| Vital Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Public schools | 1,658 |
| Public school teachers | 44,904 |
| Pre-K-12 students | 757,693 |
| Annual pre-K-12 expenditures | $5.6 billion |
| Minority students | 35.4% |
| Children in poverty | 15% |
| Students with disabilities | 10% |
| English-language learners | 12.8% |
Summary of Grades
Colorado scores above average in two of the for graded policy categories in Quality Counts.
In standards and accountability, the American Federation of Teachers has rated Colorado’s standards clear, specific, and grounded in content, except for social studies at the elementary and high school levels. However, the state could strengthen its accountability efforts. It sanctions all low-performing schools, but does not provide assistance to all of those schools or reward highperforming or improving schools.
Colorado requires prospective high school teachers to major in the subjects they will teach. Aspiring teachers must also complete a student-teaching requirement. But the state’s teacher quality score dips because Colorado does not require all middle school teachers to major or pass tests in the subjects they will teach.
Colorado receives the second-highest score in the nation for school climate. The state has a class-size-reduction program and its school report cards include class-size data. The state also fares well in policies related to school safety and choice and autonomy.
Colorado scores just below average on measures of resource equity. Colorado ranks near the middle of the nation on the coefficient-of-variation measure, indicating a moderate level of disparity in per-pupil expenditures across districts in the state.
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| Quality Counts Grading Breakdown | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Note: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.
