Grand Mesa Choice Academy

Grand Mesa Choice Academy is a small alternative public school in Delta, Colorado, serving just 68 students across grades 7–12 as part of Delta County Joint District No. 50. Unlike the traditional high schools nearby, this school serves a distinctly higher-need population: roughly three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school has functioned as an option for students who have struggled in conventional classroom settings. It currently ranks in the 16th percentile of Colorado high schools, far below its district peers, though it has improved from repeated bottom-of-the-state rankings over the past two decades.

The outcome gaps are stark. Grand Mesa's graduation rate is 61.5%, while Delta High School graduates 93.1% of students and Cedaredge High School 95.6%. The dropout rate of 10.9% is about nine times the district rate of 1.2% and nearly seven times the state average. Most striking is chronic absenteeism: 66.0% of Grand Mesa students are chronically absent, more than double the rate at Olathe Middle/High School (30.5%) and roughly 2.5 times the district average of 26.1%. On the SAT Reading/Writing section in 2025-26, 35% of Grand Mesa students met proficiency, up dramatically from 13% two years earlier, but still behind Delta High School (46%) and well behind Cedaredge High School (73%).

Despite the low current numbers, the direction of change is meaningful. The graduation rate has climbed steadily from 25.0% in 2020-21 to 61.5% in 2024-25, and dropout rates have fallen sharply. The student-teacher ratio has also dropped to 13.6, the lowest among nearby schools, suggesting more individualized attention. However, chronic absenteeism rose from 52.8% to 66.0% in the same period, moving in the wrong direction and threatening recent gains. No SAT math scores were reported in recent years—likely due to very small cohorts—so the full academic picture remains incomplete. For parents, the bottom line is that Grand Mesa serves students who need a different kind of learning environment; the school is showing genuine signs of progress, but attendance remains the most urgent barrier to sustained improvement.