Enrollment
1,439
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 080690001192
Thornton High School — Thornton, CO
Federal NCES profile for Thornton High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 24
📚 AP courses 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 59
📋 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: 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)
74.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.3%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thornton High 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
Thornton High School reports 1,439 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 74.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% 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 20% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 58.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 51% above the Colorado average and 13% above the national baseline. The school offers 5 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 206 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 66.9% 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 35/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Thornton High 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 | 19.1:1 | ▲ 13% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.3% | ▲ 51% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,439 | top 96% | — | — |
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
58.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 51% 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
19.1:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 83% in Colorado — lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
66.9%
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
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 206 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
44
in-school suspensions + 170 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,439 Top 96% in Colorado — larger than 4% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 74.0
Students per teacher 19.1:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 58.3% +51% vs state
NCES ID 080690001192
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 71.5%
White 15.2%
Asian 9.7%
Two or More 1.6%
African American 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 71.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 7.0
Students per counselor 206:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 66.9%
In-school suspensions 44
Out-of-school suspensions 170
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Adams 12 Five Star Schools, which includes Thornton High 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 high schools in Thornton
5 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Riverdale Ridge High School
Standard public school
1,784 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Academy High School
Standard public school
399 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Mapleton Early Career Preparation
Standard public school
306 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
New America School - Thornton
Alternative education program
190 students 34.3:1 students per teacher
North Valley School for Young Adults
Alternative education program
102 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 Thornton High School
How many students attend Thornton High School?
Thornton High School has 1,439 students enrolled. It is a high school in THORNTON, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thornton High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Thornton High School is 19.1:1, which is 13% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thornton High School?
58.3% of students at Thornton High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thornton High School?
The largest demographic group at Thornton High School is Hispanic or Latino at 71.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in THORNTON, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thornton High School?
Thornton High School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.