Pupil/Teacher Ratio
Date Updated: 06/24/2011
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) defines the Pupil/Teacher Ratio as the number of pupils in membership as of October 1 of a given school year, divided by the total number of full time equivalency (FTE) teaching assignments. The state considers a "full time assignment' to be working over 85% of a given school district's definition of full time. All time equivalencies (full time, half time, etc.) reported to the state are combined to establish the FTE (e.g.; one full time teacher plus two half-time teachers equals two full time teachers). Within this page, only state calculations have been used.
What this chart shows: Pupil/Teacher Ratios in Larimer County School Districts, 2001-02 to 2010-11
Data Source: Colorado Department of Education
What these data tell us:
Pupil/teacher ratios in the school districts located in Larimer fluctuated depending on a number of factors ranging from the number of teacher retirements to classroom consolidations to available funding.Park School District saw the most fluctuation during the last decade. For the 2002-03 school year, the pupil.teacher ratio was 15.7, a ten-year high. Just two years later, the district's pupil/teacher ratio fell to 13.3, a ten-year low.
Poudre School District saw the smallest fluctuation during this time. Last year (2010-11) the district experienced a ten-year pupil/teacher ratio high of 18.0. In 2004-05, the year of the lowest pupil/teacher ratio, the average class size was 16.9.
Thompson School District has consistently seen the higest pupil/teacher ratios of the three districts located in Larimer County, average 17.8 students per classroom over the last ten years.
Some Larimer County School Districts calculate pupil/teacher ratios differently than the State. For an explanation of the difference, see Additional Information.
Additional Information:
As stated above, the state calculates pupil/teacher ratios by combining the total number of licensed teachers in a school or district to arrive at a total full time "equivalency". Teachers, assistant teachers and teacher's aides have identifying codes associated with their positions. Only the codes for licensed teachers are used in the state calculation.Some Larimer County school districts, however, calculate ratios differently for their own use and information. Calculating by classroom rather than using an overall district average produces both higher and lower ratios. For example, a core class such as algebra may have an actual ratio of 24 pupils to one teacher. An elective class such as art may have a ratio of 10 to one. This way of accounting provides a truer picture of actual ratios per class, but also requires much more data gathering. Dividing total enrollment by total number of teachers (as the State does) may not yield such close detail, but does provide an alternative means of assessing the potential for contact between pupils and teachers. For information regarding each Larimer County school district, go to their websites listed under 'Other Resources.'
Each school district defines "full time equivalency" (FTE) differently. For the 2009-10 school year, Park School District defined full time as 180 days at eight hours per day. Poudre School District's definition was186 days at forty hours per week and Thompson School District's was 185 days at forty hours per week. These definitions are determined annually. Return to top
Related Information on COMPASS -
- ACT Scores
- CSAP scores
- Dropout Rates
- Enrollment by Ethnicity
- Enrollment - K-12
- Enrollment - Public, Home-Based & Non-Public Schools
- Enrollment - Special Education
- Funding Per Pupil
- High School Graduation Rates
- Teachers - Race/Ethnicity & Gender
- Teachers - Salary
- National Center for Education Statistics - Pupil/Teacher Ratios in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools
- Park School District
- Poudre School District
- Thompson School District
Standards or Targets:
There are no set standards for student/teacher ratios in Colorado. According to the State, concern regarding ratios is only generated when they are either very low or very high. However, a major goal of educational reform was to reduce class sizes in kindergarten through third grade. The National Education Association has suggested that 15 should be the maximum number of pupils per class in those grades. Small class sizes in the early grades are thought to enhance chances for student learning.
Data Table:
Pupil/Teacher Ratios in Larimer County School Districts
|
Year |
Park |
Poudre |
Thompson |
|
2001-02 |
14.4 |
17.5 |
17.8 |
|
2002-03 |
15.7 |
17.1 |
17.8 |
|
2003-04 |
14.3 |
17.6 |
17.6 |
|
2004-05 |
13.3 |
16.9 |
18.2 |
|
2005-06 |
15.1 |
17.0 |
18.6 |
|
2006-07 |
15.6 |
17.5 |
18.8 |
|
2007-08 |
14.2 |
17.4 |
17.6 |
|
2008-09 |
14.0 |
17.3 |
17.4 |
|
2009-10 |
13.9 |
17.0 |
17.0 |
|
2010-11 |
15.1 |
18.0 |
17.2 |