Enrollment
1,106
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 080291000034
Thunder Ridge Middle School — Aurora, CO
Federal NCES profile for Thunder Ridge Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
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
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)
68.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.7%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thunder Ridge Middle 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
Thunder Ridge Middle School reports 1,106 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 68.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 0% 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 6% 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. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 369 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah spends $17,211 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 48.6% from local sources (property taxes), 43.3% from the state, and 8.1% 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 Thunder Ridge Middle 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 | 16.9:1 | ▼ 0% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.7% | ▼ 46% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,106 | top 94% | — | — |
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
16.9:1
students per teacher
— 0% above state mean
Top 62% in Colorado — lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$17,211
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 369 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 101 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,106 Top 94% in Colorado — larger than 6% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 68.0
Students per teacher 16.9:1 +0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 20.7% -46% vs state
NCES ID 080291000034
Student demographics
White 48.1%
Hispanic or Latino 24.5%
Two or More 10.2%
African American 9.9%
Asian 6.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 48.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 369:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 101
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah, which includes Thunder Ridge Middle School.
$17,211
Per student
-18%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,852
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 3,089
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,851
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,684
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,297
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
Similar middle schools in Aurora
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Prairie Middle School
Standard public school
1,491 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Infinity Middle School
Standard public school
1,020 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Sky Vista Middle School
Standard public school
969 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Fox Ridge Middle School
Standard public school
966 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Liberty Middle School
Standard public school
868 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Laredo Middle School
Standard public school
846 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 Thunder Ridge Middle School
How many students attend Thunder Ridge Middle School?
Thunder Ridge Middle School has 1,106 students enrolled. It is a middle school in AURORA, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thunder Ridge Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Thunder Ridge Middle School is 16.9:1, which is 0% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thunder Ridge Middle School?
20.7% of students at Thunder Ridge Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thunder Ridge Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Thunder Ridge Middle School is White at 48.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in AURORA, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thunder Ridge Middle School?
Thunder Ridge Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.