Colorado State Education Snapshot
Updated March 2024
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) provides this synopsis of commonly requested Colorado education facts and figures.
# of School Districts
179
# of
Schools
1,927
# of
Students
881,464
# of
BOCES
6
# of Charter Schools
264
# of Charter Students
135,223
Dropout
Rate
2.1%
4-Year
Grad Rate*
83.1%
Attendance
Rate
91.5%
* See the Summary Information section for more details on 4-, 5-, 6- and 7-year grad rates.
View school plan types data table
| Category | Schools with Plan Type |
|---|---|
| Performance Plan | 58% |
| Improvement Plan | 20% |
| Priority Improvement Plan | 9% |
| Turnaround Plan | 2% |
| Insufficient Data | 8% |
| New Schools | <1% |
| Closed Schools | 2% |
View enrollment by race/ethnicity data table
| Category | Enrolled Students |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaska Native |
0.6% |
| Asian | 3.2% |
| Black | 4.6% |
| Hispanic | 35% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander |
0.3% |
| Two or More Races | 5.1% |
| White | 51.2% |
- Enrollment: Colorado public school PK-12 enrollment in 2023-24 was the lowest in a decade at 881,464.
- Graduation: The 4-year graduation rate in 2023 was 83.1%, the highest it has been in nearly a decade.
- Rural: Out of 179 districts, 36 meet the definition of rural, 110 meet the definition of small rural.
- Charter and Online: In 2023-24, 135,223 students were enrolled in charter schools and 31,839 students in online schools.
- Homeschool: In 2023-24 students counted as homeschooled full-time increased by 8.44% to 9,406 students.
- Special Education: Colorado public schools educate over 113,992 students in special education.
- English Learners: Colorado public schools educate over 114,509 English learners.
- School Performance: 61.8% of schools are on a performance plan, 21.3% are on an improvement plan, 7.1% are on a priority improvement plan, and 1.8% are on a turnaround plan.
Staff and Classroom Information
| Category | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 | 2020-21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student Enrollment | 881,464 | 882,933 | 886,517 | 883,199 |
| Pupil / Teacher Ratio | 17:1 | 17:1 | 17:1 | 16:6 |
| Average Per Pupil Funding | $10,670 | $9,596 | $9,014 | $7,985 |
| # Teachers | 55,358 | 55,197 | 55,511 | 55,842 |
| # Principals / Assistant Principals | 3,969 | 3,887 | 3,662 | 3,611 |
| # Superintendents / Assistant Superintendents and BOCES Directors | 562 | 623 | 525 | 587 |
Graduation Information
| Category | AYG 2022-2023 Began 9th grade in 2019-20 |
AYG 2021-2022 Began 9th grade in 2018-19 |
AYG 2020-2021 Began 9th grade in 2017-18 |
AYG 2019-2020 Began 9th grade in 2016-17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graduation Rate (4 Year) | 83.1% | 82.34% | 81.67% | 81.87% |
| Graduation Rate (5 Year) | -- | 86.1% | 85.67% | 86.02% |
| Graduation Rate (6 Year) | -- | -- | 86.7% | 87.13% |
| Graduation Rate (7 Year) | -- | -- | -- | 87.6% |
AYG means Anticipated Year of Graduation, or the anticipated year that a student will graduate high school, which is 4 years after the year they start 9th grade. This is sometimes referred to as "Class of".
Financial Information
| Funding Source | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Fund | $4,294,161,543 | $4,009,781,369 | $4,413,841,994 | $4,116,143,086 |
| Cash Funds | $1,469,771,240 | $1,081,772,606 | $1,111,463,635 | $1,146,052,221 |
| Reappropriated Funds | $47,339,278 | $39,999,728 | $42,577,029 | $39,385,509 |
| Federal Funds | $620,755,044 | $777,581,096 | $1,128,920,698 | $656,580,470 |
| Full Time Equiv. Staff | 614.4 | 609 | 616.4 | 602.5 |
| Total Funds | $6,432,027,105 | $5,909,134,799 | $6,696,803,356 | $5,918,775,777 |
Suspension and Expulsion Information
| Incident Type | Suspensions |
Expulsions |
Referred To Law Enforcement |
Other Action Taken |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Violations | 1,721 | 52 | 205 | 158 |
| Alcohol Violations | 856 | 23 | 125 | 67 |
| Tobacco Violations | 4,611 | 6 | 140 | 712 |
| First 2nd Or Vehicular Assault | 114 | 15 | 20 | 15 |
| Third Degree Assaults Disorderly Conduct | 4,911 | 55 | 398 | 307 |
| Dangerous Weapons | 827 | 155 | 152 | 49 |
| Robbery | 92 | 7 | 9 | 15 |
| Other Felony | 81 | 20 | 9 | 10 |
| Disobedient Defiant Or Repeated Interference | 15,379 | 30 | 73 | 7,414 |
| Detrimental Behavior | 29,627 | 214 | 604 | 6,337 |
| Destruction Of School Property | 1,639 | 8 | 96 | 497 |
| Marijuana Violation | 3,843 | 126 | 581 | 266 |
| Sexual Violence | 32 | 5 | 9 | 11 |
| Other Code Of Conduct Violations | 19,681 | 78 | 825 | 253 |
| Total Incidents | 83,414 | 794 | 3,246 | 16,111 |
District Stats for 2021-22
179 Districts
- 110 of the 179 meet the definition of small rural*
- 36 of the 179 meet the definition of rural**
- These 146 (81.5% of total districts) rural districts comprise only 15% (132,362) of the total
PK-12 population in the state
- 90 districts have fewer than 500 students
* Small rural districts have fewer than 1,000 students.
** Rural school districts are located a certain distance from large urban areas and have 6,500 students or less.
2022-23 District Accreditation Ratings
(Frameworks paused in 2019-20 and 2020-21 due to COVID-19. Note that 2022-23 was a Transitional year as there were some key differences in the calculation of frameworks.)
| Category | Number of Districts | Percent of Districts |
|---|---|---|
| Accredited with Distinction | 11 | 6% |
| Accredited | 50 | 27% |
| Accredited with an Improvement Plan | 40 | 22% |
| Accredited with a Priority Improvement Plan | 10 | 5% |
| Accredited with a Turnaround Plan | 1 | 0.5% |
| Insufficient State Data | 72 | 39% |
Districts Implementing Seal of Biliteracy Diplomas
A Seal of Biliteracy is a credential given by a Colorado school or district recognizing students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation. These Colorado districts and schools are currently recognizing students' skills in biliteracy:
- 27J Schools
- Academy District 20
- Adams 12 Five Star Schools
- Adams County 14 School District
- Archdiocese of Denver
- Arrupe Jesuit High School
- Astravo Online Academy
- Aurora Public Schools
- Bayfield 10 JT-R School District
- Bishop Machebeuf High School
- Boulder Valley RE-2 School District
- Buena Vista School District R-31
- Burlington School District
- Burlington School District RE-6J
- Cherokee Trail High School
- Cherry Creek School District 5
- Cheyenne Mountain School District 12
- Colorado Academy - ACIS Accredited Independent School
- Colorado Charter School Institute:
- Colorado Early Colleges - Aurora
- Colorado Early Colleges - Fort Collins
- Colorado Early Colleges - Windsor
- Colorado Early Colleges - Colorado Springs
- Colorado Early Colleges - Douglas County
- Colorado Early Colleges - Homeschool Academy
- Colorado Early Colleges - Online Campus
- Independent School
- New America School - Lowry Campus
- Victory Preparatory Academy High School
- Colorado Rocky Mountain School
- Colorado Springs School District 11
- Colorado Virtual Academy
- Del Norte High School
- Delta County School District 50J
- Denver Christian School
- Denver County 1 School District
- District 49
- Douglas County School District RE-1
- DSST Byers
- East Grand School District 2
- Eagle County Schools
- Ellicott School District 22
- Englewood Schools
- Estes Park School District R-3
- Fort Morgan School District
- Greeley Evans School District 6
- Jefferson County School District R-1
- Kent Denver School
- Lake County R-1 School District
- Lewis-Palmer School District
- Littleton Public Schools
- Manitou Springs School District
- Mapleton Public Schools
- Mesa School District 51
- Moffat County School District RE: No 1
- Montrose County School District RE-1J
- Mullen High School
- North Park R-1
- Paris
- Pinnacle Charter High School
- Poudre School District R-1
- Regis Jesuit High School - Private
- Rio Grande County School District
- Sargent School District RE-33J
- School District 27J
- Sheridan School District #2
- South Routt School District RE-3
- St. Mary's Academy
- St. Vrain Valley School District
- Steamboat Springs School District RE-2
- Summit School District
- Telluride R-1
- Thompson School District
- Upper Rio Grande
- Vail Christian High School
- Vail Mountain School
- Watershed School - Boulder
- Weld RE-4 Schools
- Westminster Public Schools
School Stats for 2021-22
1,927 schools:
- 1,116 elementary schools
- 289 middle schools
- 522 high schools
Charter, Innovation and Online Schools
- 264 charter schools serving approximately 135,223 students (PK-12)
- 45 districts authorize charter schools in Colorado (including Charter School Institute)
- 97 innovation schools serving approximately 43,811 students (PK-12)
- 38 online schools serving 31,839 (PK-12)
2022-23 School Plan Types
(Frameworks paused in 2019-20 and 2020-21 due to COVID-19. Note that 2022-23 was a Transitional year as there were some key differences in the calculation of frameworks.)
| Category | Number of Schools | Percent of Schools |
|---|---|---|
| Performance Plan | 1,061 | 56.6% |
| Improvement Plan | 327 | 17.4% |
| Priority Improvement Plan | 120 | 6.4% |
| Turnaround Plan | 40 | 2.1% |
| Insufficient State Data | 309 | 16.5% |
Enrollment by School
| Category | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 | 2020-21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Enrollment ** | 881,464 | 882,933 | 886,517 | 883,199 |
| Elementary School * | 404,361 | 404,316 | 404,193 | 398,611 |
| Middle School * | 194,200 | 197,032 | 201,570 | 206,037 |
| High School * | 282,903 | 281,585 | 280,613 | 278,424 |
* Elementary (PK-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)
** Numbers include BOCES, detention centers and alternative schools.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicty
| Category | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 | 2020-21 | Total Enrollment * | 881,464 | 882,933 | 886,517 | 5,849 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaska Native Enrollment | 5,348 | 5,475 | 5,742 | 5,847 |
| Asian Enrollment | 28,899 | 28,640 | 28,214 | 28,425 |
| Black or African American Enrollment | 40,072 | 40,198 | 40,229 | 40,420 |
| Hispanic or Latino Enrollment | 312,687 | 308,739 | 306,215 | 301,858 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Enrollment | 2,901 | 2,657 | 2,578 | 2,453 |
| Two or More Races Enrollment | 46,570 | 45,042 | 43,353 | 40,904 |
| White Enrollment | 444,987 | 452,513 | 460,186 | 463,292 |
* Numbers include BOCES, detention centers and alternative schools.
Enrollment by Instructional Program Service Type
| Category | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 | 2020-21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Enrollment * | 881,464 | 882,933 | 886,517 | 883,199 |
| Gifted & Talented | 67,703 | 64,599 | 62,552 | 65,493 |
| Special Education | 113,992 | 109,623 | 105,399 | 104,612 |
| Online | 31,839 | 30,799 | 31,382 | 32,034 |
| English Learners | 114,509 | 109,809 | 109,581 | 113,849 |
| Immigrant | 14,871 | 10,925 | 9,876 | 9,937 |
| Migrant | 2,331 | 1,201 | 2,203 | 2,825 |
| Title 1 | 220,543 | 213,267 | 220,648 | 223,702 |
* Numbers include BOCES, detention centers and alternative schools.
4 Year Graduation Rate by Race/Ethnicity
| Category | 2022-23 | 2021-22 | 2020-21 | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Graduation Rate (4 Year) | 83.1% | 82.3% | 81.7% | 81.9% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native Grad Rate | 68% | 65.4% | 64.5% | 66.7% |
| Asian Grad Rate | 92.6% | 93% | 91.5% | 91.2% |
| Black Grad Rate | 78.6% | 77.4% | 76.0% | 76.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino Grad Rate | 76.1% | 75.1% | 74.2% | 75.4% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Grad Rate | 70.9% | 61.1% | 76.5% | 72.8% |
| Two or More Races Grad Rate | 83.5% | 81.3% | 81.6% | 82.3% |
| White Grad Rate | 88% | 87.3% | 86.6% | 86.0% |
4 Year Graduation Rate by Instructional Program Service Type
| Category | 2022-23 | 2021-22 | 2020-21 | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Graduation Rate (4 Year) | 83.1% | 82.3% | 81.7% | 81.9% |
| Students w / Disabilities Grad Rate | 69.3% | 67.9% | 66.4% | 61.8% |
| English Learners Grad Rate | 69.4% | 69.4% | 67.5% | 70.2% |
| Economically Disadvantaged Grad Rate | 73.3% | 71.9% | 70.6% | 72.3% |
| Foster Grad Rate | 36.2% | 30.0% | 30.5% | 30.5% |
| Migrant Grad Rate | 67.2% | 69% | 67.0% | 71.7% |
| Military Connected Grad Rate | 90.4% | 89.7% | 88.3% | 89.5% |
| Title 1 Grad Rate | 68.2% | 66.9% | 64.0% | 65.4% |
| Homeless Grad Rate | 58% | 55.4% | 53.6% | 56.7% |
| Gifted and Talented Grad Rate | 95.4% | 94.6% | 94.2% | 94.2% |
Annual Dropout Rate by Race and Ethnicity
| Category | 2022-23 | 2021-22 | 2020-21 | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Students Dropout Rate | 2.1% | 2.2% | 1.8% | 1.8% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native Dropout Rate | 2.1% | 5.1% | 3.2% | 4.0% |
| Asian Dropout Rate | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.7% |
| Black or African American Dropout Rate | 2.8% | 3% | 2.6% | 2.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino Dropout Rate | 2.8% | 3.5% | 2.8% | 2.8% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Dropout Rate | 4.1% | 3.9% | 2.3% | 3.9% |
| Two or More Races Dropout Rate | 1.9% | 2.2% | 1.6% | 1.6% |
| White Dropout Rate | 1.2% | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.1% |
*Includes alternative schools
Annual Dropout Rate by Instructional Program Service Type
| Category | 2022-23 | 2021-22 | 2020-21 | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Students Dropout Rate | 2.1% | 2.2% | 1.8% | 1.8% |
| Students with Disabilities Dropout Rate | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2% | 2.1% |
| English Learners Dropout Rate | 4.1% | 4.4% | 3.5% | 3.4% |
| Economically Disadvantages Dropout Rate | 2.9% | 3.3% | 2.5% | 2.6% |
| Migrant Dropout Rate | 4.6% | 5.6% | 2.7% | 3.1% |
| Title I Dropout Rate | 3.9% | 4.3% | 3.2% | 3.4% |
| Homeless Dropout Rate | 4.8% | 5.2% | 4.7% | 4.9% |
| Gifted and Talented Dropout Rate | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% |
*Includes alternative schools
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