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Schools in Zip Code 81503

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At a glance

Schools

1,955

Students

Top rankedNew Emerson School at Columbus130^th of 943 Colorado elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Lincoln Orchard Mesa Elementary School up 109 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Lincoln Orchard Mesa Elementary School 13.4 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

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Summary:

Zip code 81503 contains five schools — four elementary schools and one middle school — all part of Mesa County Valley School District No. 51, serving 1,655 students with no high school within the zip code. The elementary schools enroll roughly 1,095 students, while Orchard Mesa Middle School serves 560 students in grades 6–8. The elementary options are New Emerson School at Columbus, Mesa View Elementary School, Lincoln Orchard Mesa Elementary School, and Dos Rios Elementary School, with academic performance varying widely across the area.

New Emerson School at Columbus is the clear standout, ranking in the 86th percentile of Colorado elementary schools with 4 stars. Its ELA proficiency of 63.9% and math proficiency of 54.1% far exceed district and state averages, and its chronic absenteeism rate of just 10.1% is remarkably low. By contrast, Dos Rios Elementary School is the most challenged, with the highest poverty level (79.5% free/reduced lunch), the lowest ranking (40th percentile, 2 stars), and 5th-grade science proficiency of only 16.3%. The sole middle school, Orchard Mesa Middle School, ranks in the 57th percentile with 3 stars but struggles with a 43% chronic absenteeism rate. Mesa View Elementary School performs above district averages, while Lincoln Orchard Mesa Elementary School sits near the middle.

The gap between the highest- and lowest-performing schools is substantial — New Emerson School at Columbus's ELA proficiency is 23.4 percentage points above Dos Rios Elementary School, and the science gap reaches 55.9 points. Chronic absenteeism is a serious concern, especially at Orchard Mesa Middle School, where 43% of students are chronically absent. Encouragingly, Dos Rios Elementary School has shown steady improvement, climbing from the 22nd percentile in 2023–24 to the 40th percentile in 2025–26. While poverty and performance are correlated, Lincoln Orchard Mesa Elementary School's similar poverty level to Dos Rios Elementary School but better outcomes suggests school culture and attendance play important roles.

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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 (2025)	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	Total
Broadway Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2248 Broadway	Grand Junction	81503	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-6430	300	17	17.4	32.0%	246 (82.0%)	3 (1.0%)	33 (11.0%)	4 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	11 (3.7%)	67.8	283^rd of 943 public elementary schools	70.0%		83.1	139^th of 950 public elementary schools	85.4%	144	58.5	48.9	58.2				55.6	62.3	45.5	49.1				52.6	38.6		$15,892
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%)	46.8	454^th of 943 public elementary schools	51.9%		35.9	563^rd of 950 public elementary schools	40.7%	109	44.4	33.3	51.1				43.5	48.9	25.6	39.6				38.6			$18,471
Orchard Mesa Middle School	Public	6-8	2736 Unaweep Ave #a	Grand Junction	81503	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-6320	560	35	15.9	58.9%	389 (69.5%)	0 (0.0%)	139 (24.8%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.0%)	47.2	203^rd of 469 public middle schools	56.7%		50.8	196^th of 469 public middle schools	58.2%	7				45.5	41.6	36.9	41.5				29.6	32.3	38.3	33.2		35.6	$16,017
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%)	55.3	396^th of 943 public elementary schools	58.0%		63	333^rd of 950 public elementary schools	64.9%	63	42.6	60.9	48.4				50.0	50.9	50.0	35.9				44.8	31.8		$16,636
New Emerson School at Columbus	Public, Magnet	K-5	2660 Unaweep Ave	Grand Junction	81503	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	Yes	No	No	(970) 254-6500	138	9	15.1		114 (82.6%)	2 (1.4%)	14 (10.1%)	3 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.6%)	85.3	130^th of 943 public elementary schools	86.2%		83.1	138^th of 950 public elementary schools	85.5%	8	60.9	75.0	55.6				63.9			64.7				54.1	72.2		$16,752
Dos Rios Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	265 Linden Ave	Grand Junction	81503	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-7910	293	18	16.1	79.5%	190 (64.8%)	0 (0.0%)	94 (32.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.4%)	36	564^th of 943 public elementary schools	40.2%		32.1	595^th of 950 public elementary schools	37.4%	31	40.5	45.0	36.4				40.5	35.1	42.5	27.3				34.7	16.3		$17,485

Cities Near Zip Code 81503

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Grand Junction	0.51 mi	36	95^th
Clifton	3.38 mi	2	175^th
Palisade	8.19 mi	2	97^th
Fruita	12.25 mi	6	55^th
Loma	20.41 mi	1	107^th

See the top CO Colorado cities

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.