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Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Arizona Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Rio Colorado Elementary School

Q: Is Rio Colorado Elementary School a good school?

Rio Colorado Elementary School ranks 628 th of 909 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

628^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 909 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 31% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Rio Colorado Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 539 students in grades PK-6 in San Luis, Arizona, which is part of the Gadsden Elementary District. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Arizona elementary schools over the past decade, with a current ranking of 628 out of 909 schools.

Rio Colorado Elementary School faces significant challenges in academic achievement, with only 19-35% of its students proficient in English Language Arts and 30-43% proficient in Mathematics, compared to state averages of 36-46% and 29-42% respectively. The school also struggles to effectively serve certain student subgroups, with particularly low rankings for Hispanic, English Language Learner, and Migrant student performance, often in the bottom 30% of Arizona schools in those categories. Despite being located in the same district as several other elementary schools, Rio Colorado Elementary lags significantly behind its neighbors, such as Desert View Elementary, which outperforms it by 10-20 percentage points in proficiency rates.

The school's lower per-student spending, between $6,931 to $8,426, and higher student-teacher ratio of 28-29 students per teacher, compared to the state average, may be contributing factors to its poor performance and lack of progress. Addressing these issues will require a comprehensive, data-driven approach to improve the school's performance and ensure equitable educational opportunities for all its students.

523

Students ?

24.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,075

Per pupil spending ?

96.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1055 N. Main Street
San Luis, AZ 85349

(928) 627-6902

District: Gadsden Elementary District

Students who attend Rio Colorado Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	San Luis Middle School
High:	San Luis High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

98.1%

White:

1.5%

American Indian:

0.4%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Rio Colorado Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 6th percentile in 2015 → 31st in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 25 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (30% vs 39% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!English Language Arts scores 17 pts below the Arizona average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school30%

District avg31%

Arizona avg39%

628^th of 909

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Bottom 31%▲ up 25 pts since 2015

From bottom 6% (2015) to bottom 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6Elementary Schools in the Gadsden Elementary District

222^nd of 289Gadsden Elementary District among Arizona districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	24.9	628 of 909	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	16.1	762 of 912	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.8	873 of 1245	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	13.0	884 of 1000	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.9	1017 of 1226	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.7	961 of 1039	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.1	1076 of 1109	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	14.4	996 of 1106	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	15.4	962 of 1079	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	11.7	900 of 955	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	14.1	985 of 1079	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	20.8	1030 of 1158	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	18.7	1045 of 1141	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	12.8	998 of 1075	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	16.4	990 of 1090	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	17.0	961 of 1062	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	26.3	312 of 451	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.3	545 of 975	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	16.7	154 of 155	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	17.2	500 of 589	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.8	888 of 1219	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	7.3	804 of 824	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.1	1034 of 1219	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.7	775 of 862	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.1	976 of 1023	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	28.8	338 of 496	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	18.7	407 of 486	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.9	789 of 1170	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	14.5	665 of 716	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	24.8	961 of 1198	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.1	661 of 709	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.8	881 of 911	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	32.5	357 of 549	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.0	447 of 556	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.7	781 of 1116	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	16.0	562 of 618	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.1	794 of 820	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	26.8	445 of 626	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.3	884 of 1216	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	7.9	802 of 830	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.2	989 of 1220	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.4	788 of 850	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.9	1011 of 1032	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	30.5	31 of 37	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.3	41 of 60	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.1	6 of 7	14.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	27.6	970 of 1201	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)35th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)32nd percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2023)31st percentile~ school

Male (2025)29th percentile~ school

Special Education (2021)19th percentile~ school

Migrant (2023)16th percentile-14 vs school

Female (2025)15th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics36%~ state avg

English Language Arts23%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Rio Colorado Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				AASA English Language Arts (2025)						AASA Mathematics (2025)					AzSCI Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2023)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	AASA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	AASA English Language Arts 4th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 5th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 6th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th Grade	AASA Mathematics 3rd Grade	AASA Mathematics 4th Grade	AASA Mathematics 5th Grade	AASA Mathematics 6th Grade	AASA Mathematics 8th Grade	AzSCI Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Rio Colorado Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1055 N. Main Street	San Luis	85349	Yuma County	Gadsden Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(928) 627-6902	523	21	24.9	96.8%	8 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	513 (98.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24.9	628^th of 909 public elementary schools	30.9%		16.1	762^nd of 912 public elementary schools	16.4%	134	19.0	25.0	21.0	28.0			43.0	30.0	35.0	35.0			$8,075	$984	$624	$2,592	$5,796	$670	$6,467
Arizona Desert Elementary School	Public	K-6	1245 N. Main St.	San Luis	85349	Yuma County	Gadsden Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(928) 627-6940	662	25	26.4	95.9%	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	656 (99.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20.3	698^th of 909 public elementary schools	23.2%		18.2	739^th of 912 public elementary schools	19.0%	41	16.0	39.0	21.0	24.0			32.0	36.0	30.0	28.0		12.0	$7,875	$1,004	$521	$2,530	$5,639	$711	$6,350
Educational Pastor Elementary 4	Public	K-6	985 Sixth Avenue	San Luis	85349	Yuma County	Gadsden Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(928) 627-6980	646	23	28.0	85.9%	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	644 (99.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24.1	639^th of 909 public elementary schools	29.7%		29.2	583^rd of 912 public elementary schools	36.1%	56	24.0	34.0	33.0	24.0			23.0	33.0	41.0	27.0		25.0	$7,274	$889	$558	$2,337	$5,415	$411	$5,826
Gadsden Academy of Remote Learning	Public, Virtual	K-8	1350 E Cesar Chavez Blvd	San Luis	85349	Yuma County	Gadsden Elementary District	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(928) 627-6540	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Cesar Chavez Elementary	Public	K-6	1130 North 10th Avenue	San Luis	85349	Yuma County	Gadsden Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(928) 627-6958	766	25	30.6	90.9%	8 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	757 (98.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21.8	676^th of 909 public elementary schools	25.6%		22.1	663^rd of 912 public elementary schools	27.3%	13	24.0	41.0	22.0	30.0			35.0	36.0	22.0	25.0		16.0	$7,504	$893	$579	$2,365	$5,353	$680	$6,033
Harvest Preparatory Academy San Luis AZ	Public, Charter	K-8	1044 N. 10th Avenue	San Luis	85364	Yuma County	Harvest Power Community Development Group Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(928) 627-5008	575	37	15.5	77.8%	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	568 (98.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23.1	654^th of 909 public elementary schools	28.1%		16.7	757^th of 912 public elementary schools	17.0%	103		24.0	34.0	22.0	26.0	41.0	28.0	44.0	25.0	32.0	16.0	17.0		$00			$00
Desert View Elementary	Public	K-6	1508 N. 10th Avenue	San Luis	85349	Yuma County	Gadsden Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(928) 627-6915	760	25	30.4	88.8%	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	757 (99.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40.7	464^th of 909 public elementary schools	49.0%		47.2	425^th of 912 public elementary schools	53.4%	39	23.0	43.0	37.0	52.0			26.0	43.0	45.0	56.0		18.0		$00			$00
Sun Valley Elementary School	Public	K-6	3667 E. San Luis Ln.	San Luis	85350	Yuma County	Somerton Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(928) 341-6000	260	12	21.6	3.2%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	259 (99.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Gadsden Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	18745 S. Gadsden Street	Gadsden	85349	Yuma County	Gadsden Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(928) 627-6970	391	17	23.0	96.7%	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	389 (99.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27.6	588^th of 909 public elementary schools	35.3%		28.7	587^th of 912 public elementary schools	35.6%	1		26.0	23.0	31.0				42.0	30.0	36.0			$8,140	$1,121	$529	$2,772	$5,895	$594	$6,489
Tierra Del Sol Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1002 South Somerton Ave	Somerton	85350	Yuma County	Somerton Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(928) 341-6400	579	31	18.6	81.9%	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	567 (97.9%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	20.1	704^th of 909 public elementary schools	22.6%		19.5	707^th of 912 public elementary schools	22.5%	3	24.0	32.0	33.0	32.0			20.0	19.0	32.0	19.0		28.0	$8,891	$588	$88	$1,264	$7,240	$974	$8,214

Frequently Asked Questions about Rio Colorado Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Rio Colorado Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Rio Colorado Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : San Luis Middle School
High : San Luis High School

What is the racial makeup of Rio Colorado Elementary School?

Students at Rio Colorado Elementary School are 98% Hispanic, 2% White.

How many students attend Rio Colorado Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 523 students attended Rio Colorado Elementary School.

Is Rio Colorado Elementary School a good school?

Rio Colorado Elementary School ranks 628^th of 909 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Rio Colorado Elementary School in?

Gadsden Elementary District

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Latest Arizona data All new data »

2024–25 dropout ratesDec 2, 2025

2024–25 graduation ratesNov 7, 2025

2024–25 AASA & AzSCI test scoresOct 10, 2025

2023–24 dropout ratesJun 30, 2025

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