Prepared by VAO CollaborativeCommissioned by Colorado Schools Fund
Prepared for
Montessori Peaks Charter Academy
School Funding Projection
Montessori Peaks Charter Academy
Last updated June 15, 2026 — reflects CDE’s new clarification around the “< 459” at-risk provision.
Projected funding from FY 2025-26 baseline through FY 2031-32, under HB25-1320 and SB26-023. Montessori Peaks is district-authorized (Jefferson County R-1). This model provides a defensible, third-party calculation the school can bring to its authorizer.
FY26 Estimate—Placeholder · district PPR × FPC
FY27 Projected——
FY32 Projected—Full new formula
FY26 → FY32 Change——
Scenarios run from CSF-sourced defaults · adjust inputs below to model alternatives
Using this tool
Montessori Peaks is district-authorized through Jefferson County R-1. No published district estimate exists to reconcile against — the reconciliation badge below reflects this. FY27 defaults are sourced from CDE district data, CDE 2025-26 pupil membership records, and CDE 2024-25 FRL eligibility, held flat through FY32. Edit any cell directly, or use the growth-rate controls to model trajectories. The FY26 total program is an editable input prepopulated with an estimate — overwrite it with the school's verified actual passthrough receipt from Jefferson County R-1. Print to share a documented scenario with the authorizer or finance committee.
District-authorized context: Jefferson County R-1 retains up to 5% of Montessori Peaks' generated total program before passing through (§22-30.5-112). The "Net to School" line reflects this 5% admin retention. This model gives Montessori Peaks a defensible calculation of what its students generate under the new formula — a concrete basis for passthrough conversations with the district.
01 · INPUTS & PROJECTION
Montessori Peaks Charter Academy
FY26 baseline, editable FY27-FY32 inputs matrix, gross-net-PPR projection with year-over-year change, and a breakdown of where the funding comes from in any selected year. FY27 defaults from CDE district data and CDE pupil membership records. FY28-FY32 default to FY27 values — set separate growth rates for enrollment, at-risk, ELL, and SPED, or edit any cell directly.
LITTLETON
Montessori Peaks Charter Academy
Authorizer: Jefferson County R-1 (district-authorized) · Accounting district: Jefferson County R-1 (1420) · CDE code: 5994
5% admin retention (district-authorized).
FY26 estimated baseline ⚠ Placeholder estimate — replace with actual receipt
Model default: $4,906,995 · Estimate: FY26 Jefferson County R-1 adjusted per-pupil funding ($11,385.14) × 431 K-12 FPC — replace with actual receipt
FY27-FY32 inputs (editable)
Annual growth rates · FY28 → FY32 (compounded from FY27)
%
%
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%
FY27→FY32: flat
Projection · gross, admin, net, per-pupil, YoY on PPR
Where the funding comes from
⚠ District-authorized — independent verification pending. Montessori Peaks is district-authorized through Jefferson County R-1; no independently published FY27 estimate exists to reconcile against. The FY26 total is a placeholder estimate (FY26 district adjusted per-pupil funding × school K-12 FPC), not an actual receipt. Overwrite it with the school's verified FY26 total program passthrough before board-level or authorizer use — the FY27 hold-harmless floor depends directly on this figure.
▶ Enrollment Smoothing
No historical FPC data available (FY23–FY25 FPC not sourced from Jefferson County R-1). Enrollment smoothing is not applicable until multi-year FPC history is populated. For a district-authorized school, the district holds these records — request FY23–FY25 FPC from Jefferson County R-1 to enable smoothing analysis.
Base PPR inflation · FY28–FY32
FY27 base PPR is set at $8,900.40 (the appropriated rate — a 2.4% increase over FY26's $8,692). This input controls the assumed annual growth rate for FY28 onward, compounding through FY32. Default is 2.0% as a conservative planning baseline.
% per year
02 · TRAJECTORY
Seven-year funding trajectory
Gross total program from FY26 actual through FY32 projection. The dotted line shows full new-formula value each year; the gap closes through the phase-in schedule.
FY26 estimate → FY32 projection
Gross total program — applicable amount each year, with FY26 as the estimated starting point (placeholder pending actual receipt).
Plain-language interpretation for school leaders, boards, and the Jefferson County R-1 finance office. Montessori Peaks is a mid-sized K-8 school (431 FY26 K-12 funded count) whose at-risk, ELL, and SPED shares all sit below Jeffco averages — which means the hold-harmless floor, not the new-formula phase-in, drives the FY27–FY31 projection at default inputs.
Net effect on funding
The new formula adds explicit per-pupil weights for at-risk, ELL, and SPED populations (about $2,225 per identified student in FY27, rising with base PPR inflation). Montessori Peaks' at-risk share (18.8%) sits below the district's 28.7%, its ELL share (0.9%) below the district's 4.0%, and its SPED share (7.4%) below the district's 13.8%. The new formula's net per-pupil benefit is therefore small (about +$99/pupil at full implementation under default inputs), and the hold-harmless floor — not the phase-in — drives the FY27–FY31 projection.
The phase-in runs in 15-percentage-point increments: 30% new formula in FY27, then 45%, 60%, 75%, 90%, and 100% by FY32.
FY26 → FY32 trajectory under current inputs: —Bill benefit at full implementation (FY32 new-formula PPR vs full old-formula PPR): —
Passthrough advocacy
Montessori Peaks is district-authorized. Jefferson County R-1 calculates and passes through the school-generated funding under §22-30.5-112, retaining up to 5% for administrative overhead. This model's purpose is to give Montessori Peaks a defensible, third-party calculation of what its students generate under HB25-1320 / SB26-023 — a concrete basis for conversations with the district about passthrough amounts.
The school-vs-district comparison in Section 01 is the foundation. Where Montessori Peaks' demographic profile diverges from the district, the per-pupil funding the school generates diverges from district averages. The school can point to specific line items (at-risk supplement, ELL supplement) to demonstrate the dollar value its population generates, independent of how the district distributes.
Jefferson County R-1's COL factor steps down from 0.224 (FY27, older study) to 0.219 (FY28+, April 2026 study) — a small but real downward move worth carrying into multi-year planning. Jeffco is one of Colorado's largest districts (FPC ~70,700), so no size or locale factors apply; its size does mean the old-formula at-risk calculation would use the steeper 0.36 concentration slope per §22-54-104(5)(f)(II), though Montessori Peaks sits below the 46.75% threshold where that band applies.
Risks to watch
FY26 baseline is an estimate, not a receipt. The prepopulated FY26 total ($4,906,995) is Jefferson County R-1's FY26 adjusted per-pupil funding ($11,385.14) × the school's K-12 funded count — a planning placeholder. The FY27 hold-harmless floor is FY26 actual × 1.01, so this figure directly drives FY27 protection. Overwrite it with the verified passthrough receipt from Jefferson County R-1 as soon as it is available.
Hold-harmless floor binds FY27–FY31 at defaults. Under current inputs the floor exceeds the phase-in amount in every year through FY31, so projected funding equals the FY26 estimate × 1.01 in FY27 and the same-year old-formula leg × 1.01 in FY28–FY31. Because the FY26 figure is itself an estimate, the FY27 projection is especially sensitive to the actual receipt — verify it first.
FY32 floor falls away. The hold-harmless floor expires after FY31. If actual demographics come in below projections in FY28–FY31, FY32 funding will reflect only the new formula with no minimum guarantee. Verify annually as actual counts are certified.
Demographic counts need district confirmation. ELL and SPED defaults are CDE 2025-26 IPST counts, which are PK-12 based; because Montessori Peaks enrolls 55 preschoolers, the counts were scaled to the K-12 funded base (×431/486). CDE's FY25-26 school-level FRL data is suppressed for Montessori Peaks, so the FRL default applies FY24-25 eligibility (18.8%) to FY25-26 K-12 enrollment. Replace all three with K-12 counts from Jefferson County R-1's charter funding worksheets when available.
Based on current statutory understanding. These figures reflect the statute as written. CDE is expected to publish implementation guidance shortly that will affect district-authorized schools — pass-through mechanics, the funding source for hold-harmless payments, and administrative-retention authority post-FY26 — and we will update this analysis once it is released. These determinations may affect the amounts Montessori Peaks actually receives from Jefferson County R-1.
Enrollment projections are assumptions. FY27 defaults are FY25-26 actual counts held flat through FY32; actual funding will reflect the October 2026 certified count (trued up in January 2027). FY28–FY32 figures are planning projections, not guarantees.
Floor status under current inputs: —
Out of scope
This tool models total program funding under HB25-1320 / SB26-023. Not modeled: federal and state non-formula revenue (Title I, IDEA, ELL grants, MLO override revenue), cash-flow timing, or the specific mechanics of how Jefferson County R-1 calculates its passthrough to Montessori Peaks under §22-30.5-112. The 5% retention rate is the statutory maximum for district-authorized charters — the actual rate may be lower depending on the district's charter contract.
COL factors beyond FY28 are held constant at the FY28 level (no future biennial study has been conducted). FY29–FY32 figures repeat the FY28 COL factor as an explicit assumption.
04 · METHODOLOGY & CAVEATS
Calculation methodology
The funding model implements the new-formula charter funding methodology established by HB25-1320 and the FY28-FY32 phase-in schedule, with CDE's authoritative FY28+ cost-of-living factors. Montessori Peaks is district-authorized (Jefferson County R-1, §22-30.5-112); no published district estimate exists for reconciliation — independent verification is pending.
Data classification
Every figure in this tool belongs to one of four categories.
Finalized administrative implementation of the charter funding formula. Authoritative for actual distributions.
ExamplesAt-risk % denominator (headcount); old-formula at-risk = 12% × PP7 × FRL below the 46.75% threshold; above it, the upper band uses 12% + 0.36 × (school AR − 46.75%) — the steeper slope for districts over 50,000 FPC per §22-54-104(5)(f)(II) — capped at 30%.
Sourced
From primary source files. Updates require new source publication.
User-adjustable. Defaults provided where source data exists.
ExamplesFY27-FY32 enrollment, FRL/ELL/SPED counts; growth rates; base PPR inflation; FY26 actual total program.
Summary
The bill phases in over six years (as written). FY27 is only 30% of the gap between old and new formula. FY32 is the first year at full new-formula amount.
Each at-risk, ELL, and SPED student is worth ~$2,225 in FY27. That dollar weight rises with base PPR inflation each year through FY32.
FY27 figures will move in January 2027. The certified October 2026 count triggers a true-up.
The hold-harmless floor protects through FY31. You receive the greater of the phase-in calc or the same-year old-formula × 1.01. FY32 has no floor.
Admin retention is 5% (district-authorized). The "Net to School" line is what actually arrives after Jefferson County R-1's retention.
Year-over-year change on Per-Pupil Revenue isolates formula and composition effects from raw enrollment growth.
FY26 baseline
FY26 is an estimate: Jefferson County R-1's FY26 adjusted in-school per-pupil funding ($11,385.14, CDE FY25-26 district funding worksheet) × the school's FY25-26 K-12 funded count (431). It is an editable input — overwrite with the verified receipt from Jefferson County R-1. The FY27 hold-harmless floor is this figure × 1.01, and FY27 year-over-year changes are calculated against it.
New-formula components
Base PPR × FPC, plus at-risk / ELL / SPED at 25% of base PPR per pupil, plus cost-of-living, locale, and size factors. Concentration factor requires school AR > 70% in a district under 7,000 funded count with district AR > 70%. Montessori Peaks does not qualify (Jefferson County R-1's funded count far exceeds 7,000); locale and size are zero for Jefferson County R-1.
Phase-in schedule
FY27-FY31 funding is a blend of the prior (1994) formula and the new formula, weighted 30% / 45% / 60% / 75% / 90% to the new formula. FY32 is 100% new formula.
Hold-harmless floor
FY27 floor = FY26 actual × 1.01. FY28-FY31 floor = same-year prior-formula leg × 1.01 (current-year basis). FY32 has no statutory floor. School receives the greater of phase-in or floor.
Cost-of-living factors
FY27 uses the older (2023) COL study; FY28 onward uses CDE's rebased April 2026 study. No study exists beyond the FY28 biennium, so FY29-FY32 hold the FY28 factor constant — an explicit assumption, not a projection. Future biennial studies have not yet been conducted.
Admin retention
District-authorized charters: up to 5% (statutory maximum). The actual retention percentage may vary by contract with Jefferson County R-1. This model uses 5% as the conservative assumption.
Year-over-year change basis
YoY $ and % change are calculated on Per-Pupil Revenue, isolating formula and demographic-composition effects from raw enrollment growth.
