Ponderosa Elementary

Set in LOVELAND, Colorado, Ponderosa Elementary is a middle-of-the-pack elementary school, overseen by Thompson School District R-2J. It instructs 335 students across grades pre-K through 5.

Within Thompson School District R-2J, which oversees 32 schools and 14,580 students, Ponderosa Elementary is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, Ponderosa Elementary reports that the largest single group is White, at 77% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school logs 18% Hispanic, 4% multiracial.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 15.7:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 16.6:1, putting Ponderosa Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. About 23% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is south of Larimer County's rate of about 35%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Ponderosa Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 53.0% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 46.5%.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Larimer County put median household earnings sit near $93,765, about 53% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 5%. In all, Larimer County runs 94 public schools (combined enrollment of about 47,159 students), of which Ponderosa Elementary is one.

Nearest neighbor: Lucile Erwin Middle School, around 0.7 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Ponderosa Elementary comes 1st of 7 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 35.0%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Looking at the recent track record. Ponderosa Elementary's enrollment has fell 18% since 2018, when it stood at 407 (now 335).

In the discussion threads here, members of the Ponderosa Elementary community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.