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The Juniper School

Q: Is The Juniper School a good school?

The Juniper School ranks 331 st of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades K-8

331^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 65% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

The Juniper School is a small K-8 school in Durango, CO, serving 171 students as part of the Durango School District No. 9-R. Academically, it sits in the middle of the pack: slightly above Colorado state averages in English Language Arts (45.3% vs. 44.7% statewide), math (38.3% vs. 37.3%), and 5th grade science (45.5% vs. 36.1%), but below its own district in every subject. Juniper reached a peak in 2022–2023 with 4 stars and an 85th percentile state ranking, but has since settled into the 63rd–65th percentile range with a 3-star rating.

The brightest spots are the 4th grade cohort and science instruction. Current 4th graders are thriving: 62.5% are proficient in math — more than 20 points above both district and state — and 56.3% in ELA. Science has also been consistently strong, with the 2024–2025 5th grade class posting 64.7% proficiency, 19 points above the district. Other grades are closer to average, suggesting a strong cohort or teaching team rather than a school-wide pattern. Among nearby schools, Juniper's scores are mid-tier: it outpaces Animas Valley Elementary and Florida Mesa Elementary but trails Riverview Elementary, Needham Elementary, and Park Elementary by significant margins.

Juniper's biggest challenges are attendance and staffing. Chronic absenteeism jumped to 33.3% in 2024–2025, up from 28.0% the prior year, and now exceeds the district (29.3%) and state (28.4%). The student-teacher ratio of 14.4 is the highest in the area, compared with 9.8 to 12.7 at nearby schools. The share of students receiving free or reduced lunch has also risen sharply, from 25.9% in 2022–2023 to 38.6% in 2024–2025. The comparison with Park Elementary is telling: Park is less than two miles away, has nearly identical demographics, yet posts significantly higher test scores and a much lower absenteeism rate — suggesting attendance and school culture, rather than student background, are the highest-leverage areas for improvement.

171

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,921

Per pupil spending ?

38.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

225 Sawyer Dr
Durango, CO 81302

(970) 764-4185

District: Durango School District No. 9-R

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.5%

Hispanic:

16.4%

Two or more races:

2.9%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 85th percentile in 2023 → 65th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Colorado median (65th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 85th-percentile peak (2023) to 65th (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school42%

District avg46%

Colorado avg40%

331^st of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Top 35%▲ up 20 pts since 2019

From bottom 45% (2019) to top 35% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Durango School District No. 9-R

27^th of 114Durango School District No. 9-R 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	62.4	331 of 946	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.1	356 of 950	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.7	331 of 943	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	82.7	137 of 933	85.3%	★★★★☆
2022	63.7	307 of 921	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.4	532 of 965	44.9%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

Science46%+10 vs state

English Language Arts45%~ state avg

Math38%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near The Juniper 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 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
The Juniper School	Public, Charter	K-8	225 Sawyer Dr	Durango	81302	La Plata County	Durango School District No. 9-R	Yes	No	No	No	(970) 764-4185	171	12	14.4	38.6%	136 (79.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (16.4%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.9%)	62.4	331^st of 946 public elementary schools	65.0%		60.1	356^th of 950 public elementary schools	62.5%	25	47.8	56.3	50.0				45.3	43.5	62.5	40.9				38.3	45.5		$13,921
Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	510 E. 6th Ave.	Durango	81301	La Plata County	Durango School District No. 9-R	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 247-3718	452	36	12.7	38.9%	256 (56.6%)	1 (0.2%)	110 (24.3%)	7 (1.5%)	38 (8.4%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (8.2%)	82.8	156^th of 946 public elementary schools	83.5%		79.7	176^th of 950 public elementary schools	81.5%	20	62.3	58.2	64.4				61.9	61.3	60.0	65.8				62.6	55.4		$19,787
Needham Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2425 West Third Avenue	Durango	81301	La Plata County	Durango School District No. 9-R	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 247-4791	367	32	11.5	42.2%	242 (65.9%)	3 (0.8%)	73 (19.9%)	2 (0.5%)	18 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.9%)	69.4	271^st of 946 public elementary schools	71.4%		48	463^rd of 950 public elementary schools	51.3%	192	63.8	40.0	69.1				57.9	60.4	32.0	54.5				49.0	52.7		$19,117
Riverview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2900 Mesa Avenue	Durango	81301	La Plata County	Durango School District No. 9-R	No	No	No	No	(970) 247-3862	374	31	12.0	30.5%	279 (74.6%)	1 (0.3%)	48 (12.8%)	2 (0.5%)	16 (4.3%)	1 (0.3%)	27 (7.2%)	73	231^st of 946 public elementary schools	75.6%		79.3	185^th of 950 public elementary schools	80.5%	46	63.2	61.5	63.2				62.7	69.1	43.1	38.9				49.4	50.7		$19,623
Mountain Middle School	Public, Charter	K-8	108 West 31st Street	Durango	81301	La Plata County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	No	No	No	(970) 828-5600	302	16	18.8		262 (86.8%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.6%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.6%)	87.7	101^st of 946 public elementary schools	89.3%		89.6	76^th of 950 public elementary schools	92.0%	25		61.7	73.7	54.7	59.2	68.1	63.5		70.0	72.4	58.5	35.3	79.2	63.3	69.0	54.2	$14,022
Florida Mesa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	216 Highway 172	Durango	81303	La Plata County	Durango School District No. 9-R	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 247-4250	293	28	10.3	52.6%	164 (56.0%)	0 (0.0%)	81 (27.6%)	3 (1.0%)	27 (9.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.1%)	34.2	581^st of 946 public elementary schools	38.6%		35.5	566^th of 950 public elementary schools	40.4%	15	55.0	26.8	47.1				42.6	42.5	23.3	17.6				28.2	11.8		$21,477
Sunnyside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	75 Cr 218	Durango	81303	La Plata County	Durango School District No. 9-R	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 259-5249	107	11	9.8	50.5%	67 (62.6%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (29.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.9%)	1 (0.9%)	5 (4.7%)								(n/a)							46.9							25.0			$25,867
Animas Valley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	373 Hermosa Meadows Road	Durango	81301	La Plata County	Durango School District No. 9-R	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 247-0124	185	18	10.1	37.8%	109 (58.9%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (31.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.8%)	41.8	502^nd of 946 public elementary schools	46.9%		47.5	467^th of 950 public elementary schools	50.8%	35	36.4	40.0	41.2				39.0	36.4	30.0	38.9				35.0	43.8		$23,709
Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	11274 Highway 140	Hesperus	81326	La Plata County	Durango School District No. 9-R	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 588-3331	116	11	10.2	50.9%	84 (72.4%)	1 (0.9%)	25 (21.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.7%)								(n/a)							45.0							45.0			$25,407
Bayfield Primary School	Public	PK, KG-2	511 East Mustang Lane	Bayfield	81122	La Plata County	Bayfield School District No. 10Jt-R	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 884-0881	222	20	11.1	42.8%	154 (69.4%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (22.1%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.2%)	1 (0.5%)	11 (5.0%)								(n/a)																	$00

Frequently Asked Questions about The Juniper School

How many students attend The Juniper School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 171 students attended The Juniper School.

What district is The Juniper School in?

Durango School District No. 9-R

What is the racial makeup of The Juniper School?

Students at The Juniper School are 80% White, 16% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is The Juniper School a good school?

The Juniper School ranks 331^st of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate The Juniper School!

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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.