K12ATLAS
Release v2026.07
§ State counselor data · CRDC 2021–22

Colorado school
counselor ratio data.

1,853 Colorado public schools reported counselor staffing. 656 of them, or 35.4%, reported zero school counselor FTE in the federal Civil Rights Data Collection for school year 2021–22.

This page turns that administrative field into plain language. It explains what the number can tell a parent, student, reporter, realtor or data buyer—and what it cannot tell anyone.

35.4%
reported zero counselor FTE · 11.8 percentage points above the national figure
302 : 1
median ratio among staffed schools · 36 students per counselor below the national figure
63.9%
of staffed schools exceed the ASCA 250 : 1 reference
199,967
students enrolled in schools reporting zero counselor FTE
§ 1 · Read the number

What this means in ordinary language.

For parents and caregivers

The ratio is a starting point for questions. Ask a school how counseling time is scheduled, whether counselors serve more than one campus, and which other student-support staff are available. The federal FTE figure does not answer those questions by itself.

For students

A large ratio means the reported counselor staffing is spread across more students. It does not tell you how easy it is to get an appointment. Your school office can explain how to contact a counselor and what support is available now.

For reporters and researchers

Use the count with its denominator and vintage. Separate reported zero from missing data. The five public district examples below are leads for reporting, not proof of why staffing differs or what effect it has.

For realtors and data buyers

Use the field as a cited staffing fact, never as a school rating or housing recommendation. K12 Atlas keeps the source, school year and missing-value rules beside the number so clients can make their own decisions.

§ 2 · District context

Five large Colorado district examples.

These are five districts with the largest summed enrollment in the current school profiles among districts with at least three schools reporting counselor FTE. They show how the paid dataset is structured. This is not a ranking or a complete state export.

DistrictSchools reportingReported zeroProfiled enrollmentMedian staffed-school ratio
School District No. 1 in the county of Denver and State of C19612590,471310 : 1
Jefferson County School District No. R-11455173,532292 : 1
Douglas County School District No. Re 188761,243359 : 1
Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the county of Arapah684851,980354 : 1
Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the counties of Adams and A552438,691341 : 1

District values aggregate school records; they are not district central-office staffing totals. Enrollment is summed from profiled schools. A blank counselor value is not counted as zero. Full district and school rows are not published free.

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§ 3 · Calculation

How the ratio is calculated.

Start with reported counselor FTE

FTE means full-time equivalent. One full-time counselor is 1.0 FTE; a half-time counselor is 0.5. The CRDC field is reported by school systems for SY 2021–22. K12 Atlas release v2026.07 joins it to current school profiles.

Divide enrollment by counselor FTE

A school reporting 600 students and 2.0 counselor FTE has a simple ratio of 300 students per counselor. A school reporting 0.5 FTE and 600 students has a ratio of 1,200 to 1.

Keep zero and missing separate

1,853 of 1,917 profiled Colorado schools report counselor FTE. The 64 without a reported value are excluded. A reported 0.0 is counted as zero, but no ratio is calculated because division by zero is not meaningful.

Use 250 : 1 as context

The American School Counselor Association recommends 250 students per counselor. K12 Atlas uses that as a reference line, not a grade. 759 of 1,187 staffed Colorado schools with enrollment exceed it.

§ 4 · Limits

What this dataset cannot answer.

A staffing ratio does not measure the quality of counseling, the number of appointments, the kinds of services offered, student outcomes, or whether another professional provides similar support. A counselor may serve multiple campuses, and local reporting practices can differ.

The data also cannot tell a family where to live or which school to choose. It describes a federal filing from one school year. Use it beside current information from the school or district, not in place of that information.

For the national table and comparison chart, see school counselor ratio data by state. For a step-by-step explanation, read how to calculate and interpret a counselor ratio. The CRDC glossary explains the federal source, and the methodology page documents K12 Atlas joins and missing-value rules.

§ 5 · FAQ

Questions about Colorado counselor data.

What does a zero-counselor school mean in Colorado?

It means the school reported 0.0 counselor full-time-equivalent staff in CRDC SY 2021–22. It does not mean the school failed to report, and it does not describe every student-support service available locally.

How is the student-to-school-counselor ratio calculated?

K12 Atlas divides reported school enrollment by reported counselor FTE for schools with a counselor value above zero. Missing counselor data and reported zero values are handled separately.

Does a counselor ratio measure school quality?

No. It is a staffing ratio from a federal administrative collection. It does not measure counseling quality, student access, outcomes, neighborhood desirability, or whether a family should choose a school.

Can I access the full counselor dataset programmatically?

Yes, after purchasing the appropriate license. Paid API access can provide programmatic school and district records for approved uses; this public page only shows state facts and five district examples.

Connect your app or AI agent to cited school data.

Programmatic access is paid and key-gated. Approved customers receive school and district records with source, vintage, definitions and usage terms after payment.

Request paid API access → See State Pack pricing →