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Mount Garfield Middle School

Q: Is Mount Garfield Middle School a good school?

Mount Garfield Middle School ranks 288 th of 476 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

288^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 476 Colorado Middle Schools

Better than 39% of Colorado middle schools

Summary

Mount Garfield Middle School serves 569 students in grades 6–8 in Clifton, CO, as part of Mesa County Valley School District No. 51. The school ranks in the 39th percentile statewide with a 2-star rating, and its academic proficiency sits below both district and state averages: 34.1% in English Language Arts, 25.0% in Math, and 31.1% in 8th-grade Science for 2025–2026. With 68.7% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, this is a high-need school facing significant challenges.

The most striking differentiator is chronic absenteeism: at 54.4% in 2024–2025, it is the highest among nearby middle schools in the district. For comparison, Fruita Middle School sits at 40.7%, West Middle School at 46.9%, and Redlands Middle School at just 23.7%. Despite this, Mount Garfield has shown a strong upward trajectory since the late 2010s, when it ranked in the 5th–9th percentile; it now consistently earns 2 stars. Math proficiency has climbed from 15.0% in 2022–2023 to 25.0%, and Science from 19.2% to 31.1%, while ELA has remained flat in the 34–36% range.

Eighth-grade performance is a bright spot: 8th-grade Math proficiency hit 32.1%, well above the 7th-grade rate of 18.6%, and 8th-grade Science nearly matched the district average. However, subgroup effectiveness is uneven, with lower socioeconomic status students performing in the 27th percentile. Despite high poverty, Mount Garfield outperforms Bookcliff Middle School and Grand Mesa Middle School, both of which have more favorable student-teacher ratios but lower test scores. The school also boasts very low dropout rates (0.0–0.4%). Reducing chronic absenteeism remains the key to sustaining its upward momentum.

569

Students ?

16.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,021

Per pupil spending ?

68.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Colorado receive free school meals.

3475 Front Street
Clifton, CO 81520-8405

(970) 254-4720

District: Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

Students who attend Mount Garfield Middle School usually attend:

High:

Palisade High School

Feeder schools for Mount Garfield Middle School:

Elementary:	Rocky Mountain Elementary School
	Taylor Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

59.4%

Hispanic:

35.3%

Two or more races:

3.2%

See top rated Colorado middle schools

Compare Mount Garfield Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 13th percentile in 2016 → 39th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 26 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (30% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (48% vs 28% Colorado)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school30%

District avg39%

Colorado avg41%

288^th of 476

Colorado public middle schools ?

Bottom 39%▲ up 26 pts since 2016

From bottom 13% (2016) to bottom 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 7Middle 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	33.4	288 of 476	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.8	317 of 469	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.7	333 of 485	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.1	332 of 480	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.4	291 of 448	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.5	244 of 369	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	11.2	418 of 458	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.5	398 of 418	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	13.7	379 of 424	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	16.0	348 of 400	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	19.2	366 of 436	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	24.1	365 of 461	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	18.5	385 of 454	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	16.9	365 of 425	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	18.9	357 of 422	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	21.8	338 of 409	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	23.7	305 of 377	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	20.4	308 of 362	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	28.8	281 of 360	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	28.2	266 of 346	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	37.0	236 of 340	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2004	33.5	238 of 336	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	29.0	249 of 368	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.5	247 of 347	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.5	246 of 350	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.4	272 of 363	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.3	214 of 326	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.6	179 of 254	29.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	8.9	328 of 352	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.6	303 of 315	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2021	29.0	65 of 83	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	30.0	168 of 231	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.2	150 of 241	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.4	145 of 244	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.8	150 of 241	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.0	78 of 197	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.5	50 of 114	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	15.2	227 of 240	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.1	217 of 222	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	28.4	248 of 372	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.5	259 of 352	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.6	276 of 357	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.3	250 of 356	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.6	233 of 328	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.6	182 of 249	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.8	321 of 343	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.7	308 of 317	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	16.6	243 of 278	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.7	236 of 275	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.0	241 of 273	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.6	260 of 286	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.3	230 of 265	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.8	161 of 203	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	3.5	282 of 283	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.8	198 of 199	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)33rd percentile-6 vs school

Female (2026)32nd percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)27th percentile-12 vs school

Hispanic (2021)22nd percentile-12 vs school

White (2026)13th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts34%-11 vs state

Science31%-4 vs state

Math25%-12 vs state

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Schools Near Mount Garfield Middle 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/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 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
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%)	33.4	288^th of 476 public middle schools	39.5%		29.8	317^th of 469 public middle schools	32.4%	29	31.4	35.9	35.2	34.1	24.3	18.6	32.1	25.0	31.1	$16,021
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%)	16.2	408^th of 476 public middle schools	14.3%		16.9	393^rd of 469 public middle schools	16.2%	15	22.7	15.8	22.8	20.8	14.9	10.0	17.7	14.6	20.9	$16,353
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%)	22.9	347^th of 476 public middle schools	27.1%		14.7	411^th of 469 public middle schools	12.4%	64	34.5	32.7	28.2	32.0	12.9	17.3	19.5	16.4	16.3	$17,300
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%)	47.4	205^th of 476 public middle schools	56.9%		50.8	196^th of 469 public middle schools	58.2%	9	45.5	41.6	36.9	41.5	29.6	32.3	38.3	33.2	35.6	$16,017
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%)	32.7	292^nd of 476 public middle schools	38.7%		42.3	232^nd of 469 public middle schools	50.5%	60	36.6	30.3	32.9	33.3	27.6	22.9	27.0	26.0	27.5	$15,455
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%)	86.4	51^st of 476 public middle schools	89.3%		85.9	53^rd of 469 public middle schools	88.7%	2	57.9	59.8	64.2	60.6	61.0	48.5	71.8	60.7	70.3	$15,052
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%)	45	216^th of 476 public middle schools	54.6%		42.6	231^st of 469 public middle schools	50.7%	15	38.2	37.2	38.7	38.0	33.0	26.5	47.0	35.0	33.1	$15,197

Frequently Asked Questions about Mount Garfield Middle School

What district is Mount Garfield Middle School in?

Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

What is the racial makeup of Mount Garfield Middle School?

Students at Mount Garfield Middle School are 59% White, 35% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Mount Garfield Middle School attend?

Students who attend Mount Garfield Middle School usually go on to attend Palisade High School

How many students attend Mount Garfield Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 569 students attended Mount Garfield Middle School.

Is Mount Garfield Middle School a good school?

Mount Garfield Middle School ranks 288^th of 476 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance dataOct 6, 2026

2025–26 CMAS, PSAT10, PSAT9 & SAT test scoresAug 19, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 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.