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Orchard Mesa Middle School

Q: Is Orchard Mesa Middle School a good school?

Orchard Mesa Middle School ranks 196 th of 469 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

196^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 469 Colorado Middle Schools

Better than 58% of Colorado middle schools

Summary

Orchard Mesa Middle School is a public middle school in Grand Junction, Colorado, serving 581 students in grades 6-8. 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.

Academically, Orchard Mesa Middle School has shown mixed performance compared to the district and state averages. While the school performs better than the district and state in 8th grade science proficiency, it lags behind in English Language Arts and Math proficiency across all grades. The school also struggles with its White and Low Socioeconomic Status student populations, ranking in the bottom quarter of Colorado middle schools for these subgroups. However, the school ranks highly for its Gifted and Talented students, indicating strong support for high-achieving students.

Orchard Mesa Middle School has maintained a relatively low dropout rate, but it has struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, reaching as high as 36.5% in recent years. When compared to other middle schools in the same district, such as Fruita Middle School and Redlands Middle School, Orchard Mesa Middle School generally underperforms, with significantly lower academic proficiency rates and statewide rankings.

560

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,519

Per pupil spending ?

58.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2736 Unaweep Ave #a
Grand Junction, CO 81503-2084

(970) 254-6320

District: Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

Students who attend Orchard Mesa Middle School usually attend:

High:

Grand Junction High School

Feeder schools for Orchard Mesa Middle School:

Elementary:	Dos Rios Elementary School
	Lincoln Orchard Mesa Elementary School
	Mesa View Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.5%

Hispanic:

24.8%

Two or more races:

5.0%

See top rated Colorado middle schools

Compare Orchard Mesa Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 20th percentile in 2015 → 58th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 38 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Colorado median (58th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (43% vs 28% Colorado)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg39%

Colorado avg40%

196^th of 469

Colorado public middle schools ?

Top 42%▲ up 38 pts since 2015

From bottom 20% (2015) to top 42% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 7Middle 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	50.8	196 of 469	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.3	197 of 485	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	23.4	348 of 480	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.1	350 of 448	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.1	321 of 369	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.6	375 of 458	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.2	345 of 418	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	18.9	348 of 424	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	20.3	330 of 400	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.0	348 of 436	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	44.9	252 of 461	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	45.9	263 of 454	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	41.3	263 of 425	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	35.5	295 of 422	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	44.1	247 of 409	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	44.9	232 of 377	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	33.7	264 of 362	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	41.4	233 of 360	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	40.2	226 of 346	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	35.3	244 of 340	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	44.2	196 of 336	41.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	48.1	159 of 347	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.1	163 of 350	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	19.2	287 of 363	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.1	286 of 326	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.2	227 of 254	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.4	304 of 352	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.6	282 of 315	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	75.7	15 of 132	88.6%	★★★★☆
2024	82.1	3 of 126	97.6%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	56.9	68 of 199	65.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	44.9	113 of 241	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.0	93 of 244	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	29.8	170 of 241	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.9	107 of 197	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.0	77 of 114	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.4	170 of 240	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.9	195 of 222	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	42.2	174 of 352	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.8	165 of 357	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	21.1	270 of 356	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.2	256 of 328	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.8	235 of 249	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.1	269 of 343	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.4	256 of 317	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	35.0	178 of 275	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.9	182 of 273	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	8.3	269 of 286	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.9	256 of 265	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.1	202 of 203	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.5	277 of 283	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.6	196 of 199	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2025)89th percentile+30 vs school

Hispanic (2024)66th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)54th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)53rd percentile-5 vs school

Male (2025)51st percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)35th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

Science51%+15 vs state

English Language Arts45%~ state avg

Math31%-5 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Orchard Mesa Middle 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 6th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 8th Grade	Total
Orchard Mesa Middle School	Public	6-8	2736 Unaweep Ave #a	Grand Junction	81503	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-6320	560	35	15.9	58.9%	389 (69.5%)	0 (0.0%)	139 (24.8%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.0%)	50.8	196^th of 469 public middle schools	58.2%		52.3	197^th of 485 public middle schools	59.4%	1	49.4	40.0	46.2	45.1	32.1	27.1	34.9	31.2	51.2	$14,519
West Middle School	Public	6-8	123 W Orchard Ave	Grand Junction	81505	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-5090	468	29	16.4	52.1%	313 (66.9%)	6 (1.3%)	112 (23.9%)	7 (1.5%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.1%)	42.3	232^nd of 469 public middle schools	50.5%		36.4	270^th of 485 public middle schools	44.3%	38	40.4	45.3	45.4	43.7	24.1	17.3	38.0	25.9	37.0	$14,498
Bookcliff Middle School	Public	6-8	2935 Orchard Ave	Grand Junction	81504	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-6220	525	38	13.7	72.6%	233 (44.4%)	5 (1.0%)	257 (49.0%)	4 (0.8%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.0%)	14.7	411^th of 469 public middle schools	12.4%		16.4	396^th of 485 public middle schools	18.4%	15	23.5	19.4	20.8	21.4	12.6	15.1	14.7	14.1	18.2	$16,301
Grand Mesa Middle School	Public	6-8	585 31-1/2 Road	Grand Junction	81504	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-6270	476	32	14.9	64.5%	272 (57.1%)	3 (0.6%)	173 (36.3%)	9 (1.9%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.4%)	16.9	393^rd of 469 public middle schools	16.2%		12.8	432^nd of 485 public middle schools	10.9%	39	24.6	29.2	19.6	25.1	18.1	15.5	8.0	14.3	19.5	$13,822
Redlands Middle School	Public	6-8	2200 Broadway	Grand Junction	81507	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-7000	632	37	17.3	25.3%	532 (84.2%)	4 (0.6%)	64 (10.1%)	6 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	22 (3.5%)	85.9	53^rd of 469 public middle schools	88.7%		79.7	76^th of 485 public middle schools	84.3%	23	64.9	65.6	57.6	62.9	54.0	59.4	59.9	57.7	68.9	$14,392
Mount Garfield Middle School	Public	6-8	3475 Front Street	Clifton	81520	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-4720	569	34	16.7	68.7%	338 (59.4%)	5 (0.9%)	201 (35.3%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (3.2%)	29.8	317^th of 469 public middle schools	32.4%		26.7	333^rd of 485 public middle schools	31.3%	16	30.9	39.5	38.8	36.3	24.9	15.6	21.6	20.7	27.0	$15,072
Fruita Middle School	Public	6-8	1835 J Rd	Fruita	81521	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-6570	690	40	17.3	39.1%	554 (80.3%)	2 (0.3%)	99 (14.3%)	5 (0.7%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	25 (3.6%)	42.6	231^st of 469 public middle schools	50.7%		40.8	243^rd of 485 public middle schools	49.9%	12	41.1	37.2	37.9	38.8	23.9	31.9	41.6	32.1	34.2	$14,951

Frequently Asked Questions about Orchard Mesa Middle School

Is Orchard Mesa Middle School a good school?

Orchard Mesa Middle School ranks 196^th of 469 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Orchard Mesa Middle School in?

Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

What is the racial makeup of Orchard Mesa Middle School?

Students at Orchard Mesa Middle School are 69% White, 25% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

How many students attend Orchard Mesa Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 560 students attended Orchard Mesa Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Orchard Mesa Middle School attend?

Students who attend Orchard Mesa Middle School usually go on to attend Grand Junction High School

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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.