Colorado runs 1,923 public schools across 185 districts, with a 16.9:1 average classroom and 38.5% of students on subsidized lunch.
1,923
public schools
185
school districts
16.9:1
avg student–teacher
38.5%
free/reduced lunch
How Colorado ranks nationally
Per-pupil spending
$16,273
#26of 51 · highest-spending
Average class size
16.9:1
#38of 51 · smallest classes
Public schools
1,923
#17of 51 · most schools
On subsidized lunch
38.5%
#29of 43 · highest share
Colorado ranks #26 of 51 nationally on per-pupil spending and #38 of 51 on average class size, derived live by comparing it against every other state. Ranked among all 50 states + DC from NCES enrollment/staffing and the F-33 finance survey. Lunch share is an indicator of student need, not of quality.
What the NCES Data Says About Colorado Schools
Colorado operates 1,923 public K-12 schools organised into 185 independent school districts serving 871,440 students, per the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data 2024-25. The largest district, School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C, enrolls 87,883 pupils across 203 schools at $15,336 per student, while smaller rural districts can run fewer than a dozen campuses. This fragmentation — inherited from century-old township governance patterns in many states — is why per-pupil spending, class sizes, and programme availability vary dramatically inside a single state boundary.
Statewide, the average student-teacher ratio is 16.9:1, a useful benchmark for comparing any individual district or school on PlainSchools. Free-lunch eligibility averages 38.5% across Colorado public schools, a federal indicator of economic need that drives Title I funding allocations. The district table below is sortable by enrollment, school count, and per-pupil expenditure — the three fields that best predict a district's financial and demographic profile. For schools specifically, use the rankings links above to view per-category leaderboards covering spending, class size, best schools by composite quality score, chronic absenteeism, and funding-equity distribution within the state.
Every district figure here pulls from two distinct federal surveys: enrollment and demographic data come from the NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (school membership and directory), while per-pupil spending, teacher salaries, and federal/state/local revenue shares originate in the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey (typically FY 2021-22). Civil-rights indicators — gifted enrollment, AP course counts, counselor staffing, chronic absenteeism, in- and out-of-school suspensions — come from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Cross-referencing these three sources is what lets PlainSchools produce composite scores and equity rankings that single-source tools cannot.
Colorado's average class size vs. every US state
Average students per teacher, state by state (lower means smaller classes)
17smaller classes than 25% of 51 US states
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
Federal data — no proprietary formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal survey data — enrollment, staffing, finance, and demographics from NCES — without a composite rating on top. The insights below are computed directly from those datasets; every number traces to a cited source.
Colorado per-pupil spending varies 6.3× across districts
Per-pupil spending in Colorado ranges from $8,546 (lowest district) to $53,783 (highest), a spread of $45,237. That spread reflects typical state-level variation between high-property-value suburbs and rural or low-tax-base districts. High-spending districts typically draw on higher property tax bases, a structural feature of state education finance under the federal Title I framework that sets the floor but not the ceiling.
Average Colorado student-teacher ratio is 16.9:1 — near the U.S. average of approximately 16:1
Student-teacher ratio is the simplest staffing metric reported on NCES Common Core of Data, but it does not capture push-in specialists, intervention staff, English Language Learner aides, special education co-teachers, or counseling and support staff. Variation between districts within the state is wider than the state-average figure suggests — large urban districts may run 20:1 while small rural districts run 10:1, both inside the same average. Class-load comparisons are most meaningful at the district or school level, not the state aggregate.
Data sourced from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25, NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
Using the Colorado data
Colorado's 1,923 schools sit inside 185 districts — compare at the district level first.
District boundaries decide enrollment: shortlist 2-3 districts on spending, ratio, and size before comparing individual schools. Compare districts →
Check how Colorado distributes money across its districts — funding equity varies more within states than between them. Funding equity →
Verify any school's federal record (enrollment, staffing, CRDC flags) before a visit or enrollment decision. Look up a school →
Figures are the federal record (CCD 2024-25, F-33 FY 2021-22, CRDC 2021-22) — they lag the current school year and describe reported data, not school quality. PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many public schools are in Colorado?
Colorado has 1,923 public schools across 185 school districts, serving 871,440 students.
What is the average student-teacher ratio in Colorado?
The average student-teacher ratio in Colorado public schools is 16.9:1. This varies by district — use the district table below to compare.
What percentage of Colorado students qualify for free lunch?
38.5% of students in Colorado qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator of economic need used for Title I funding.
What is the largest school district in Colorado?
The largest school district in Colorado is School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C with 87,883 students across 203 schools.
Why does per-pupil spending vary so much across Colorado districts?
Colorado districts spend between $8,546 and $53,783 per pupil — a 6.3× range. Most U.S. states fund schools through a mix of state aid (typically 40-60%), local property tax (30-50%), and federal Title I (5-15%). Districts in higher property-value areas raise more per pupil from local taxes, while state aid is intended to partially equalise but rarely closes the full gap. The federal F-33 finance survey reports actual current expenditures including instructional and support services.
Largest K-12 public schools by total students enrolled
students
Goal Academy
6,693
Goal Academy
6,693 students
100.0% of the leader · rank #1 · Pueblo, CO
Cherry Creek High School
3,852
Cherry Creek High School
3,852 students
57.6% of the leader · rank #2 · Greenwood Village, CO
Cherokee Trail High Sc…
3,089
Cherokee Trail High School
3,089 students
46.2% of the leader · rank #3 · Aurora, CO
Eaglecrest High School
2,851
Eaglecrest High School
2,851 students
42.6% of the leader · rank #4 · Centennial, CO
American Academy
2,803
American Academy
2,803 students
41.9% of the leader · rank #5 · Castle Pines, CO
Astravo Online Academy…
2,750
Astravo Online Academy High School
2,750 students
41.1% of the leader · rank #6 · Lakewood, CO
Grandview High School
2,684
Grandview High School
2,684 students
40.1% of the leader · rank #7 · Aurora, CO
East High School
2,476
East High School
2,476 students
37.0% of the leader · rank #8 · Denver, CO
What this shows The largest public schools in Colorado by enrollment — often statewide virtual academies or large consolidated campuses, so size here reflects reach, not quality.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data (CCD) — Public school universe · 2023-2024 Public K-12 school enrollment, demographics, and operational data; collected annually by NCES from state education agencies.