Enrollment
188
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 080579001852 Charter school
Vista Charter School — Montrose, CO
Federal NCES profile for Vista Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 62
📋 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: Montrose County School District Re-1j · 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)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
32.2:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+91% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.9%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
+45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vista Charter 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
Vista Charter School reports 188 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 5.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 32.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 91% 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 103% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 55.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 45% above the Colorado average and 8% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 188 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 79.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Montrose County School District Re-1j spends $12,038 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.8% from local sources (property taxes), 53.3% from the state, and 17.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (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 Vista Charter 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 | 32.2:1 | ▲ 91% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.9% | ▲ 45% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 188 | top 23% | — | — |
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
55.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 45% 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
32.2:1
students per teacher
— 91% above state mean
Top 98% in Colorado — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
79.8%
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
$12,038
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 188 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 188 Top 23% in Colorado — larger than 77% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 5.0
Students per teacher 32.2:1 +91% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 55.9% +45% vs state
NCES ID 080579001852
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 48.9%
White 47.3%
Two or More 2.7%
African American 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 48.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 188:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 79.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montrose County School District Re-1j, which includes Vista Charter School.
$12,038
Per student
-43%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.8%
State 53.3%
Federal 17.9%
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
- 1,279
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Enrollment
- 540
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 531
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Enrollment
- 499
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 491
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
Similar high schools in Montrose
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 Vista Charter School
How many students attend Vista Charter School?
Vista Charter School has 188 students enrolled. It is a high school in MONTROSE, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vista Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Vista Charter School is 32.2:1, which is 91% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 103% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Vista Charter School?
55.9% of students at Vista Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Vista Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Vista Charter School is Hispanic or Latino at 48.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in MONTROSE, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vista Charter School?
Vista Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F) based on 5 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.