Big Thompson Elementary School

Located at 7702 WEST HIGHWAY 34, in LOVELAND, Colorado, Big Thompson Elementary School is a low-enrollment K-5 school that enrolls 179 students (grades K through 5), operated by Thompson School District R-2J. Enrollment runs roughly 53% below the state mean of about 379.

Big Thompson Elementary School is one of 32 schools operated by Thompson School District R-2J, a district that educates 14,580 students overall.

In terms of who attends, Big Thompson Elementary School lists that White students make up the majority at 78%. The remainder comes out to 13% Hispanic, 6% multiracial.

On the income-and-resources front, Big Thompson Elementary School shows 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 12.8:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 16.6:1 average. Around 25% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is lower than Larimer County's rate of about 35%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Big Thompson Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 51.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 44.3%.

Around the school, Larimer County reports that median household earnings sit near $93,765, about 53% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 5%. In all, Larimer County runs 94 public schools (combined enrollment of about 47,159 students), of which Big Thompson Elementary School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Namaqua Elementary School, around 3.6 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Big Thompson Elementary School. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Big Thompson Elementary School ranks 4th on composite proficiency, above the local average of 37.7%.

The school occupies an outlying site.

Five-year trend. Big Thompson Elementary School's enrollment has fell 25% since 2018, when it stood at 240 (now 179). Class-load math has pulled in: from 20.4:1 in 2018 to 12.8:1 in 2025.

On this page, members of the Big Thompson Elementary School community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.