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Rocky Mountain Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

809^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 950 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 15% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Rocky Mountain Elementary School is a public elementary school in Clifton, Colorado, serving 416 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.

Despite being part of a relatively high-performing district, Rocky Mountain Elementary School faces significant challenges. The school has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 27.7% to 35.2% in recent years, which is much higher than the state and district averages. Academically, the school underperforms, with only 24% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 16.1% in Math, compared to the district averages of 43.1% and 34.7%, respectively. When analyzing specific student groups, the school ranks particularly low for female students, white students, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Compared to nearby schools within the same district, Rocky Mountain Elementary School is an outlier in terms of academic performance. For example, Mesa View Elementary School, just 3.88 miles away, outperforms Rocky Mountain Elementary School across all state assessments and has a much higher school ranking. The combination of high chronic absenteeism, low academic achievement, and the school's ranking among the lowest in Colorado suggests that targeted interventions and support may be necessary to improve outcomes for the students at Rocky Mountain Elementary School.

395

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,933

Per pupil spending ?

79.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3260 D1/2 Road
Clifton, CO 81520-8820

(970) 254-4900

District: Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

Students who attend Rocky Mountain Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Mount Garfield Middle School
High:	Palisade High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

54.2%

Hispanic:

40.0%

Two or more races:

4.6%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Rocky Mountain Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 15th percentile in 2015 → 15th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (20% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (38% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school20%

District avg39%

Colorado avg40%

809^th of 950

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 15%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

26^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	14.9	809 of 950	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.0	884 of 943	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.4	849 of 933	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.4	842 of 921	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.3	666 of 710	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.5	848 of 965	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.4	830 of 917	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	14.5	809 of 929	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	15.0	796 of 914	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	16.7	799 of 938	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	17.9	805 of 962	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	15.7	819 of 954	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	12.6	824 of 935	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	7.8	872 of 935	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	6.6	874 of 925	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	7.0	822 of 872	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	9.2	779 of 849	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	9.0	788 of 852	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	20.3	682 of 829	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	20.4	680 of 823	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	14.2	707 of 808	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	10.8	644 of 694	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.6	627 of 642	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.0	585 of 595	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	23.4	281 of 337	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.1	230 of 265	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	14.0	607 of 700	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.6	619 of 649	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.2	506 of 594	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.2	633 of 764	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	7.9	532 of 551	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.5	539 of 539	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.4	522 of 525	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.0	589 of 596	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)17th percentile~ school

Male (2025)13th percentile~ school

Female (2025)7th percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)3rd percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts24%-21 vs state

Science21%-18 vs state

Math16%-20 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Tuesday, May 10, 2011

The teachers are incredibly motivated and full of energy. Great things are happening at Rocky Mountain! Close Quote

Schools Near Rocky Mountain 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
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%)	14.9	809^th of 950 public elementary schools	14.8%		10	884^th of 943 public elementary schools	6.3%	75	22.1	19.0	32.1				24.0	14.3	13.8	21.2				16.1	20.8		$15,933
Chatfield Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-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%)	57.8	386^th of 950 public elementary schools	59.4%		45.7	482^nd of 943 public elementary schools	48.9%	96	54.8	47.1	45.1				49.4	53.2	36.0	42.3				44.5	37.3		$14,981
Clifton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3276 F Road	Clifton	81520	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-4760	346	24	14.6	75.4%	206 (59.5%)	1 (0.3%)	129 (37.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	2 (0.6%)	5 (1.4%)								(n/a)	21.7						14.8			18.0				12.3			$16,087
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%)	28.4	631^st of 950 public elementary schools	33.6%		22.9	698^th of 943 public elementary schools	26.0%	67	35.3	32.3	35.8				34.5	35.8	26.9	26.5				29.7	13.2		$15,654
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	643^rd of 950 public elementary schools	32.3%		18	768^th of 943 public elementary schools	18.6%	125	19.4	34.5	44.8				32.2	16.4	34.5	25.9				25.1	24.6		$15,156
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
Mesa View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2967 B Road	Grand Junction	81503	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-7970	375	21	18.0	55.2%	273 (72.8%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (21.9%)	3 (0.8%)	5 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (2.9%)	63	333^rd of 950 public elementary schools	64.9%		56.2	396^th of 943 public elementary schools	58.0%	63	55.8	39.7	66.0				52.3	55.8	36.5	45.7				44.7	48.9		$15,541
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
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%)	35.9	563^rd of 950 public elementary schools	40.7%		43.3	493^rd of 943 public elementary schools	47.7%	70	35.1	32.6	44.4				38.0	24.3	39.1	34.5				33.3	25.5		$15,893
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Rocky Mountain Elementary School

Is Rocky Mountain Elementary School a good school?

Rocky Mountain Elementary School ranks in the bottom 14.8% of Colorado elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Rocky Mountain Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Rocky Mountain Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Mount Garfield Middle School
High : Palisade High School

What district is Rocky Mountain Elementary School in?

Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

How many students attend Rocky Mountain Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 395 students attended Rocky Mountain Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Rocky Mountain Elementary School?

Students at Rocky Mountain Elementary School are 54% White, 40% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

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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.