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Garnet Mesa Elementary School

Q: Is Garnet Mesa Elementary School a good school?

Garnet Mesa Elementary School ranks 541 st of 943 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

541^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 943 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 43% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Garnet Mesa Elementary School in Delta, CO serves 488 students in grades K-5 and is part of Delta County Joint District No. 50, a 4-star district ranked in the 69th percentile statewide. The school itself performs closer to the middle of the pack, ranking in the 43rd percentile with a 2-star rating. About 63% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a high-poverty population. The student-teacher ratio is a modest 16.1, and chronic absenteeism has improved dramatically from 33.6% to 24.8% — now better than both the district and state averages.

In 2025–2026, Garnet Mesa posted 39.9% proficiency in English Language Arts and 33.2% in math. The ELA score trails the district (45.0%) and state (44.7%), while math is above the district (32.0%) but below the state (37.3%). The school clearly outperforms its nearest neighbor, Lincoln Elementary, especially in math (33.2% vs. 22.7%) despite serving very similar student populations. However, Cedaredge Elementary posts stronger results in both subjects, including a 16-point gap in math proficiency, and Hotchkiss Elementary is also slightly ahead in overall ranking.

Garnet Mesa's biggest academic strength is in 5th grade, where 58.4% of students are proficient in ELA — well above the state average of 49.9% and competitive with the region's top schools. Science scores have also improved steadily over the past four years, reaching 31.1% in 2025–2026, above the district average. The school's main challenges are early-grade performance, with 3rd grade lagging state averages in both reading and math, and inconsistent year-over-year results: a strong 2024–2025 rebound was not sustained in 2025–2026. Still, the sharp improvement in attendance and the strong upper-grade outcomes suggest a foundation for future gains.

488

Students ?

16.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,808

Per pupil spending ?

63.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

600 A Street
Delta, CO 81416-2559

(970) 874-8003

District: Delta County Joint District No. 50

Students who attend Garnet Mesa Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Cedaredge Middle School
	Delta Middle School
High:	Cedaredge High School
	Delta High School
	Grand Mesa Choice Academy
	North Fork High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.0%

Hispanic:

30.5%

Two or more races:

3.9%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Garnet Mesa Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 37th percentile in 2021 → 43rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 43rd (2026) from a 37th-percentile low (2021)

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Delta County Joint District No. 50's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school36%

District avg38%

Colorado avg41%

541^st of 943

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 43%▼ down 20 pts since 2016

From top 37% (2016) to bottom 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Delta County Joint District No. 50

36^th of 115Delta County Joint District No. 50 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
2026	38.0	541 of 943	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.5	466 of 950	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.5	530 of 943	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.1	579 of 933	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.8	528 of 921	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.3	447 of 710	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.0	554 of 965	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.2	454 of 917	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	53.6	384 of 929	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	58.3	338 of 914	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	47.2	455 of 938	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	68.3	287 of 962	70.2%	★★★★☆
2013	64.1	355 of 954	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	59.1	398 of 935	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	59.5	411 of 935	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	62.6	380 of 925	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	55.3	427 of 872	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	44.2	526 of 849	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	17.3	722 of 852	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	18.5	695 of 829	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	19.1	691 of 823	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	16.7	693 of 808	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	26.4	503 of 692	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	40.1	399 of 694	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.6	480 of 684	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	18.7	526 of 642	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.1	469 of 595	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.6	289 of 351	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.5	509 of 758	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.8	343 of 690	50.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	40.3	191 of 319	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	65.8	77 of 337	77.2%	★★★★☆
2024	33.1	254 of 365	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.4	225 of 265	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.1	113 of 203	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.4	52 of 75	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.5	221 of 332	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.2	130 of 308	57.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	33.9	439 of 694	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.4	423 of 700	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.1	443 of 683	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.6	428 of 649	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.5	363 of 594	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.9	293 of 352	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.9	469 of 764	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.8	460 of 693	33.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	16.5	487 of 546	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.6	414 of 551	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.9	471 of 539	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.8	478 of 525	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.1	262 of 288	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.9	468 of 596	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.3	243 of 337	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)40th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)37th percentile-6 vs school

Female (2026)27th percentile-15 vs school

White (2026)11th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts40%-5 vs state

Math33%-4 vs state

Science31%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Garnet Mesa 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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CMAS English Language Arts (2026)					CMAS Math (2026)							CMAS Science (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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 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
Garnet Mesa Elementary School	Public	K-5	600 A Street	Delta	81416	Delta County	Delta County Joint District No. 50	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 874-8003	488	30	16.1	63.3%	317 (65.0%)	0 (0.0%)	149 (30.5%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.9%)	38	541^st of 943 public elementary schools	42.6%		47.5	466^th of 950 public elementary schools	50.9%	75	27.0	33.8	58.4		39.9	26.7	35.1	37.7				33.2	31.1		$14,808
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	K-5	1050 Hastings	Delta	81416	Delta County	Delta County Joint District No. 50	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 874-3700	371	24	15.4	66.6%	221 (59.6%)	0 (0.0%)	126 (34.0%)	7 (1.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.0%)	30.3	617^th of 943 public elementary schools	34.6%		39.2	534^th of 950 public elementary schools	43.8%	83	18.0	39.0	53.7		36.2	14.8	15.0	40.0				22.7	32.7		$14,936
Olathe Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	326 North 3rd Street	Olathe	81425	Montrose County	Montrose County School District Re-1J	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 252-7940	424	24	17.9	68.6%	179 (42.2%)	0 (0.0%)	240 (56.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	24.6	682^nd of 943 public elementary schools	27.7%		25.7	660^th of 950 public elementary schools	30.5%	22	18.6	32.3	33.3		28.0	20.7	35.4	23.5				27.0	29.4		$14,527
Cedaredge Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	380 N Grand Mesa Drive	Cedaredge	81413	Delta County	Delta County Joint District No. 50	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 856-3885	346	19	18.6	59.8%	258 (74.6%)	2 (0.6%)	64 (18.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.1%)	60.5	350^th of 943 public elementary schools	62.9%		52.5	430^th of 950 public elementary schools	54.7%	80	48.0	50.0	56.5		51.4	56.0	50.0	41.3				49.3	30.4		$14,586
Hotchkiss K8 School	Public	PK, KG-8	465 Lorah Lane	Hotchkiss	81419	Delta County	Delta County Joint District No. 50	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 872-3325	297	22	13.8	49.2%	236 (79.5%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (17.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.7%)	42.6	493^rd of 943 public elementary schools	47.7%		38.2	544^th of 950 public elementary schools	42.7%	51	46.4	50.0	63.6	66.7	51.4	42.9	33.3	27.3	20.6	40.0	61.9	35.6	12.1	28.6	$15,834

Frequently Asked Questions about Garnet Mesa Elementary School

Is Garnet Mesa Elementary School a good school?

Garnet Mesa Elementary School ranks 541^st of 943 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Garnet Mesa Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Garnet Mesa Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cedaredge Middle School
Middle : Delta Middle School
High : Cedaredge High School
High : Delta High School
High : Grand Mesa Choice Academy
High : North Fork High School

What is the racial makeup of Garnet Mesa Elementary School?

Students at Garnet Mesa Elementary School are 65% White, 31% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend Garnet Mesa Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 488 students attended Garnet Mesa Elementary School.

What district is Garnet Mesa Elementary School in?

Delta County Joint District No. 50

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 CMAS, PSAT10, PSAT9 & SAT test scoresAug 19, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataAug 27, 2025

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.