Colorado State Education Snapshot
Updated January 2026
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) provides this synopsis of commonly requested Colorado education facts and figures.
# of School Districts
School Year: 2025-2026
# of
Schools
School Year: 2025-2026
# of
Students
School Year: 2025-2026
# of
BOCES
School Year: 2025-2026
# of Charter Schools
School Year: 2025-2026
# of Charter Students
School Year: 2025-2026
Dropout
Rate
School Year: 2024-2025
4-Year
Grad Rate*
School Year: 2024-2025
Attendance
Rate
School Year: 2024-2025
* See the Summary Information section for more details on 4-, 5-, 6- and 7-year grad rates.
- Enrollment: Colorado public school PK-12 enrollment in 2024-25 was the lowest in a decade at 881,065.
- Rural: Out of 179 school districts, 36 meet the definition of rural, 110 meet the definition of small rural.
- Graduation: The 4-year graduation rate in 2023-24 was 84.2%, the highest it has been in nearly a decade.
- Homeschool: In 2024-25 students who reported as homeschooled full-time increased by 4.7% to 9,826 students.
- Charter and Online: In 2024-25, 136,218 students were enrolled in charter schools and 33,629 students in online schools.
- Special Education: Colorado public schools educate over 117,616 students in special education.
- Multilingual Learners: Colorado public schools educate 104,362 multilingual learners.
- School Performance: 66.2% of schools are on a performance plan, 20% are on an improvement plan, 5.1% are on a priority improvement plan, and 2.0% are on a turnaround plan. A total of 6.7% of schools had insufficient state data.
Staff and Classroom Information
| Category | 2025-26 | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 | 2020-21 | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student Enrollment | 870,793 | 881,065 | 881,464 | 882,933 | 886,517 | 883,199 | 913,223 |
| Pupil / Teacher Ratio | N/A | 16:1 | 17:1 | 17:1 | 17:1 | 16:1 | 17:1 |
| Average Per Pupil Funding | N/A | $11,452 | $10,670 | $9,596 | $9,014 | $8,121 | $8,480 |
| # Teachers | N/A | 55,040 | 55,358 | 55,197 | 55,511 | 55,842 | 55,641 |
| # Principals / Assistant Principals | N/A | 3,820 | 3,969 | 3,887 | 3,662 | 3,611 | 3,537 |
| # Superintendents / Assistant Superintendents and BOCES Directors | N/A | 625 | 622 | 623 | 525 | 587 | 559 |
Graduation Information
| Category | AYG 2024-2025 Began 9th grade in 2021-22 |
AYG 2023-2024 Began 9th grade in 2020-21 |
AYG 2022-2023 Began 9th grade in 2019-20 |
AYG 2021-2022 Began 9th grade in 2018-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graduation Rate (4 Year) | 85.6% | 84.2% | 83.1% | 82.34% |
| Graduation Rate (5 Year) | -- | 87.8% | 86.8% | 86.1% |
| Graduation Rate (6 Year) | -- | -- | 87.8% | 87.1% |
| 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 | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Fund | $4,527,377,621 | $4,710,633,330 | $4,500,428,610 | $4,294,161,543 |
| Cash Funds | $2,352,189,332 | $1,719,689,563 | $1,517,239,273 | $1,469,771,240 |
| Reappropriated Funds | $55,432,193 | $82,257,878 | $72,285,315 | $47,339,278 |
| Federal Funds | $870,229,410 | $1,049,944,421 | $1,048,449,871 | $620,755,044 |
| Full Time Equiv. Staff | 742.1 | 661.9 | 638.3 | 614.4 |
| Total Funds | $7,805,228,556 | $7,562,525,192 | $7,138,403,069 | $6,432,027,105 |
This report is based upon state appropriations to the Colorado Department of Education, Colorado Charter School Institute and Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind. The federal funds are estimates only and included for informational purposes only and may not represent the actual federal funding received.
Suspension and Expulsion Information
(School Year: 2024-2025)
| Incident Type | In-School Suspensions |
Out-of-School Suspensions |
Expulsions |
Other Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Violations | 194 | 709 | 24 | 73 |
| Alcohol Violations | 117 | 876 | 10 | 106 |
| Tobacco Violations | 2,340 | 3,349 | 8 | 1,061 |
| First 2nd Or Vehicular Assault | 20 | 104 | 18 | 42 |
| Dangerous Weapons | 115 | 759 | 118 | 52 |
| Robbery | 45 | 83 | -- | 22 |
| Other Felony | 16 | 65 | 10 | 14 |
| Disobedient/Defiant Or Repeated Interference | 11,921 | 10,653 | 55 | 5,818 |
| Detrimental Behavior | 11,040 | 24,941 | 168 | 4,777 |
| Destruction Of School Property | 557 | 912 | 7 | 303 |
| Bullying | 1,401 | 2,043 | 9 | 496 |
| Other Code Of Conduct Violations | 10,574 | 12,145 | 86 | 9,733 |
| 3rd Degree Assault/Disorderly Conduct | 990 | 5,302 | 98 | 299 |
| Marijuana Violation | 625 | 4,227 | 126 | 599 |
| Sexual Violence | 11 | -- | -- | 9 |
| Rape or Attempted Rape | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Total Incidents | 39,966 | 66,213 | 743 | 23,404 |
-- means the group size is too small, so these data are not displayed to protect student or educator privacy.
District Stats for 2025-26
179 Districts***
- 111 of the 179 meet the definition of small rural*
- 36 of the 179 meet the definition of rural**
- These 147 (82.1% of total districts) rural districts comprise only 15.2% (132,016) of the total
PK-12 population in the state
- 86 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.
*** Not including the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind or Colorado Charter School Institute.
2025 Final District Accreditation Ratings
| Category | Number of Districts | Percent of Districts |
|---|---|---|
| Accredited with Distinction | 18 | 10% |
| Accredited | 89 | 48% |
| Accredited with an Improvement Plan | 46 | 25% |
| Accredited with a Priority Improvement Plan | 4 | 2% |
| Accredited with a Turnaround Plan | 3 | 2% |
| Insufficient State Data | 24 | 13% |
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:
- 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
- Charter School Institute
- Clear Creek School District Re-1
- Cherokee Trail High School
- Cherry Creek School District 5
- Cheyenne Mountain School District 12
- Colorado Academy - ACIS Accredited Independent School
- Colorado Early Colleges - All campuses
- Colorado Rocky Mountain School
- Colorado Springs School District 11
- Colorado Charter School Institute
- Colorado Virtual Academy
- Delta County School District 50J
- Denver Catholic Schools/Archdiocese of Denver
- Denver Christian School
- Denver County 1 School District
- Douglas County School District RE-1
- DSST Byers
- East Grand School District 2
- Eagle County Schools
- El Paso County School District 8
- Ellicott School District 22
- Englewood Schools
- Estes Park School District R-3
- Del Norte High School
- Denver Christian School
- District 49
- Fort Morgan School district
- Greeley Evans School District 6
- Gunnison Watershed School District
- Harrison School District Two
- Jefferson County School District R-1
- Kent Denver School
- Lake County R-1 School District
- Littleton Public Schools
- Lewis-Palmer School District
- Manitou Springs School District
- Mapleton Public Schools
- Mesa County School District 51
- Moffat County School District RE: No 1
- Montrose County School District RE-1J
- Monument Charter Academy High School (District 38)
- Mullen High School
- North Park R-1
- Paris
- Pinnacle Charter High School
- Poudre School District R-1
- PS1 Charter School
- Regis Jesuit High School - Private
- Resurrection Christian School
- 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
- Vail Mountain School (Eagle County)
- Victory Preparatory Academy High School - Colorado Charter School Institute
- Watershed School - Boulder
- Weld RE-4 Schools
- Westminster Public Schools
- Windsor Charter Academy (Weld Re-4 authorizer)
- 27J Schools
School Stats for 2025-26
Charter, Innovation and Online Schools
- 262 charter schools serving approximately 134,035 students (PK-12)
- 45 districts authorize charter schools in Colorado (including Charter School Institute)
- 102 innovation schools serving approximately 49,461 students (PK-12)
- 44 online schools serving 34,617 (PK-12)
- 111 of the 179 meet the definition of small rural*
- 36 of the 179 meet the definition of rural**
- These 147 (82.1% of total districts) rural districts comprise only 15.2% (132,016) of the total
PK-12 population in the state
- 86 districts have fewer than 500 students
* Not including the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind or Colorado Charter School Institute.
** Rural school districts are located a certain distance from large urban areas and have 6,500 students or less.
2025 Final School Plan Types
| Category | Number of Schools | Percent of Schools |
|---|---|---|
| Performance Plan | 1,2481 | 68% |
| Improvement Plan | 346 | 19% |
| Priority Improvement Plan | 89 | 5% |
| Turnaround Plan | 26 | 1% |
| Insufficient State Data | 104 | 6% |
Enrollment by School
| Category | 2025-26 | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Enrollment ** | 870,793 | 881,065 | 881,464 | 882,933 | 886,517 |
| Elementary School * | 400,048 | 404,874 | 404,361 | 404,316 | 404,193 |
| Middle School * | 193,165 | 193,855 | 194,200 | 197,032 | 201,570 |
| High School * | 277,580 | 282,336 | 282,903 | 281,585 | 280,613 |
* Elementary (PK-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)
** Numbers include BOCES, detention centers and alternative schools.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity
| Category | 2025-26 | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 | Total Enrollment * | 870,793 | 881,065 | 881,464 | 882,933 | 886,517 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaska Native Enrollment | 4,974 | 5,090 | 5,348 | 5,475 | 5,742 |
| Asian Enrollment | 29,790 | 29,462 | 28,899 | 28,640 | 28,214 |
| Black or African American Enrollment | 41,046 | 40,579 | 40,072 | 40,198 | 40,229 |
| Hispanic or Latino Enrollment | 317,014 | 321,409 | 312,687 | 308,739 | 306,215 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Enrollment | 3,122 | 3,038 | 2,901 | 2,657 | 2,578 |
| Two or More Races Enrollment | 48,485 | 47,807 | 46,570 | 45,042 | 43,353 |
| White Enrollment | 426,362 | 433,680 | 444,987 | 452,513 | 460,186 |
* Numbers include BOCES, detention centers and alternative schools.
Enrollment by Instructional Program Service Type
| Category | 2025-26 | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Enrollment * | 870,793 | 881,065 | 881,464 | 882,933 | 886,517 |
| Gifted & Talented | 76,058 | 71,924 | 67,703 | 64,599 | 62,552 |
| Special Education | 119,507 | 117,616 | 113,992 | 109,623 | 105,399 |
| Online | 34,617 | 33,629 | 31,839 | 30,799 | 31,382 |
| English Learners | 120,846 | 123,777 | 114,509 | 109,809 | 109,581 |
| Immigrant | 27,012 | 29,224 | 14,871 | 10,925 | 9,876 |
| Migrant | 2,179 | 2,300 | 2,331 | 1,201 | 2,203 |
| Title 1 | 239,871 | 246,072 | 220,543 | 213,267 | 220,648 |
* Numbers include BOCES, detention centers and alternative schools.
4 Year Graduation Rate by Race/Ethnicity
| Category | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Graduation Rate (4 Year) | 85.6% | 84.2% | 83.1% | 82.3% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native Grad Rate | 71.3% | 69.9% | 68% | 65.4% |
| Asian Grad Rate | 92.6% | 93.2% | 92.6% | 93% |
| Black Grad Rate | 80.6% | 78.3% | 78.6% | 77.4% |
| Hispanic or Latino Grad Rate | 80.2% | 77.3% | 76.1% | 75.1% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Grad Rate | 76.8% | 69.5% | 70.9% | 61.1% |
| Two or More Races Grad Rate | 85.7% | 85% | 83.5% | 81.3% |
| White Grad Rate | 90% | 89.1% | 88% | 87.3% |
4 Year Graduation Rate by Instructional Program Service Type
| Category | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Graduation Rate (4 Year) | 85.6% | 84.2% | 83.1% | 82.3% |
| Students w / Disabilities Grad Rate | 74% | 71.9% | 69.3% | 67.9% |
| English Learners Grad Rate | 72.6% | 70.7% | 69.4% | 69.4% |
| Economically Disadvantaged Grad Rate | 78.8% | 76.4% | 73.3% | 71.9% |
| Foster Grad Rate | 44.8% | 40.4% | 36.2% | 30.0% |
| Migrant Grad Rate | 72.7% | 68% | 67.2% | 69% |
| Military Connected Grad Rate | 88% | 88.8% | 90.4% | 89.7% |
| Title 1 Grad Rate | 73% | 68.7% | 68.2% | 66.9% |
| Homeless Grad Rate | 65% | 61.6% | 58% | 55.4% |
| Gifted and Talented Grad Rate | 96.2% | 95.9% | 95.4% | 94.6% |
Annual Dropout Rate by Race and Ethnicity
| Category | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Students Dropout Rate | 1.6% | 1.9% | 2.1% | 2.2% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native Dropout Rate | 3.8% | 1.9% | 2.1% | 5.1% |
| Asian Dropout Rate | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Black or African American Dropout Rate | 2.5% | 2.7% | 2.8% | 3% |
| Hispanic or Latino Dropout Rate | 2.6% | 3.1% | 2.8% | 3.5% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Dropout Rate | 3.1% | 4.3% | 4.1% | 3.9% |
| Two or More Races Dropout Rate | 1.3% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 2.2% |
| White Dropout Rate | 0.9% | 1% | 1.2% | 1.3% |
*Includes alternative schools
Annual Dropout Rate by Instructional Program Service Type
| Category | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Students Dropout Rate | 1.6% | 1.9% | 2.1% | 2.2% |
| Students with Disabilities Dropout Rate | 1.5% | 2.1% | 2.6% | 2.5% |
| English Learners Dropout Rate | 3.6% | 3.9% | 4.1% | 4.4% |
| Economically Disadvantages Dropout Rate | 2.3% | 2.6% | 2.9% | 3.3% |
| Migrant Dropout Rate | 3% | 4% | 4.6% | 5.6% |
| Title I Dropout Rate | 3.3% | 3.9% | 3.9% | 4.3% |
| Homeless Dropout Rate | 4.7% | 4.7% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Gifted and Talented Dropout Rate | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
*Includes alternative schools
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