Enrollment
690
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 080258006326
West Ridge Elementary — Thornton, CO
Federal NCES profile for West Ridge Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 26/100.
👥 Class size 17
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 16
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: School District 27j · 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)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.7:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.9%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Ridge Elementary 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
West Ridge Elementary reports 690 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 40.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 22% 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 30% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 16.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 56% below the Colorado average and 67% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 690 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding School District 27j spends $13,426 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 44.5% from local sources (property taxes), 47.7% 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 26/100 (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 West Ridge Elementary 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 | 20.7:1 | ▲ 22% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.9% | ▼ 56% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 690 | top 85% | — | — |
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
16.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 56% 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
20.7:1
students per teacher
— 22% above state mean
Top 91% in Colorado — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
33.8%
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
$13,426
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 690 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 690 Top 85% in Colorado — larger than 15% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 40.0
Students per teacher 20.7:1 +22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 16.9% -56% vs state
NCES ID 080258006326
Student demographics
White 43.2%
Hispanic or Latino 35.2%
Asian 14.2%
Two or More 5.2%
African American 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 43.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 690:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.8%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for School District 27j, which includes West Ridge Elementary.
$13,426
Per student
-36%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 44.5%
State 47.7%
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
- 2,042
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,809
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,784
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,733
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,214
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
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
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
Five Star Online Academy
Standard public school
506 students 15.9:1 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 West Ridge Elementary
How many students attend West Ridge Elementary?
West Ridge Elementary has 690 students enrolled. It is a other school in THORNTON, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Ridge Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at West Ridge Elementary is 20.7:1, which is 22% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 30% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at West Ridge Elementary?
16.9% of students at West Ridge Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Ridge Elementary?
The largest demographic group at West Ridge Elementary is White at 43.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in THORNTON, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Ridge Elementary?
West Ridge Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (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.