Big Thompson Elementary School

Summary:

Big Thompson Elementary School is a public elementary school in Loveland, Colorado, serving students from kindergarten to 5th grade as part of the Thompson School District R-2j.

Big Thompson Elementary consistently outperforms the district and state averages in academic assessments, with 51.4% of students proficient in English Language Arts and 40.7% proficient in Math, compared to 42.9% and 33.3% for the district, respectively. The school also boasts a higher 5th-grade Science proficiency rate of 52.9%, well above the district's 37.3% and the state's 37.9%. Compared to nearby schools like Garfield Elementary School and B F Kitchen Elementary School, Big Thompson's academic performance is notably stronger.

In addition to its strong academic results, Big Thompson Elementary has a diverse student population, with 80.58% White students and 13.59% Hispanic students. The school also serves a relatively higher socioeconomic status community, with only 20.39% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, lower than the district and state averages. With a student-teacher ratio of 16.2, the school provides a personalized learning environment for its students. Overall, Big Thompson Elementary School stands out as a high-performing and well-rounded institution within the Thompson School District R-2j.


Detail:

Public K-5

 7702 West Highway 34
       Loveland, CO  80538-9454


(970) 613-5600

District: Thompson School District R-2j

SchoolDigger Rank:
354th of 943 Colorado Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $14,571 Help


Students who attend Big Thompson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Walt Clark Middle School
High:    Thompson Valley High School

Student/teacher ratio:  16.2 Help
Number of students:  206

Racial breakdown:

White:
80.6%
Hispanic:
13.6%
Two or more races:
4.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  20.4% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Big Thompson Elementary School ranks better than 62.5% of elementary schools in Colorado. It also ranks 7th among 19 ranked elementary schools in the Thompson School District R-2j. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 60.96. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Big Thompson Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Thompson School District R-2j.  (See more...)
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Big Thompson Elementary School is $14,571. 14 elementary schools in the Thompson School District R-2j spend more per student.
Schooldigger Rankings:

Big Thompson Elementary School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Thompson School District R-2j:

SchoolDigger ranks Thompson School District R-2j 46th of 116 Colorado school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Big Thompson Elementary School?

Rank History for Big Thompson Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Big Thompson Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 81.91 126th 808 84.4%
2005 66.42 292nd 823 64.5%
2006 60.16 367th 829 55.7%
2007 56.88 409th 852 52.0%
2008 66.41 297th 849 65.0%
2009 59.33 385th 872 55.8%
2010 65.99 332nd 925 64.1%
2011 53.66 480th 935 48.7%
2012 56.76 435th 935 53.5%
2013 69.34 290th 954 69.6%
2014 78.18 189th 962 80.4%
2015 80.08 161st 938 82.8%
2016 72.52 228th 914 75.1%
2017 77.36 189th 929 79.7%
2018 80.44 166th 917 81.9%
2019 72.91 232nd 965 76.0%
2021 80.36 152nd 710 78.6%
2022 81.46 149th 921 83.8%
2023 66.20 285th 933 69.5%
2024 60.96 354th 943 62.5%
See the entire list of Colorado Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Big Thompson Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 93.36 6th 308 98.1%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Big Thompson Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 63.09 217th 690 68.6%
2019 65.93 228th 758 69.9%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Big Thompson Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 82.24 101st 693 85.4%
2019 92.70 31st 764 95.9%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Big Thompson Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 57.52 233rd 596 60.9%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Colorado Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Big Thompson Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
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Data source: Colorado Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3.5)
50%

0%

0%

50%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Open Quote Basically, the school has good and kind teachers who are following bad marching orders. Both of my kids got a weak foundation in math that they'll probably never fully overcome. I never saw any evidence of STEM being more than a buzzword that the school paid lip service to.

Some specific memories:
When a problem kid threw a fit, did they haul his butt out of the classroom? No. Instead, they had all the OTHER kids leave the room and go to a neighboring classroom, halting the learning of two full classes of kids. Crazy.
Being told that "Math isn't taught the way we learned it" (i.e. lots of practice). "It's taught at a conceptual level now" (i.e. they show several different ways to do it - causing confusion - but don't assign enough problems to internalize any one of them). This "new math" teaching goes against ALL research on effective learning.
My daughter getting a "3" on their silly 4-point scale, on a spelling test where she got all 10 words and two bonus words correct. Why? "3" means "meeting expectations", and she was a good speller. "4" was literally unreachable. Crazy.

What terrifies me is that this is probably a good proxy for the average modern American elementary school. The goal is NOT to help each kid reach his or her full potential. It's more about going at the pace of the slowest kid in the class so nobody is left behind. Close Quote


by a parent
Monday, August 28, 2017

Open Quote Absolutely thrilled with Big T, happy with a rigorous kindergarten experience. The teachers and administration expect great results from the kids, and support them to make it possible. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Big Thompson Elementary School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 304 1 16 8 10 n/a n/a 0 339
1989 348 0 4 5 0 n/a n/a 0 357
1990 303 0 2 9 1 n/a n/a 0 315
1991 288 0 1 2 1 n/a n/a 0 292
1992 288 0 3 6 7 n/a n/a 0 304
1993 305 1 0 5 3 n/a n/a 0 314
1994 308 1 4 6 2 n/a n/a 0 321
1995 320 1 1 6 3 n/a n/a 0 331
1996 320 1 1 6 3 n/a n/a 0 331
1997 315 2 3 3 0 n/a n/a 0 323
1998 282 0 4 5 3 n/a n/a 0 294
1999 272 3 4 6 4 n/a n/a 0 289
2000 269 1 2 13 5 n/a n/a 0 290
2001 244 2 3 13 5 n/a n/a 0 267
2002 217 0 2 9 2 n/a n/a 0 230
2003 217 0 2 9 2 n/a n/a 0 230
2004 216 0 1 6 1 n/a n/a 0 224
2005 201 1 1 7 1 n/a n/a 0 211
2006 198 0 5 6 3 n/a n/a 0 212
2007 189 0 4 7 0 n/a n/a 0 200
2008 184 0 3 4 1 n/a n/a 0 192
2009 167 0 3 7 1 n/a n/a 0 178
2010 170 0 5 8 0 n/a n/a 0 183
2011 191 0 3 11 1 0 0 0 206
2012 171 0 8 5 0 0 1 0 185
2013 156 0 6 9 0 0 0 0 171
2014 169 0 7 7 0 0 1 0 184
2015 189 1 5 10 1 0 1 0 207
2016 189 1 5 21 1 0 3 0 220
2017 186 1 5 24 1 0 4 0 221
2018 192 1 2 32 3 0 10 0 240
2019 185 0 3 29 3 0 12 0 232
2020 178 1 2 25 5 1 10 0 222
2021 145 1 2 23 1 1 6 0 179
2022 155 1 2 27 0 1 9 0 195
2023 166 1 0 28 1 1 9 0 206

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Big Thompson Elementary School

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Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 339 18.3 18.5 n/a
1989 357 17.7 20.1 9
1990 315 15.9 19.8 3.8
1991 292 15.3 19.0 4.5
1992 304 15.3 19.8 9.9
1993 314 16.3 19.3 8.3
1994 321 16.2 19.8 10.9
1995 331 18.0 18.4 11.5
1996 331 18.0 18.4 11.5
1997 323 17.5 18.5 8.7
1998 294 15.0 19.6 8.5
1999 289 15.1 19.1 8.3
2000 290 16.0 18.1 12.8
2001 267 14.3 18.7 14.2
2002 230 13.3 17.3 12.6
2003 230 13.3 17.3 12.6
2004 224 13.9 16.1 16.1
2005 211 9.6 22.0 15.6
2006 212 11.8 18.0 13.2
2007 200 10.6 18.9 20.5
2008 192 12.7 15.1 21.9
2009 178 12.1 14.7 17.4
2010 183 11.5 15.7 15.3
2011 206 11.2 18.2 25.2
2012 185 10.7 17.1 21.6
2013 171 10.2 16.7 24.6
2014 184 10.5 17.4 37
2015 207 12.0 17.2 26.6
2016 220 12.0 18.3 25.9
2017 221 11.7 18.8 32.1
2018 240 11.7 20.3 29.6
2019 232 11.8 19.6 31
2020 222 14.6 15.1 32
2021 179 13.7 13.0 26.8
2022 195 12.4 15.6 16.9
2023 206 12.7 16.2 20.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Big Thompson Elementary School

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Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 339 18.3 18.5 n/a
1989 357 17.7 20.1 9
1990 315 15.9 19.8 3.8
1991 292 15.3 19.0 4.5
1992 304 15.3 19.8 9.9
1993 314 16.3 19.3 8.3
1994 321 16.2 19.8 10.9
1995 331 18.0 18.4 11.5
1996 331 18.0 18.4 11.5
1997 323 17.5 18.5 8.7
1998 294 15.0 19.6 8.5
1999 289 15.1 19.1 8.3
2000 290 16.0 18.1 12.8
2001 267 14.3 18.7 14.2
2002 230 13.3 17.3 12.6
2003 230 13.3 17.3 12.6
2004 224 13.9 16.1 16.1
2005 211 9.6 22.0 15.6
2006 212 11.8 18.0 13.2
2007 200 10.6 18.9 20.5
2008 192 12.7 15.1 21.9
2009 178 12.1 14.7 17.4
2010 183 11.5 15.7 15.3
2011 206 11.2 18.2 25.2
2012 185 10.7 17.1 21.6
2013 171 10.2 16.7 24.6
2014 184 10.5 17.4 37
2015 207 12.0 17.2 26.6
2016 220 12.0 18.3 25.9
2017 221 11.7 18.8 32.1
2018 240 11.7 20.3 29.6
2019 232 11.8 19.6 31
2020 222 14.6 15.1 32
2021 179 13.7 13.0 26.8
2022 195 12.4 15.6 16.9
2023 206 12.7 16.2 20.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Big Thompson Elementary School

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $9,945
2020 $13,668
2021 $17,327
2022 $19,807
2023 $14,571

Data source: Colorado Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Big Thompson Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 232nd of 965 Elementary schoolsRanks 285th of 933 Elementary schools
 6.5%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Big Thompson Elementary School)47.431.6
 15.8%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Thompson School District R-2j)46.139.3
 6.8%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)41.339.9
 1.4%
3rd Grade Math (Big Thompson Elementary School)44.736.8
 7.9%
   3rd Grade Math (Thompson School District R-2j)48.242
 6.2%
   3rd Grade Math (Colorado)4140.4
 0.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Big Thompson Elementary School)52.662.5
 9.9%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Thompson School District R-2j)5246.2
 5.8%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)4843.8
 4.2%
4th Grade Math (Big Thompson Elementary School)36.850
 13.2%
   4th Grade Math (Thompson School District R-2j)37.230.7
 6.5%
   4th Grade Math (Colorado)33.632.7
 0.9%
5th Grade Science (Big Thompson Elementary School)62.257.7
 4.5%
   5th Grade Science (Thompson School District R-2j)35.433.8
 1.6%
   5th Grade Science (Colorado)35.933.9
 2%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Big Thompson Elementary School)66.769.2
 2.5%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Thompson School District R-2j)49.450.1
 0.7%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)48.447.8
 0.6%
5th Grade Math (Big Thompson Elementary School)6050
 10%
   5th Grade Math (Thompson School District R-2j)37.733.1
 4.6%
   5th Grade Math (Colorado)35.736.5
 0.8%
All Grades English Language Arts (Big Thompson Elementary School)56.252.1
 4.1%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Thompson School District R-2j)45.842.4
 3.4%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Colorado)45.843.7
 2.1%
All Grades Math (Big Thompson Elementary School)47.944.8
 3.1%
   All Grades Math (Thompson School District R-2j)35.731.2
 4.5%
   All Grades Math (Colorado)34.732.9
 1.8%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students232206
 11.2%
African American01
American Indian31
 66.7%
Asian30
 100%
Hispanic2928
 3.4%
Pacific Islander01
White185166
 10.3%
Two or More Races129
 25%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients31%20.4%
 10.6%


Schools Near Big Thompson Elementary School









Frequently Asked Questions about Big Thompson Elementary School

Big Thompson Elementary School ranks 354th of 943 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Big Thompson Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Walt Clark Middle School
High : Thompson Valley High School

In the 2022-23 school year, 206 students attended Big Thompson Elementary School.

Students at Big Thompson Elementary School are 81% White, 14% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Colorado Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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