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Fruitvale Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

797^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Fruitvale Elementary School is a PK–5 school in Grand Junction, CO, serving 358 students in Mesa County Valley School District No. 51, a district ranked above average in Colorado. In the 2025–2026 ranking year, Fruitvale Elementary School ranked 794th out of 943 Colorado elementary schools, placing it in the 16th percentile with a 1-star rating. The school serves a high-poverty population, with 70.1% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. Chronic absenteeism is 30.9% — better than the district average of 36.7% but above the state average. Fruitvale's student-teacher ratio of 13.0 is one of the lowest among nearby elementary schools.

Academically, Fruitvale's proficiency rates fall well below district and state levels across every subject. Just 25.6% of students are proficient in ELA, 19.6% in math, and 12.9% in 5th-grade science, compared to district rates of 42.5%, 35.5%, and 29.5%. Fruitvale is one of the weakest performers among nearby schools. Pear Park Elementary, just 1.55 miles away with nearly the same free/reduced lunch rate (70.8% vs. 70.1%), outperforms Fruitvale by 6.3 points in ELA and 13.7 points in math. Independence Academy serves a much higher-poverty population (87.6%) yet achieves 47.1% ELA and 36.7% math proficiency. Chipeta Elementary also far exceeds Fruitvale despite a similar student population.

Fruitvale shows a troubling grade-level pattern: students start somewhat below district averages in 3rd grade, but the gap widens dramatically by 4th and 5th grade. Only 17.6% of 4th graders are proficient in ELA and 13.3% in math. Science has declined from 20.6% in 2023–2024 to 12.9% in 2025–2026. The 2024–2025 improvement was not sustained — ELA dropped from 35.4% to 25.6% and math fell to its lowest point in four years. The school ranks in the 4th percentile for effectiveness with male students, and its support for low-income students has declined sharply. Despite having more staff per student than most neighboring schools, these resources are not translating into academic gains. The encouraging takeaway: schools like Independence Academy, Chipeta, and Pear Park prove that stronger outcomes are achievable in the same community with similar or higher poverty rates.

358

Students ?

13.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,493

Per pupil spending ?

70.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Colorado receive free school meals.

585 30 Road
Grand Junction, CO 81504-5658

(970) 254-5930

District: Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

Students who attend Fruitvale Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Grand Mesa Middle School
High:	Central High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

62.3%

Hispanic:

33.0%

Two or more races:

2.5%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 20th percentile in 2016 → 16th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (21% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school21%

District avg38%

Colorado avg41%

797^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 20% (2016) to bottom 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

22^nd of 24Elementary Schools in the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

38^th of 114Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 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	16.5	797 of 946	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.2	642 of 950	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.7	679 of 943	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	762 of 933	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.0	555 of 921	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.4	572 of 710	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.7	891 of 965	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.5	807 of 917	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	11.7	854 of 929	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	19.7	734 of 914	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	22.7	719 of 938	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	48.9	509 of 962	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	45.1	558 of 954	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	49.9	510 of 935	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	35.2	652 of 935	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	22.9	742 of 925	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	29.9	661 of 872	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	20.7	697 of 849	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	19.5	706 of 852	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	35.8	575 of 829	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	31.0	610 of 823	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	29.3	604 of 808	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	16.5	594 of 695	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.6	467 of 694	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.8	549 of 684	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.0	554 of 642	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.5	408 of 595	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.1	292 of 351	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.8	697 of 758	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.9	569 of 690	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	26.0	266 of 322	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.9	173 of 265	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.5	77 of 203	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	18.8	278 of 308	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	8.1	666 of 697	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.6	616 of 700	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.4	576 of 683	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.1	615 of 649	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	27.2	419 of 594	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.1	345 of 352	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.8	729 of 764	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.8	629 of 693	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	11.9	510 of 551	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.0	531 of 539	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.8	518 of 525	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.4	391 of 454	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	4.2	593 of 596	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.5	335 of 337	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)17th percentile~ school

Female (2026)15th percentile~ school

White (2025)7th percentile-25 vs school

Male (2026)4th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts26%-19 vs state

Math20%-18 vs state

Science13%-23 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, January 19, 2012

By far the worst school in Mesa county. The principal gladly allows bullying to take place. When you try and address her about the issues taking place, she refuses to speak about it. She does NOT return phone calls when she promises them. My son used to love school, but after 2 years of constant bullying, he began hating school. He would come up with excuses to not go, knowing that no staff member would stand up for him. I had a meeting set up with the Principal and Vice Principal and the other parents, I walked into the room and the Principal was not there. She did not care to address the situation. I transferred my son to a different school about 5 months ago, and I'm still waiting on a promised call from her. Very unprofessional staff members. Not only do they allow the kids to bully, but the teachers do as well. And as a parent, I find that intolerable. But they all seem to think it is ok. Also, my sons test scores and overall learning came up on the charts dramatically. They don't push the G&T children at all. They just let them fall behind and become bored with school. I would recommend not sending your child to this school at all. Close Quote

Schools Near Fruitvale Elementary School

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Ranking:

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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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
Fruitvale Elementary School	Public	K-5	585 30 Road	Grand Junction	81504	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-5930	358	28	13.0	70.1%	223 (62.3%)	1 (0.3%)	118 (33.0%)	3 (0.8%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	9 (2.5%)	16.5	797^th of 946 public elementary schools	15.8%		27.2	642^nd of 950 public elementary schools	32.4%	155	31.4	17.6	28.6				25.6	31.0	13.3	14.3				19.6	12.9		$17,493
Thunder Mountain Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3063 F1/2 Road	Grand Junction	81504	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-5870	432	27	16.2	54.4%	279 (64.6%)	5 (1.2%)	123 (28.5%)	9 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (3.5%)	27.5	653^rd of 946 public elementary schools	31.0%		27	643^rd of 950 public elementary schools	32.3%	10	32.2	41.7	39.7				37.9	32.2	20.0	28.6				26.9	11.5		$16,374
Independence Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	675 29 Rd	Grand Junction	81504	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	Yes	No	No	No	(970) 254-6850	491	28	17.2	87.6%	414 (84.3%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (12.2%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.4%)	54.3	407^th of 946 public elementary schools	57.0%		54.2	413^th of 950 public elementary schools	56.5%	6	38.5	55.8	40.8	53.0	41.4	50.9	47.1	50.0	38.5	32.7	37.0	30.4	33.3	36.7	36.2	49.0	$12,523
Pear Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	432 30 1/4 Road	Grand Junction	81504	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-5960	428	29	15.0	70.8%	267 (62.4%)	1 (0.2%)	149 (34.8%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.2%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	28	644^th of 946 public elementary schools	31.9%		28.4	631^st of 950 public elementary schools	33.6%	13	28.8	28.8	37.1				31.9	37.7	31.8	31.4				33.3	15.7		$17,530
Chatfield Elementary School	Public	K-5	3188 D1/2 Road	Grand Junction	81504	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-4930	371	21	17.5	62.5%	240 (64.7%)	4 (1.1%)	110 (29.6%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.0%)	38.7	529^th of 946 public elementary schools	44.1%		57.8	386^th of 950 public elementary schools	59.4%	143	33.3	37.8	47.0				39.8	29.8	34.1	37.9				34.4	31.8		$15,895
Orchard Avenue Elementary School	Public	K-5	1800 Orchard Ave	Grand Junction	81501	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-7560	319	22	14.3	60.5%	238 (74.6%)	1 (0.3%)	65 (20.4%)	4 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.1%)	40	514^th of 946 public elementary schools	45.7%		54.3	411^th of 950 public elementary schools	56.7%	103	35.8	42.9	41.8				40.3	35.7	31.6	32.8				33.3	36.8		$17,754
Rocky Mountain Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3260 D1/2 Road	Clifton	81520	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-4900	395	29	13.6	79.5%	214 (54.2%)	2 (0.5%)	158 (40.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (4.6%)	12.4	853^rd of 946 public elementary schools	9.8%		14.9	809^th of 950 public elementary schools	14.8%	44	17.1	25.6	17.9				20.4	21.4	23.2	14.1				19.6	9.0		$17,460
Tope Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2220 N 7th St	Grand Junction	81501	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-7070	370	19	19.0	47.3%	252 (68.1%)	2 (0.5%)	91 (24.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	21 (5.7%)	50.6	431^st of 946 public elementary schools	54.4%		59.7	362^nd of 950 public elementary schools	61.9%	69	42.2	53.8	55.2				50.7	50.0	36.8	31.0				38.6	30.5		$15,753
Chipeta Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	950 Chipeta Avenue	Grand Junction	81501	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-6825	364	25	14.6	76.4%	193 (53.0%)	4 (1.1%)	147 (40.4%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.1%)	39	524^th of 946 public elementary schools	44.6%		44.5	493^rd of 950 public elementary schools	48.1%	31	36.4	38.9	45.1				40.6	40.0	20.4	36.6				32.8	32.9		$17,452
Lincoln Orchard Mesa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2888 B1/2 Road	Grand Junction	81503	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-7940	289	21	13.4	61.6%	201 (69.6%)	0 (0.0%)	79 (27.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.4%)	46.9	454^th of 946 public elementary schools	52.0%		35.9	563^rd of 950 public elementary schools	40.7%	109	44.4	33.3	51.1				43.5	48.9	25.6	39.6				38.6	719.0		$18,471

Frequently Asked Questions about Fruitvale Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Fruitvale Elementary School?

Students at Fruitvale Elementary School are 62% White, 33% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Fruitvale Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Grand Mesa Middle School
High : Central High School

How many students attend Fruitvale Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 358 students attended Fruitvale Elementary School.

What district is Fruitvale Elementary School in?

Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

Is Fruitvale Elementary School a good school?

Fruitvale Elementary School ranks in the bottom 15.8% of Colorado elementary schools.

Rate Fruitvale Elementary School!

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataOct 6, 2026

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

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.