Enrollment
492
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Fort Collins, CO
Zach Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Zach Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 080399001727
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 2
📋 Attendance 59
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Zach Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median.
- #3 of 6
- elementary schools in Fort Collins · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.6:1
- students per teacher
- 6.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Zach Elementary School has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Zach Elementary School ranks #3 of 6 elementary schools in Fort Collins, CO.
School address
District: Poudre School District R-1 · Colorado
NCES ID 080399001727 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
6.1%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-84% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Zach Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Zach Elementary School
Zach Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Fort Collins, Colorado, enrolling 492 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 6.1% free-meal eligibility runs 84% below the Colorado average.
Enrollment of 492 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 288 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #203.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 492 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Poudre School District R-1 also operates Rocky Mountain High School (2,044 students) and Fossil Ridge High School (1,846 students) alongside Zach Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Zach Elementary School compares
Zach Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Colorado and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.6:1 | ▲ 6% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 6.1% | ▼ 84% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 492 | top 30% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.6:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
492
Bigger than 61% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
6.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 84% below the Colorado average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.6:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 68% in Colorado - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,223
per pupil, district-wide
- below Colorado avg of $16,273
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 492 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 61.8%
Hispanic or Latino 14.2%
Asian 11.8%
Two or More 9.8%
African American 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 61.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.4, Zach Elementary School is more mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Poudre School District R-1, which includes Zach Elementary School.
$13,223
Per student
-19%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 57.5%
State 35.4%
Federal 7.1%
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.
How Zach Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountain High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fossil Ridge High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Fort Collins High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Liberty Common Charter School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Timnath Middle-High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Zach Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,044
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,846
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,836
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 1,516
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,456
- Students per teacher
- 28:1
- Resource Index
- 0/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Colorado, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~492 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Zach Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Zach Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Poudre School District R-1's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Zach Elementary School
How many students attend Zach Elementary School?
Zach Elementary School has 492 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Fort Collins, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Zach Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Zach Elementary School is 17.6:1, which is 6% higher than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 12% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Zach Elementary School?
6.1% of students at Zach Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Zach Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Zach Elementary School is White at 61.8% of enrollment, in Fort Collins, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Zach Elementary School?
Zach Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Zach Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Fort Collins?
By Resource Investment Index, Zach Elementary School ranks #3 of 6 elementary schools in Fort Collins, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Fort Collins on the city page.
Is Zach Elementary School a good school?
Zach Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Poudre School District R-1?
Besides Zach Elementary School, Poudre School District R-1 also operates Rocky Mountain High School (2,044 students), Fossil Ridge High School (1,846 students), and Fort Collins High School (1,836 students). See the Poudre School District R-1 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.