Summary:
Montezuma-Cortez School District No. Re-1 serves roughly 2,310 students across 9 schools—six elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools—in the greater Cortez area of southwestern Colorado. The district is high-poverty, with a free/reduced lunch rate of about 64% and a chronic absenteeism rate of 39%, well above the state's 28.4%. Enrollment is concentrated in its largest schools: Montezuma-Cortez High School enrolls 598 students (26% of the district), Montezuma-Cortez Middle School enrolls 505, and Mesa Elementary School and Kemper Elementary School each enroll over 330. The smallest school, Pleasant View Charter School, has just 35 students.
The district's standout school is Lewis-Arriola Elementary School—ranked 68th of 950 Colorado elementary schools (93rd percentile, 5 stars) in 2024-25. Its CMAS proficiency rates are extraordinary: 75.9% in ELA and 68.5% in math versus district averages of just 26.6% and 21.1%, respectively. The school also has the district's lowest chronic absenteeism (23.1%, below the state rate) and lowest poverty rate (40.8%). At the opposite end, Southwest Open Charter School is in crisis: a 34.3% graduation rate, 78.6% chronic absenteeism, and 79.4% free/reduced lunch. Meanwhile, Montezuma-Cortez High School graduates 87% of its students—above the state average—despite a low 21st-percentile state ranking.
Montezuma-Cortez Middle School is a persistent concern with 20.9% ELA and 17.4% math proficiency and 38.8% chronic absenteeism. Chronic absenteeism is the district's most pervasive problem, affecting every school except Lewis-Arriola Elementary School. Charters are a mixed bag: Children's Kiva Montessori School is relatively healthy academically, while Battle Rock Charter School and Pleasant View Charter School struggle with attendance and lack test data or perform poorly. Notably, smaller class sizes do not translate to better outcomes—Southwest Open Charter School has a 12.5 ratio yet the worst results. For parents, Lewis-Arriola Elementary School is the clear top choice academically, while attendance challenges district-wide warrant careful consideration.
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