Enrollment
475
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 080690001175
Tarver Elementary School — Thornton, CO
Federal NCES profile for Tarver Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 22
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 36
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: Adams 12 Five Star Schools · 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.4:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.7%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tarver Elementary 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
Tarver Elementary School reports 475 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% 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 22% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 20.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% below the Colorado average and 60% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Adams 12 Five Star Schools spends $14,916 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 45.4% from local sources (property taxes), 44.8% from the state, and 9.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Tarver Elementary 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 | 19.4:1 | ▲ 15% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.7% | ▼ 46% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 475 | top 68% | — | — |
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
20.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% 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
19.4:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 85% in Colorado — lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,916
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
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 475 Top 68% in Colorado — larger than 32% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 19.4:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 20.7% -46% vs state
NCES ID 080690001175
Student demographics
White 50.3%
Hispanic or Latino 30.9%
Two or More 8.0%
Asian 7.8%
African American 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 50.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.7%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Adams 12 Five Star Schools, which includes Tarver Elementary School.
$14,916
Per student
-29%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,052
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,966
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,844
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,788
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 1,572
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
Similar other schools in Thornton
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Stargate Charter School
Standard public school
1,572 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
York International
Standard public school
776 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
West Ridge Elementary
Standard public school
690 students 20.7:1 students per teacher
Brantner Elementary School
Standard public school
574 students 18.9:1 students per teacher
Explore Pk-8
Standard public school
557 students 20.6:1 students per teacher
Westgate Community School
Standard public school
540 students 20.8:1 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 Tarver Elementary School
How many students attend Tarver Elementary School?
Tarver Elementary School has 475 students enrolled. It is a other school in THORNTON, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tarver Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Tarver Elementary School is 19.4:1, which is 15% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 22% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tarver Elementary School?
20.7% of students at Tarver Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tarver Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Tarver Elementary School is White at 50.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in THORNTON, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tarver Elementary School?
Tarver Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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.