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Kemper Elementary School

Q: Is Kemper Elementary School a good school?

Kemper Elementary School ranks in the bottom 20.9% of Colorado elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Kemper Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 339 students attended Kemper Elementary School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Kemper Elementary School?

Students at Kemper Elementary School are 52% White, 22% Hispanic, 19% American Indian, 5% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Kemper Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Kemper Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Montezuma-Cortez Middle School High : Montezuma-Cortez High School

Public Grades K-5

751^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 950 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 21% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Kemper Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Cortez, Colorado, serving 347 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Montezuma-Cortez School District No. Re-1, which is ranked 68 out of 115 school districts in the state.

Kemper Elementary School faces several key challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 27.7% to 44.6% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average and other nearby schools. The school's test scores on the CMAS assessments are also generally lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 26.2% of Kemper students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 44.8% statewide, and in math, the proficiency rate was just 22.2%, compared to 35.9% statewide. Additionally, Kemper Elementary School has a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 57.93% to 69.75% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the nearby Lewis-Arriola Elementary School (40.83%) and the state average.

Despite these challenges, the data suggests that there are opportunities for Kemper Elementary School to improve. The nearby Children's Kiva Montessori School and Lewis-Arriola Elementary School significantly outperform Kemper on most academic metrics, indicating that the school could potentially learn from their practices and strategies. Additionally, the school's performance has fluctuated over the years, with some years showing better results than others, suggesting that with the right interventions, Kemper has the potential to improve its academic outcomes and provide a better educational experience for its students.

339

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,496

Per pupil spending ?

62.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

620 East Montezuma
Cortez, CO 81321-3332

(970) 565-3737

District: Montezuma-Cortez School District No. Re-1

Students who attend Kemper Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Montezuma-Cortez Middle School
High:	Montezuma-Cortez High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.2%

Hispanic:

22.1%

American Indian:

19.5%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Kemper Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 61st percentile in 2021 → 21st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (22% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

!Ranking has slipped from its 61st-percentile peak (2021) to 21st (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school22%

District avg24%

Colorado avg40%

751^st of 950

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 21%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 16% (2015) to bottom 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Montezuma-Cortez School District No. Re-1

68^th of 115Montezuma-Cortez School District No. Re-1 among Colorado 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	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	19.1	751 of 950	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.3	566 of 943	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.1	671 of 933	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.3	594 of 921	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	63.5	278 of 710	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	22.0	750 of 965	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.3	737 of 917	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	14.1	819 of 929	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.2	721 of 914	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	17.1	792 of 938	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	12.7	864 of 962	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	14.4	831 of 954	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	21.4	762 of 935	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	15.8	809 of 935	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	18.7	771 of 925	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	16.1	745 of 872	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	23.5	683 of 849	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	17.3	723 of 852	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	25.6	652 of 829	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	19.6	686 of 823	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	26.5	622 of 808	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	17.2	567 of 694	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.9	441 of 684	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	19.0	522 of 642	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.6	452 of 595	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	46.1	234 of 351	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	15.1	669 of 758	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	7.8	674 of 690	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	10.6	336 of 337	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	34.9	246 of 365	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.7	215 of 265	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.3	99 of 203	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.4	26 of 75	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	14.5	316 of 332	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	20.4	538 of 700	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.2	474 of 683	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	19.0	535 of 649	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.7	357 of 594	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	60.4	169 of 352	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.4	525 of 764	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.0	546 of 693	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	10.0	523 of 551	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.2	436 of 539	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.3	462 of 525	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.4	338 of 454	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	56.5	145 of 288	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	18.5	516 of 596	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.3	301 of 337	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2025)23rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)18th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)5th percentile-16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)<1st percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts26%-19 vs state

Math22%-14 vs state

Science12%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Kemper Elementary School

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 All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	Total
Kemper Elementary School	Public	K-5	620 East Montezuma	Cortez	81321	Montezuma County	Montezuma-Cortez School District No. Re-1	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 565-3737	339	24	13.9	62.5%	177 (52.2%)	0 (0.0%)	75 (22.1%)	3 (0.9%)	66 (19.5%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.3%)	19.1	751^st of 950 public elementary schools	20.9%		34.3	566^th of 943 public elementary schools	40.0%	185	26.3	31.8	20.8	26.2	24.6	32.3	11.1	22.2	12.5	$15,496
Children's Kiva Montessori School	Public, Charter	K-8	601 North Mildred	Cortez	81321	Montezuma County	Montezuma-Cortez School District No. Re-1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(970) 564-9377	130	9	14.0	65.4%	68 (52.3%)	1 (0.8%)	24 (18.5%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (20.8%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (7.7%)								(n/a)	31.3		31.3	36.4						$13,276
Mesa Elementary School	Public	K-5	703 West 7th Street	Cortez	81321	Montezuma County	Montezuma-Cortez School District No. Re-1	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 565-3858	359	27	13.4	76.6%	104 (29.0%)	1 (0.3%)	82 (22.8%)	3 (0.8%)	134 (37.3%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (9.7%)	11.2	868^th of 950 public elementary schools	8.6%		14.7	812^th of 943 public elementary schools	13.9%	56	18.0	30.0	16.0	20.9	14.0	20.0	7.4	13.1	7.4	$15,321
Lewis-Arriola Elementary School	Public	K-5	21434 Road U	Cortez	81321	Montezuma County	Montezuma-Cortez School District No. Re-1	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 882-4494	125	8	15.6	40.8%	96 (76.8%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (7.2%)	90.7	68^th of 950 public elementary schools	92.8%		65.2	311^th of 943 public elementary schools	67.0%	243	76.5	72.7	70.0	72.9	70.6			51.7	61.1	$17,529
Dolores Elementary School	Public	K-5	12th And Hillside	Dolores	81323	Montezuma County	Dolores School District No. Re-4A	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 882-4688	245	18	13.8	53.9%	186 (75.9%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (12.7%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.5%)	37.2	553^rd of 950 public elementary schools	41.8%		42.4	501^st of 943 public elementary schools	46.9%	52	48.6	40.4	23.1	35.8	45.7	27.7	17.3	28.4	40.4	$13,713
Kwiyagat Community Academy	Public, Charter	K-4	450 Sunset Blvd	Towaoc	81334	Montezuma County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	No	No	Yes	(970) 564-5348	61	4	14.0	100.0%	1 (1.6%)	2 (3.3%)	1 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (93.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)										$27,475
Battle Rock Charter School	Public, Charter	K-6	11247 County Road G	Cortez	81321	Montezuma County	Montezuma-Cortez School District No. Re-1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(970) 565-3237	88	6	14.2	51.1%	44 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (11.4%)								(n/a)								21.4		$11,775
Mancos Elementary School	Public	K-5	301 Grand Avenue	Mancos	81328	Montezuma County	Mancos School District Re-6	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 533-7744	217	18	12.3	37.8%	168 (77.4%)	2 (0.9%)	25 (11.5%)	1 (0.5%)	14 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.2%)								(n/a)										$15,654
Pleasant View Charter School	Public, Charter	K-6	15238 County Road Cc	Pleasant View	81331	Montezuma County	Montezuma-Cortez School District No. Re-1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(970) 562-4286	35	3	11.7	54.3%	32 (91.4%)	1 (2.9%)	1 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.9%)								(n/a)										$7,667

Frequently Asked Questions about Kemper Elementary School

How many students attend Kemper Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 339 students attended Kemper Elementary School.

What district is Kemper Elementary School in?

Montezuma-Cortez School District No. Re-1

Is Kemper Elementary School a good school?

Kemper Elementary School ranks in the bottom 20.9% of Colorado elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Kemper Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Kemper Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Montezuma-Cortez Middle School
High : Montezuma-Cortez High School

What is the racial makeup of Kemper Elementary School?

Students at Kemper Elementary School are 52% White, 22% Hispanic, 19% American Indian, 5% Two or more races.

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Schools in Cortez, CO

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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.