Best Public Schools in Clifton, CO

Summary:

The city of Clifton, Colorado is home to three schools - two elementary schools (Rocky Mountain Elementary School and Clifton Elementary School) and one middle school (Mount Garfield Middle School) - all of which appear to be performing below the district and state averages on various academic measures.

The data reveals that all three Clifton schools have significantly lower proficiency rates compared to the Mesa County Valley School District and the state of Colorado in both English Language Arts and Math across various grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, the proficiency rate in CMAS/Math for all grades at Mount Garfield Middle School was 20.7%, compared to the district average of 34.7% and the state average of 35.9%. Similarly, the proficiency rate in CMAS/English Language Arts for all grades at Clifton Elementary School was only 14.8%, compared to the district average of 43.1% and the state average of 44.8%.

Additionally, the schools in Clifton have high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 27.7% to 27.7% in the 2023-2024 school year, and high percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 70.82% at Mount Garfield Middle School to 85.58% at Rocky Mountain Elementary School. According to the School Digger ranking system, all three schools are ranked in the bottom half of their respective school types in Colorado, indicating a need for targeted interventions and support to address the low academic performance, high poverty levels, and chronic absenteeism issues in the Clifton school district.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CMAS English Language Arts (2025)							CMAS Math (2025)							CMAS Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	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	CMAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	CMAS Science 8th Grade	Total
Clifton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3276 F Road	Clifton	81520	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-4760	346	24	14.6	75.4%	206 (59.5%)	1 (0.3%)	129 (37.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	2 (0.6%)	5 (1.4%)								(n/a)	21.7						14.8			18.0				12.3			$16,087
Mount Garfield Middle School	Public	6-8	3475 Front Street	Clifton	81520	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-4720	569	34	16.7	68.7%	338 (59.4%)	5 (0.9%)	201 (35.3%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (3.2%)	29.8	317^th of 469 public middle schools	32.4%		26.7	333^rd of 485 public middle schools	31.3%	16				30.9	39.5	38.8	36.3				24.9	15.6	21.6	20.7		27.0	$15,072
Rocky Mountain Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3260 D1/2 Road	Clifton	81520	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-4900	395	29	13.6	79.5%	214 (54.2%)	2 (0.5%)	158 (40.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (4.6%)	14.9	809^th of 950 public elementary schools	14.8%		10	884^th of 943 public elementary schools	6.3%	75	22.1	19.0	32.1				24.0	14.3	13.8	21.2				16.1	20.8		$15,933

Cities Near Clifton

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Grand Junction	1.3 mi	37	92^nd
Palisade	4.29 mi	2	64^th
Fruita	13.49 mi	6	63^rd
Loma	21.29 mi	1	111^th
De Beque	21.41 mi	1

See the top CO Colorado cities

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.