographic group at Sunrise Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 36.2% of enrollment, in Aurora, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 74.2/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Sunrise Elementary School?

Sunrise Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.

How does Sunrise Elementary School rank among schools in Aurora?

By Resource Investment Index, Sunrise Elementary School ranks #25 of 70 schools in Aurora, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Aurora on the city page.

Is Sunrise Elementary School a good school?

Sunrise Elementary School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah?

Besides Sunrise Elementary School, Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah also operates Cherry Creek High School (3,852 students), Cherokee Trail High School (3,089 students), and Eaglecrest High School (2,851 students). See the Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah 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.

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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.