Enrollment
144
Elementary
DISTRICT 124 · STATE 379
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CLEAR CREEK SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. RE-1·NCES 080300000218
Carlson Elementary School
320 CO 103, IDAHO SPRINGS, CO 80452 · (303) 567-4431 · Clear Creek County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL144 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 27% of Colorado public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Colorado public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
11.6:1
12 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.3:1 · STATE 16.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
43%
62 students
DISTRICT 30% · STATE 50%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 15 | 10% |
| Kindergarten | 17 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 17 | 12% |
| Grade 2 | 26 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 19 | 13% |
| Grade 4 | 16 | 11% |
| Grade 5 | 14 | 10% |
| Grade 6 | 20 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (17) is 15% smaller than its 6th grade class (20).
Student demographics
45%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 36% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within Clear Creek School District No. Re-1. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
CMAS 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
36.2%
CO avg 44.9% . -5.6pp since 2023
Math
25.0%
CO avg 36.1% . -2.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the CMAS, Colorado's statewide test, about 36 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 25 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Colorado schools, those numbers are about 45 and 36. Reading and writing scores are down about 6 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 2 points.
CMAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 36.2% | 25.0% |
| 2023-24 | 41.8% | 27.3% |
% Met or Exceeded Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CMAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
32.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
40.6%
based on CO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-8.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 32% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 41% typical for Colorado schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Colorado's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Carlson Elementary School
Carlson Elementary School's state test result (32.1% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlson Elementary School this school | 144 | 43.1% | 32.1% |
| Lewis-Arriola Elementary School CORTEZ | 125 | 40.8% | 56.9% |
| McClave Elementary School MC CLAVE | 126 | 42.1% | 56.6% |
| Caliche Elementary School ILIFF | 139 | 48.9% | 26.3% |
| The Juniper School DURANGO | 171 | 38.6% | 48.4% |
| Gilpin County Elementary School BLACK HAWK | 192 | 47.9% | 41.1% |
Matched among Colorado elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Carlson Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Colorado |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 32.1% | #547 of 931 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 25.0% | #619 of 940 ▼ 60 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 36.2% | #557 of 946 ▼ 83 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 144 | #950 of 1,056 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 43.1% | #545 of 983 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
144
+21 (+17%) vs 2020
-60% since 1990-91, when it was 361
Student : Teacher
11.6:1
was 9.5:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 144 | 12.5 | 11.6:1 | 43% (62) |
| 2023-24 | 140 | 11.5 | 12.2:1 | 34% (47) |
| 2022-23 | 145 | 13.5 | 10.8:1 | 25% (36) |
| 2020-21 | 123 | 13 | 9.5:1 | 38% (47) |
| 2017-18 | 198 | 17.9 | 11.1:1 | 44% (87) |
| 2015-16 | 232 | 18 | 12.9:1 | 41% (96) |
| 2010-11 | 231 | 15 | 15.4:1 | 52% (120) |
| 2000-01 | 311 | 19 | 16.4:1 | 28% (87) |
| 1990-91 | 361 | 19 | 19.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Carlson Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 27% (198 to 144); teachers down 30% (17.9 to 12.5).
About Carlson Elementary School
Students in IDAHO SPRINGS, Colorado, attend Carlson Elementary School, a very small elementary school. It had 144 students in 2024-25, spanning pre-K through 6. That compares with an average of about 379 students for elementary schools in Colorado.
Carlson Elementary School is run by Clear Creek School District No. Re-1, whose 5 schools enroll 634 students.
Of every 100 students at Carlson Elementary School, about 72 are White. It is also 16% Hispanic, 10% multiracial, and 2% Black. Clear Creek County's residents are about 87% White, 16 points above the school's share. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 45%.
The student-to-teacher ratio at Carlson Elementary School is 11.6:1, based on 12.5 full-time-equivalent teachers. Statewide, elementary schools in Colorado average 16.6:1. Lunch program data show 43% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. On average, public schools in Clear Creek County report 30%.
Carlson Elementary School holds a C allk12 Grade, placing it above 27% of Colorado public elementary schools.
Schools in Colorado with a similar free or reduced-price lunch share are predicted to score about 40.6%. Carlson Elementary School scores 32.1%.
The county, Clear Creek County, is where the school is located. Median household income comes to about $94,577, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 58% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 4%. The county has 5 public schools and about 634 students.
Carlson Elementary School's nearest public school is Gilpin County Elementary School (about 6.5 miles). There are at least 8 more public schools inside ten miles. Among the 8 closest schools with test data, this one included, Carlson Elementary School ranks 6th on average proficiency.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is Rural: Distant.
Enrollment figures show a rise of 21 students from 2020-21 to 2024-25. The number of students per teacher increased from 9.5 to 11.6 over 4 years.
Anyone can start a thread about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures at Carlson Elementary School. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Clear Creek County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
9,262
Census ACS
Median income
$94,577
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
58%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
5
634 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Clear Creek School District No. Re-1
- Clear Creek High SchoolHigh · 182 students
- King-Murphy Elementary SchoolElementary · 151 students
- Clear Creek Middle SchoolMiddle · 79 students
- Georgetown Community SchoolElementary · 78 students
Nearby schools
- Gilpin County Elementary School6.5 mi · 192
- Gilpin County Undivided High School6.5 mi · 200
- Clear Creek High School6.6 mi · 182
- Clear Creek Middle School6.6 mi · 79
- King-Murphy Elementary School8.5 mi · 151
- Georgetown Community School9.5 mi · 78
Frequently asked questions
About Carlson Elementary SchoolHow large is Carlson Elementary School?
Carlson Elementary School enrolls approximately 144 students in grades PK-06.
Is Carlson Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Carlson Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-06.
How many students per teacher at Carlson Elementary School?
Approximately 11.6:1 students per teacher at Carlson Elementary School.
How diverse is Carlson Elementary School?
Carlson Elementary School reports a student body of 72% White, 16% Hispanic, 2% Black, 10% Two or more.
Is Carlson Elementary School public or private?
Carlson Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Clear Creek School District No. Re-1.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.