Northside Elementary School

Northside Elementary School serves 327 students in grades K-5 in Montrose, CO, as part of the Montrose County School District Re-1J. The school has a high level of economic need—76.45% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, the highest rate among nearby elementary schools—yet it also maintains the smallest class sizes in its comparison group, with a student-teacher ratio of 14.4.

Academically, Northside ranks in the 28th percentile statewide, a meaningful improvement from 19th percentile the prior year. The school shows particular strength in serving its low-income students, who rank at the 49th percentile statewide (up sharply from 9th percentile). English language arts proficiency rose from 24.3% to 31.7%, math from 18.6% to 21.7%, and 5th-grade science jumped from 15.9% to 32.4%, nearly matching the district average. Northside outperforms Johnson Elementary in every subject, including ELA (31.7% vs. 24.8%), math (21.7% vs. 15.1%), and science (32.4% vs. 25.0%). However, Cottonwood Elementary, a wealthier school about 3 miles away, posts substantially higher scores—53.6% ELA proficiency versus Northside's 31.7%—a gap largely reflecting differences in economic opportunity.

One concern is chronic absenteeism: 32.5% of Northside students miss enough school to be considered chronically absent, above the state rate of 28.4% and second-highest among nearby schools after Pomona Elementary. The longer-term picture is encouraging, though: since 2022-2023, ELA proficiency has more than doubled (15.3% to 31.7%) and math has grown from 10.1% to 21.7%. If the school can sustain this momentum and reduce absenteeism, it has a strong foundation for continued improvement. Areas needing attention include 4th-grade ELA and math, which remain well below district averages.