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Orchard Avenue Elementary School

Q: Is Orchard Avenue Elementary School a good school?

Orchard Avenue Elementary School ranks 411 th of 950 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

411^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 950 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 57% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Orchard Avenue Elementary School is a public elementary school in Grand Junction, Colorado, serving 306 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51, which is ranked 40 out of 115 school districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Orchard Avenue Elementary consistently outperforms the district and state averages in CMAS assessments, particularly in Science and English Language Arts. In the 2024-2025 school year, 51.9% of 5th-grade students were proficient or better in CMAS Science, compared to 39.2% for the district and 39% for the state. Similarly, 60.4% of 5th-grade students were proficient or better in CMAS English Language Arts, compared to 53.4% for the district and 48% for the state. Despite having a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 64.05% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, the school's low-income students perform exceptionally well, ranking in the top 78 out of 337 Colorado elementary schools for this subgroup.

Orchard Avenue Elementary outperforms most nearby schools, such as Fruitvale Elementary School and Nisley Elementary School, in CMAS assessments. However, the nearby New Emerson School at Columbus, a public magnet school, also performs exceptionally well, with 68.2% of 5th-grade students proficient or better in CMAS Science. The school's concerning trend of increasing chronic absenteeism, from 27.7% in 2023-2024 to 35.2% in 2023-2024, is an issue that warrants further investigation and intervention.

319

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,850

Per pupil spending ?

60.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1800 Orchard Ave
Grand Junction, CO 81501-6748

(970) 254-7560

District: Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.6%

Hispanic:

20.4%

Two or more races:

3.1%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 58th percentile in 2015 → 57th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the Colorado median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg39%

Colorado avg40%

411^th of 950

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Top 43%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

14^th of 26Elementary Schools in the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

40^th of 115Mesa 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
2025	54.3	411 of 950	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.9	440 of 943	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.4	440 of 933	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.7	449 of 921	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.3	378 of 710	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.9	614 of 965	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.9	495 of 917	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	48.7	431 of 929	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	67.3	271 of 914	70.4%	★★★★☆
2015	53.3	397 of 938	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	58.1	413 of 962	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	69.5	289 of 954	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	58.0	412 of 935	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	64.1	361 of 935	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	78.5	177 of 925	80.9%	★★★★☆
2009	82.8	122 of 872	86.0%	★★★★☆
2008	67.1	284 of 849	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	82.3	114 of 852	86.6%	★★★★☆
2006	66.0	308 of 829	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2005	65.3	310 of 823	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	79.0	155 of 808	80.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	54.1	289 of 694	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.6	380 of 684	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.2	402 of 642	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.8	259 of 351	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.4	434 of 758	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.9	414 of 690	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	65.5	78 of 337	76.9%	★★★★☆
2024	68.6	79 of 365	78.4%	★★★★☆
2023	68.7	59 of 265	77.7%	★★★★☆
2022	71.0	32 of 203	84.2%	★★★★☆
2019	36.8	219 of 332	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.5	96 of 308	68.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	36.3	427 of 700	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.9	390 of 683	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.6	396 of 649	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.3	239 of 352	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.8	576 of 764	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.7	476 of 693	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	22.9	456 of 551	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.7	410 of 539	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.0	435 of 525	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.9	345 of 454	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.0	504 of 596	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)77th percentile+20 vs school

Female (2025)58th percentile~ school

Male (2025)39th percentile-18 vs school

White (2025)17th percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

Science52%+13 vs state

English Language Arts46%~ state avg

Math39%+3 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Orchard Avenue 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 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
Orchard Avenue Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-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%)	54.3	411^th of 950 public elementary schools	56.7%		50.9	440^th of 943 public elementary schools	53.3%	29	42.1	36.0	60.4				46.3	41.0	33.3	42.3				38.7	51.9		$16,850
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%)	59.7	362^nd of 950 public elementary schools	61.9%		60.5	361^st of 943 public elementary schools	61.7%	1	47.5	52.8	62.3				54.8	40.0	34.0	50.9				41.8	38.5		$14,601
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%)	44.5	493^rd of 950 public elementary schools	48.1%		34.4	564^th of 943 public elementary schools	40.2%	71	29.1	46.0	55.1				44.4	24.1	37.5	38.6				34.0	34.8		$16,633
Nisley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	543 28-3/4 Road	Grand Junction	81501	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-5900	346	21	16.4	81.5%	185 (53.5%)	4 (1.2%)	134 (38.7%)	3 (0.9%)	4 (1.2%)	2 (0.6%)	14 (4.0%)	15	805^th of 950 public elementary schools	15.3%		10.1	879^th of 943 public elementary schools	6.8%	74	22.2	12.5	22.9				20.0	25.5	12.5	18.8				19.7	22.9		$16,166
Wildflower Montessori Public School of Colorado Grand Valley	Public, Charter	PK, KG-3	631 26 1/2 Road	Grand Junction	81506	Mesa County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(970) 314-7894	40	4	10.0	37.5%	33 (82.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (12.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.5%)	1 (2.5%)								(n/a)
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%)	54.2	413^th of 950 public elementary schools	56.5%		65.1	312^th of 943 public elementary schools	66.9%	101	47.2	36.0	56.9	49.1	59.6	44.7	49.2	49.1	12.0	49.0	29.1	33.3	31.9	34.2	56.9	42.6	$10,755
Pomona Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	588 25-1/2 Road	Grand Junction	81505	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-4990	395	26	15.2	50.1%	240 (60.8%)	5 (1.3%)	123 (31.1%)	8 (2.0%)	6 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.3%)	66.9	306^th of 950 public elementary schools	67.8%		56.2	397^th of 943 public elementary schools	57.9%	91	44.4	54.4	63.2				53.7	43.8	49.1	49.1				47.2	52.6		$15,093
Dual Immersion Academy School	Public	PK, KG-5	552 A West Main Street	Grand Junction	81501	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-6070	310	15	20.8	93.5%	69 (22.3%)	2 (0.6%)	233 (75.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.6%)	42.4	512^th of 950 public elementary schools	46.1%		39.4	531^st of 943 public elementary schools	43.7%	19	25.0	22.5	55.3				35.8	26.1	27.1	46.8				33.3	52.2		$14,498
Fruitvale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-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%)	27.2	642^nd of 950 public elementary schools	32.4%		24.7	679^th of 943 public elementary schools	28.0%	37	27.8	42.3	36.5				35.4	21.4	25.9	29.4				25.5	17.6		$15,860
New Emerson School at Columbus	Public, Magnet	K-5	2660 Unaweep Ave	Grand Junction	81503	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	Yes	No	No	(970) 254-6500	138	9	15.1		114 (82.6%)	2 (1.4%)	14 (10.1%)	3 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.6%)	83.1	138^th of 950 public elementary schools	85.5%		84.7	126^th of 943 public elementary schools	86.6%	12	69.6	55.0	63.6				63.1	65.2	42.1	72.7				60.9	68.2		$15,713

Frequently Asked Questions about Orchard Avenue Elementary School

How many students attend Orchard Avenue Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 319 students attended Orchard Avenue Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Orchard Avenue Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Orchard Avenue Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Grand Junction High School

What district is Orchard Avenue Elementary School in?

Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

Is Orchard Avenue Elementary School a good school?

Orchard Avenue Elementary School ranks 411^th of 950 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Orchard Avenue Elementary School?

Students at Orchard Avenue Elementary School are 75% White, 20% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

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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.