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Elk Creek Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

767^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Elk Creek Elementary is a PK–5 school in New Castle, Colorado, serving 272 students as part of the Garfield School District No. Re-2. The school currently holds a 1-star rating and ranks in the 19th percentile statewide, but that hasn't always been the case—it reached the 50th percentile as recently as 2022–2023 and the 61st percentile in 2016–2017. That recent decline makes Elk Creek's story more about lost momentum than a stable pattern of low performance.

Academically, Elk Creek presents a mixed picture. Math is a relative strength: 26.2% of students are proficient, which is above the district average (23.9%) and ahead of nearby Graham Mesa Elementary School, Highland Elementary School, and Wamsley Elementary School. ELA, however, lags at 23.4% proficiency—well below the district average of 30.5%. Grade-level results reveal a striking pattern: 3rd-grade math is strong at 34.3% proficient but fades to 17.9% by 5th grade, while ELA follows the opposite trajectory, rising from 14.3% in 3rd grade to 28.6% in 5th. Science scores have been highly volatile, swinging from an impressive 45.9% proficiency in 2022–2023 to just 14.3% in the most recent testing.

Two other trends are worth noting. Chronic absenteeism nearly doubled from 9.8% to 17.7% in a single year, and the share of students eligible for free/reduced lunch rose from 36% to 46% over two years. On the positive side, Elk Creek's student-teacher ratio of 14.1 is favorable and comparable to the best-staffed schools in the area. Perhaps the most telling comparison is with Kathryn Senor Elementary School, located less than a mile away with nearly identical enrollment, demographics, and staffing, yet Kathryn Senor outperforms Elk Creek on nearly every measure—ELA (29.6% vs. 23.4%), math (33.9% vs. 26.2%), and chronic absenteeism (14.2% vs. 17.7%). That gap suggests school-level factors such as instructional focus and leadership may be driving outcomes. Moving forward, Elk Creek's priorities should be sustaining early-grade math success, lifting 3rd-grade literacy, reversing the absenteeism spike, and stabilizing science performance.

272

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,470

Per pupil spending ?

46.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Colorado receive free school meals.

86.8%

Kindergartners fully immunized against measles (MMR) (2025-26)

Exemptions: 5.3% (MMR)

804 West Main Street
New Castle, CO 81647-8719

(970) 665-6900

District: Garfield School District No. Re-2

Students who attend Elk Creek Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Riverside School
High:	Coal Ridge High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

49.6%

White:

47.4%

Two or more races:

2.2%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 45th percentile in 2016 → 19th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (24% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 26 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school24%

District avg26%

Colorado avg41%

767^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 26 pts since 2016

From bottom 45% (2016) to bottom 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6Elementary Schools in the Garfield School District No. Re-2

91^st of 114Garfield School District No. Re-2 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	18.6	767 of 946	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.6	715 of 950	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.8	756 of 943	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	47.0	467 of 933	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.4	507 of 921	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.7	482 of 710	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.4	659 of 965	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.7	611 of 917	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	55.7	361 of 929	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	40.4	506 of 914	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	39.3	525 of 938	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	49.9	502 of 962	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	80.1	165 of 954	82.7%	★★★★☆
2012	79.0	170 of 935	81.8%	★★★★☆
2011	61.7	389 of 935	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	64.6	352 of 925	61.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	21.9	593 of 758	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	24.1	227 of 270	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	40.9	422 of 764	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2023	41.7	315 of 525	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.1	336 of 596	43.6%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2019)45th percentile+13 vs school

White (2023)40th percentile-10 vs school

Female (2019)22nd percentile-10 vs school

Hispanic (2019)16th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

Math26%-11 vs state

English Language Arts23%-21 vs state

Science14%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Elk Creek 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CMAS English Language Arts (2026)							CMAS Math (2026)							CMAS Science (2026)		Vaccination (2025-26)		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 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	Vaccination: Kindergartners fully immunized against measles (MMR)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Elk Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	804 West Main Street	New Castle	81647	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-6900	272	19	14.1	46.0%	129 (47.4%)	0 (0.0%)	135 (49.6%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	18.6	767^th of 946 public elementary schools	18.9%		21.6	715^th of 950 public elementary schools	24.7%	52	14.3	27.3	28.6				23.4	34.3	25.0	17.9				26.2	14.3		86.8%	5.3%	$19,470
Kathryn Senor Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	101 Alder Avenue	New Castle	81647	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-7700	275	19	14.5	44.7%	139 (50.5%)	1 (0.4%)	133 (48.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	28.1	643^rd of 946 public elementary schools	32.0%		41.4	519^th of 950 public elementary schools	45.4%	124	21.6	31.0	34.8				29.6	41.0	26.2	34.8				33.9	20.0		100%	0%	$18,794
Cactus Valley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	222 Grand Avenue	Silt	81652	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-7850	462	28	16.5	41.1%	250 (54.1%)	0 (0.0%)	205 (44.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	27.7	651^st of 946 public elementary schools	31.2%		34.9	573^rd of 950 public elementary schools	39.7%	78	20.6	30.0	37.1				29.3	30.9	38.0	26.1				31.7	25.7		80.9%	14.7%	$15,436
Two Rivers Community School	Public, Charter	K-8	195 Center Drive	Glenwood Springs	81602	Garfield County	Roaring Fork School District No. Re-1	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(970) 384-4488	390	31	12.5	30.3%	235 (60.3%)	2 (0.5%)	135 (34.6%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.3%)	44.8	474^th of 946 public elementary schools	49.9%		35.2	571^st of 950 public elementary schools	39.9%	97	45.5	40.0	55.8	25.6	40.0	52.9	42.9	40.9	33.3	41.9	718.0	730.0	38.2	29.9	29.3	48.5			$16,884
Glenwood Springs Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	915 School Street	Glenwood Springs	81602	Garfield County	Roaring Fork School District No. Re-1	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 384-5450	452	41	10.9	63.7%	118 (26.1%)	0 (0.0%)	330 (73.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	21.7	719^th of 946 public elementary schools	24.0%		23.3	691^st of 950 public elementary schools	27.3%	28	27.1	27.1	32.4				28.8	28.8	24.4	28.2				26.9	16.9		100%	0%	$22,394
Graham Mesa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1575 Farmstead Parkway	Rifle	81650	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-7500	424	22	19.3	46.7%	169 (39.9%)	0 (0.0%)	252 (59.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	18.2	770^th of 946 public elementary schools	18.6%		19.4	749^th of 950 public elementary schools	21.2%	21	9.8	39.7	27.4				25.8	27.4	19.0	16.4				21.0	19.7		93.2%	3.4%	$14,997
Highland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1500 East 7th Street	Rifle	81650	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-6800	451	28	16.3	57.2%	123 (27.3%)	5 (1.1%)	313 (69.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.2%)	15	814^th of 946 public elementary schools	14.0%		20.3	737^th of 950 public elementary schools	22.4%	77	13.9	25.7	32.1				23.2	27.8	24.3	7.1				20.7	8.9		100%	0%	$15,246
Wamsley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	225 East 30th Street	Rifle	81650	Garfield County	Garfield School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 665-7950	420	16	26.4	60.5%	103 (24.5%)	4 (1.0%)	303 (72.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.1%)	12	858^th of 946 public elementary schools	9.3%		20.9	726^th of 950 public elementary schools	23.6%	132	12.7	29.4	34.5				25.6	5.5	10.0	13.6				9.8	13.6				$15,591
Sopris Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1150 Mount Sopris Drive	Glenwood Springs	81602	Garfield County	Roaring Fork School District No. Re-1	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 384-5400	392	26	14.9	42.6%	210 (53.6%)	0 (0.0%)	167 (42.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.1%)	57.2	385^th of 946 public elementary schools	59.3%		50.2	441^st of 950 public elementary schools	53.6%	56	38.5	43.3	50.8				44.4	46.2	56.9	41.4				48.6	42.4		92%	8%	$21,920
Riverview School	Public	PK, KG-8	228 Flying M Road	Glenwood Springs	81601	Garfield County	Roaring Fork School District No. Re-1	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 510-0252	383	28	13.5	71.8%	43 (11.2%)	1 (0.3%)	334 (87.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	19.2	754^th of 946 public elementary schools	20.3%		24.5	671^st of 950 public elementary schools	29.4%	83	721.0	23.1	28.6	23.7	733.0	724.0	26.1	733.0	16.2	21.4	26.3	25.7	724.0	23.7	17.9	719.0	97.1%	0%	$22,625

Frequently Asked Questions about Elk Creek Elementary

What district is Elk Creek Elementary in?

Garfield School District No. Re-2

What schools do graduates of Elk Creek Elementary attend?

Students who attend Elk Creek Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Riverside School
High : Coal Ridge High School

Is Elk Creek Elementary a good school?

Elk Creek Elementary ranks in the bottom 18.9% of Colorado elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Elk Creek Elementary?

Students at Elk Creek Elementary are 50% Hispanic, 47% White, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Elk Creek Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 272 students attended Elk Creek Elementary.

Rate Elk Creek Elementary!

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 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.