Enrollment
186
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 080480000792
Thomson Elementary School — Arvada, CO
Federal NCES profile for Thomson Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 0
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: Jefferson County School District No. R-1 · 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)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.8%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomson 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
Thomson Elementary School reports 186 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% below the Colorado state mean of 16.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 42% above the Colorado average and 6% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 372 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 43.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Jefferson County School District No. R-1 spends $16,228 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 55.3% from local sources (property taxes), 36.9% from the state, and 7.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), 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 Thomson 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 | 13.3:1 | ▼ 21% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.8% | ▲ 42% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 186 | top 22% | — | — |
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
54.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 42% 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
13.3:1
students per teacher
— 21% below state mean
Top 22% in Colorado — lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
43.0%
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
$16,228
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 372 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 186 Top 22% in Colorado — larger than 78% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 13.3:1 -21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.8% +42% vs state
NCES ID 080480000792
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 372:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 43.0%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson County School District No. R-1, which includes Thomson Elementary School.
$16,228
Per student
-23%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 55.3%
State 36.9%
Federal 7.8%
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
- 1,923
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,875
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,808
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,735
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,710
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
Similar elementary schools in Arvada
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Three Creeks K-8
Standard public school
1,050 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Arvada K-8
Standard public school
554 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
West Woods Elementary School
Standard public school
542 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
Sierra Elementary School
Standard public school
493 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Excel Academy Charter School
Standard public school
445 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Hackberry Hill Elementary School
Standard public school
430 students 17:1 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 Thomson Elementary School
How many students attend Thomson Elementary School?
Thomson Elementary School has 186 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in ARVADA, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomson Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomson Elementary School is 13.3:1, which is 21% lower than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 16% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thomson Elementary School?
54.8% of students at Thomson Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomson Elementary School?
Thomson Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.