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Alumni: what's one memory from High Plains School that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
495
Elementary
DISTRICT 328 · STATE 379
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·THOMPSON SCHOOL DISTRICT R-2J·NCES 080540006697
High Plains School
4255 BUFFALO MOUNTAIN DRIVE, LOVELAND, CO 80538 · (970) 679-9800 · Larimer County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL495 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 61% of Colorado public elementary schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-Beats 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
17.7:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.3:1 · STATE 16.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
34%
169 students
DISTRICT 37% · STATE 50%
Community
6
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 | 28 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 58 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 46 | 9% |
| Grade 2 | 51 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 43 | 9% |
| Grade 4 | 45 | 9% |
| Grade 5 | 70 | 14% |
| Grade 6 | 57 | 12% |
| Grade 7 | 46 | 9% |
| Grade 8 | 51 | 10% |
This year's kindergarten class (58) is 14% larger than its 8th grade class (51).
Student demographics
49%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 47% · 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
Test scores
CMAS 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
53.6%
CO avg 44.9% . +2.9pp since 2023
Math
42.1%
CO avg 36.1% . +1.8pp since 2023
What this means: On the CMAS, Colorado's statewide test, about 54 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 42 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Colorado schools, those numbers are about 45 and 36. Reading and writing scores are up about 3 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 2 points.
CMAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 53.6% | 42.1% |
| 2023-24 | 50.7% | 40.3% |
% 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
47.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
46.0%
based on CO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 48% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 46% 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 High Plains School
High Plains School's state test result (47.6% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Plains School this school | 495 | 34.1% | 47.6% |
| Riffenburgh Elementary School FORT COLLINS | 443 | 34.5% | 57.9% |
| Ryan Elementary School LAFAYETTE | 436 | 34.9% | 46.1% |
| Timnath Elementary School TIMNATH | 455 | 30.8% | 53.6% |
| Legacy Elementary School FREDERICK | 430 | 37.7% | 39.9% |
| Castle Rock Elementary School CASTLE ROCK | 440 | 32.0% | 45.3% |
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 High Plains School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Colorado | In Larimer County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 47.6% | #334 of 931 | #26 of 52 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 42.1% | #384 of 940 no change | #30 of 53 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 53.6% | #308 of 946 ▲ 45 | #25 of 53 ▲ 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 495 | #245 of 1,056 | #8 of 56 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.7:1 | #742 of 896 | #46 of 49 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 49.3% | #474 of 896 | #21 of 49 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 34.1% | #654 of 983 | #31 of 52 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +4.7% | #146 of 200 | #6 of 9 |
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
495
-8 (-2%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
17.7:1
was 17.3:1
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 | 495 | 28 | 17.7:1 | 34% (169) |
| 2023-24 | 491 | 26.2 | 18.8:1 | 36% (178) |
| 2022-23 | 473 | 25.3 | 18.7:1 | 31% (145) |
| 2020-21 | 503 | 29 | 17.3:1 | 21% (108) |
| 2017-18 | 473 | 23.9 | 19.8:1 | 32% (149) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for High Plains School.
Since 2017-18: students up 5% (473 to 495); teachers up 17% (23.9 to 28).
About High Plains School
Federal records list High Plains School as an elementary school in LOVELAND, Colorado. It is open to students in pre-K through 8 and enrolls 495 students. Elementary schools in Colorado have about 379 students on average; enrollment here is 31% higher.
Besides High Plains School, Thompson School District R-2J runs 31 other schools. The district enrolls 14,580 students.
More than half of enrollment at High Plains School is White: 68%. The remaining shares are 21% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 3% Asian, and 2% Black. Larimer County as a whole is about 82% White, so the school's share is lower. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, High Plains School scores 49%.
On staff are 28 full-time-equivalent teachers; the student-to-teacher ratio is 17.7:1. Elementary schools in Colorado average 16.6:1, 1.1 fewer students per teacher than here. High Plains School has a free or reduced-price lunch rate of 34%. The figure for public schools in Larimer County is close, at 35%.
Among Colorado public elementary schools, High Plains School outscored 61%, which works out to a B on the allk12 Grade.
In Colorado, High Plains School is in the middle band of BeatsExpectations: 47.6% actual against a predicted 46.0%.
American Community Survey estimates for Larimer County show that median household income comes to about $93,765, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 53% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 5%. The county's public schools total 94, with about 47,159 students.
Measured in a straight line, Mountain View High School is about 0.8 miles from High Plains School. The five-mile area around High Plains School holds at least 8 other public schools. Among 8 nearby schools that report test results, High Plains School ranks 2nd on proficiency.
Federal data place High Plains School in the City: Small locale, which means it is inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
There was little change in enrollment from 2020-21 (503) to 2024-25 (495).
The High Plains School discussion page is a place for open houses, carpools, and field trips. You can also rate the school on this page.
Larimer County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
367,368
Census ACS
Median income
$93,765
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
53%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
94
47,159 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Thompson School District R-2J
- Loveland High SchoolHigh · 1,354 students
- Mountain View High SchoolHigh · 1,074 students
- Loveland Classical SchoolCombined · 1,032 students
- New Vision Charter SchoolElementary · 1,005 students
- Thompson Valley High SchoolHigh · 1,005 students
- Riverview PK-8Elementary · 757 students
Other schools in LOVELAND
- Loveland High SchoolHigh · 1,354 students
- Mountain View High SchoolHigh · 1,074 students
- Loveland Classical SchoolCombined · 1,032 students
- New Vision Charter SchoolElementary · 1,005 students
- Thompson Valley High SchoolHigh · 1,005 students
- Lucile Erwin Middle SchoolMiddle · 686 students
Other High Plains schools
One other US public school is named High Plains. High Plains School is the largest of the 2.
- High Plains - 06Chester, SD · 84 students
Nearby schools
- Mountain View High School0.8 mi · 1,074
- New Vision Charter School2.0 mi · 1,005
- Peakview Academy at Conrad Ball2.5 mi · 536
- Winona Elementary School2.5 mi · 246
- Thompson Integrated Early Childhood3.1 mi · 85
- Riverview PK-83.3 mi · 757
Frequently asked questions
About High Plains SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at High Plains School?
High Plains School enrolls approximately 495 students in grades PK-08.
What grades does High Plains School serve?
High Plains School serves grades PK-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at High Plains School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at High Plains School is approximately 17.7:1 (28 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at High Plains School?
At High Plains School, the student body is approximately 68% White, 21% Hispanic, 2% Black, 3% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is High Plains School in?
High Plains School is part of Thompson School District R-2J.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.