Summary:
Zip code 81526 in Palisade, Colorado is served by two schools in Mesa County Valley School District No. 51: Palisade High School (grades 9–12) and Taylor Elementary School (grades PK–5).
Palisade High School posts a strong 90.2% graduation rate versus 81.5% for the district and 85.6% for the state, with a low 1.5% dropout rate. Yet 48.8% of its students are chronically absent — nearly double the state average of 28.4% — and its 2025–2026 science proficiency collapsed from 35.6% to 20.8%. SAT Reading/Writing proficiency (56%) sits near the state, but SAT Math lags at 29%. In contrast, Taylor Elementary School has far healthier attendance (25.7% chronic absenteeism, below the state) and earns 3 stars. Despite year-over-year declines, Taylor still beats state averages in CMAS ELA (50.7% vs. 44.7%) and Math (39.7% vs. 37.3%).
The big disconnect is at the high school, where many students graduate despite missing substantial class time — a sign of engagement or external barriers. The 15-point science drop at Palisade High School is a major concern, as is the wide math gap: reading/writing outperforms math by roughly 25–30 points at the high school level. Both schools outperform their district in most tested subjects, yet their state rankings have slipped — Taylor fell from the 78th to 55th percentile and Palisade High from the 59th to 43rd over the past three years. With about half of high school students and 43% of elementary students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, these schools are achieving respectable results despite economic challenges, though the downward trends and attendance issues warrant attention from parents and the district alike.
Thank you for your feedback!