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Ponderosa Elementary

Q: Is Ponderosa Elementary a good school?

Ponderosa Elementary ranks 314 th of 943 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

314^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 943 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 67% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Ponderosa Elementary is a PK-5 school in Loveland, CO, serving 335 students in the Thompson School District R-2J. The school ranks 314th out of 943 Colorado elementary schools, placing it in the 67th percentile with a 3-star rating. Academically, Ponderosa is a strong performer: on the 2025-2026 CMAS assessments, the school posted 58.8% proficiency in English Language Arts, 43.0% in Math, and 44.1% in 5th-grade Science—all above district and state averages.

Ponderosa Elementary is clearly the No. 2 school in its immediate neighborhood, behind only Coyote Ridge Elementary. Among ten nearby schools, Ponderosa ranks second in both ELA and Math proficiency, outperforming the average of its surrounding schools by 16.5 percentage points in ELA and 14.2 points in Math. The school also stands out for very low chronic absenteeism at 10.2%, compared to the district's 25.0% and a nearby average of about 20.0%—only Coyote Ridge, at 10.0%, is comparable.

Ponderosa has the lowest free/reduced lunch rate (22.7%) among nearby schools, and its low-income students rank in the 77th percentile statewide, suggesting the school adds real value for students facing economic disadvantage. The school has shown a remarkable upward trend in science, improving from 21.8% proficiency in 2022-2023 to 44.1% in 2025-2026. The main area to watch is math, which drops from 53.7% proficiency in 3rd grade to 38.3% in 5th grade. Notably, the student-teacher ratio of 15.7 is slightly higher than the nearby average of 13.9, indicating strong results are not driven by unusually small class sizes.

335

Students ?

15.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,716

Per pupil spending ?

22.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4550 Florence Drive
Loveland, CO 80538-5507

(970) 679-9500

District: Thompson School District R-2j

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Lucile Erwin Middle School
High:	Loveland High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

77.3%

Hispanic:

18.2%

Two or more races:

3.6%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Ponderosa Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 53rd percentile in 2016 → 67th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (50% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2016

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Thompson School District R-2j

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school50%

District avg39%

Colorado avg41%

314^th of 943

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Top 33%▲ up 13 pts since 2016

From top 47% (2016) to top 33% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 20Elementary Schools in the Thompson School District R-2j

35^th of 115Thompson School District R-2j 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	64.2	314 of 943	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.0	276 of 950	70.9%	★★★★☆
2024	53.5	421 of 943	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.7	384 of 933	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.2	429 of 921	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.5	360 of 710	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	79.9	168 of 965	82.6%	★★★★☆
2018	71.0	232 of 917	74.7%	★★★★☆
2017	69.2	253 of 929	72.8%	★★★★☆
2016	49.2	426 of 914	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	73.5	214 of 938	77.2%	★★★★☆
2014	77.0	207 of 962	78.5%	★★★★☆
2013	72.6	253 of 954	73.5%	★★★★☆
2012	66.0	339 of 935	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	59.3	416 of 935	55.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	57.0	279 of 692	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.7	195 of 694	71.9%	★★★★☆
2024	50.5	320 of 684	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.9	336 of 642	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.8	376 of 595	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	81.1	111 of 758	85.4%	★★★★☆
2018	69.5	181 of 690	73.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	68.6	73 of 319	77.1%	★★★★☆
2024	49.2	173 of 365	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	79.2	32 of 332	90.4%	★★★★★
2018	74.5	38 of 308	87.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	51.4	323 of 694	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.8	294 of 700	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.6	394 of 683	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.3	322 of 649	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.5	300 of 594	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	67.0	212 of 764	72.3%	★★★★☆
2018	57.7	250 of 693	63.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	43.8	322 of 546	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.1	360 of 551	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.5	412 of 539	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	60.9	204 of 596	65.8%	★★★☆☆

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)77th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2026)60th percentile-7 vs school

Male (2026)53rd percentile-13 vs school

White (2026)41st percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts59%+14 vs state

Science44%+8 vs state

Math43%+6 vs state

5.0

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★3

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, October 26, 2017

My student has flourished after moving to this school in her 3rd grade year. The class sizes are great, the teachers are all professionals and show passion and caring for their students. The Principal is always around, visiting classrooms, on the playground, in the cafeteria, helping with traffic. Wonderful being part of this school! Close Quote

by a parent on FaceBook
Thursday, September 29, 2011

Great Preschool program. Close Quote

by a parent on FaceBook
Wednesday, August 3, 2011

This school gets an A++++!!!! The teachers and staff are excellent. My kids will be in 1st and 3rd grade this year and I couldn't have asked for a better school for them to be in. Close Quote

Schools Near Ponderosa Elementary

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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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	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 7th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	Total
Ponderosa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4550 Florence Drive	Loveland	80538	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	No	(970) 679-9500	335	21	15.7	22.7%	259 (77.3%)	3 (0.9%)	61 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.6%)	64.2	314^th of 943 public elementary schools	66.7%		69	276^th of 950 public elementary schools	70.9%	38	62.5	58.3	56.7		58.8	53.7	39.6	38.3		43.0	44.1	$17,716
Centennial Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1555 West 37th Street	Loveland	80538	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	No	(970) 613-5800	324	20	15.9	30.6%	217 (67.0%)	2 (0.6%)	72 (22.2%)	10 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (6.8%)	45.2	466^th of 943 public elementary schools	50.6%		53.6	417^th of 950 public elementary schools	56.1%	49	33.3	54.0	57.6		48.5	22.2	42.0	30.5		31.3	36.2	$17,238
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3312 North Douglas Avenue	Loveland	80538	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 613-6200	196	12	16.0	47.4%	118 (60.2%)	2 (1.0%)	61 (31.1%)	2 (1.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (6.1%)	57	387^th of 943 public elementary schools	59.0%		47.4	469^th of 950 public elementary schools	50.6%	82		52.0			39.4		36.0			28.8	47.4	$21,045
Laurene Edmondson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	307 West 49th Street	Loveland	80538	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 613-6300	235	16	14.7	63.8%	127 (54.0%)	6 (2.6%)	88 (37.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.5%)	19.3	746^th of 943 public elementary schools	20.9%		18.6	758^th of 950 public elementary schools	20.2%	12	15.4	36.6	37.1		31.4	18.5	18.6	14.3		17.1	22.9	$18,007
Namaqua Elementary School	Public	K-5	209 North County Road 19e	Loveland	80537	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	No	(970) 613-6600	236	17	14.0	35.2%	177 (75.0%)	1 (0.4%)	38 (16.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.6%)	40.6	510^th of 943 public elementary schools	45.9%		50.4	439^th of 950 public elementary schools	53.8%	71	32.5	41.7	61.1		44.6	32.5	19.4	30.6		27.7	41.7	$18,776
Peakview Academy at Conrad Ball	Public	PK, KG-8	2660 North Monroe Avenue	Loveland	80538	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	No	(970) 613-7300	536	38	14.0	62.7%	281 (52.4%)	4 (0.7%)	218 (40.7%)	3 (0.6%)	7 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.3%)	15.2	809^th of 943 public elementary schools	14.2%		15.2	804^th of 950 public elementary schools	15.4%	5	38.7	16.1	18.0	18.2	15.9	34.4	10.7	14.0	14.3	13.3		$19,424
Garfield Elementary School	Public	K-5	720 Colorado Avenue	Loveland	80537	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	No	(970) 613-6000	213	16	13.2	45.1%	158 (74.2%)	2 (0.9%)	44 (20.7%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.8%)	48.9	440^th of 943 public elementary schools	53.3%		51.6	433^rd of 950 public elementary schools	54.4%	7	64.5	59.1	30.3		51.9	48.4	40.9	25.0		38.3	18.2	$19,748
Truscott Elementary School	Public	K-5	211 West 6th Street	Loveland	80537	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 613-6900	194	18	10.6	50.5%	87 (44.8%)	0 (0.0%)	97 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	9 (4.6%)	20.3	736^th of 943 public elementary schools	22.0%		13.6	824^th of 950 public elementary schools	13.3%	88	32.1	30.3	33.3		31.8	32.1	9.1	11.1		17.0	22.2	$21,141
Cottonwood Plains Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	525 Turman Drive	Fort Collins	80525	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	No	(970) 613-5900	330	24	13.6	52.7%	146 (44.2%)	3 (0.9%)	159 (48.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.4%)	35.6	568^th of 943 public elementary schools	39.8%		34.9	574^th of 950 public elementary schools	39.6%	6	41.0	38.8	46.3		42.3	38.1	40.8	18.9		31.9	17.0	$18,990
Big Thompson Elementary School	Public	K-5	7702 West Highway 34	Loveland	80538	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	No	(970) 613-5600	179	14	12.7	24.6%	140 (78.2%)	2 (1.1%)	23 (12.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.1%)	41	505^th of 943 public elementary schools	46.4%		51.3	437^th of 950 public elementary schools	54.0%	68	30.0	42.9	64.7		47.1	16.7	23.8	41.2		28.2	32.4	$19,036

Frequently Asked Questions about Ponderosa Elementary

Is Ponderosa Elementary a good school?

Ponderosa Elementary ranks 314^th of 943 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Ponderosa Elementary?

Students at Ponderosa Elementary are 77% White, 18% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend Ponderosa Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 335 students attended Ponderosa Elementary.

What district is Ponderosa Elementary in?

Thompson School District R-2j

What schools do graduates of Ponderosa Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lucile Erwin Middle School
High : Loveland High School

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

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

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataAug 27, 2025

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.