Pomona Elementary School

Pomona Elementary School, a K-5 school in Montrose, Colorado, serves 335 students in the Montrose County School District Re-1J and currently ranks in the 35th percentile of Colorado elementary schools, placing it in the lower-middle range statewide. Like many schools in the region, Pomona serves a high-poverty population — about 67.5% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch — which provides important context for understanding its test scores.

In reading, Pomona holds its own. About 39.6% of students are proficient in English Language Arts, slightly above the district's 37.7% but below the state's 44.7%. Fourth grade is a particular bright spot, with 53.3% of 4th graders proficient in reading. Math is a bigger challenge. Only 22.9% of students are proficient in math, well below the state rate of 37.3%, and the drop from 3rd to 4th grade is especially noticeable: 32.1% of 3rd graders are proficient in math, but that falls to just 14.8% in 4th grade. Science is also an area of concern, with 30.2% of 5th graders proficient compared to 36.1% statewide.

Compared with nearby schools, Pomona sits in the middle of the pack. It outperforms Olathe Elementary School, Johnson Elementary School, and Northside Elementary School in reading, but trails Oak Grove Elementary School and especially Cottonwood Elementary School, just two miles away, which posts 53.6% reading proficiency and 48.6% math proficiency. Pomona's chronic absenteeism rate of 34.9% — though improved from 38.9% — remains a concern, as more than a third of students are missing significant school. The school does offer smaller class sizes than most nearby schools, and its low-income students perform relatively well compared to their statewide peers.