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What's the biggest difference between Appleton Elementary School and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
439
Elementary
DISTRICT 331 · STATE 379
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MESA COUNTY VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 51·NCES 080435000597
Appleton Elementary School
2358 H ROAD, GRAND JUNCTION, CO 81505 · (970) 254-6400 · Mesa County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY22-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL439 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
18.1:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.9:1 · STATE 16.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
37%
164 students
DISTRICT 54% · STATE 50%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 27 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 47 | 11% |
| Grade 1 | 67 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 65 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 77 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 71 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 85 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (47) is 45% smaller than its 5th grade class (85).
Student demographics
29%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 45% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CMAS 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
63.6%
CO avg 44.9% . +6.5pp since 2023
Math
61.9%
CO avg 36.1% . +10.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the CMAS, Colorado's statewide test, about 64 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 62 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Colorado schools, those numbers are about 45 and 36. Reading and writing scores are up about 7 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 10 points.
CMAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 63.6% | 61.9% |
| 2023-24 | 57.1% | 51.6% |
% Met or Exceeded Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CMAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
54.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
44.1%
based on CO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+10.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 54% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 44% typical for Colorado schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Colorado's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Appleton Elementary School
Appleton Elementary School's state test result (54.1% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appleton Elementary School this school | 439 | 37.4% | 54.1% |
| Longfellow Elementary School SALIDA | 449 | 39.6% | 62.0% |
| Shelledy Elementary School FRUITA | 371 | 38.5% | 45.3% |
| Avery/Parsons Elementary School BUENA VISTA | 383 | 38.9% | 34.3% |
| Deer Creek Elementary School BAILEY | 367 | 40.1% | 47.8% |
| Manitou Springs Elementary School MANITOU SPRINGS | 331 | 39.0% | 42.6% |
Matched among Colorado elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Appleton Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Colorado | In Mesa County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 54.1% | #231 of 931 | #5 of 26 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 61.9% | #123 of 940 ▲ 90 | #2 of 27 ▲ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 63.6% | #158 of 946 ▲ 99 | #3 of 27 ▲ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 439 | #350 of 1,056 | #2 of 30 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.1:1 | #774 of 896 | #24 of 26 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 28.6% | #816 of 896 | #20 of 26 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 37.4% | #622 of 983 | #23 of 27 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -0.7% | #656 of 664 | #20 of 20 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
439
+22 (+5%) vs 2020
+116% since 1990-91, when it was 203
Student : Teacher
18.1:1
was 17.4:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 439 | 24.3 | 18.1:1 | 37% (164) |
| 2023-24 | 447 | 24.6 | 18.2:1 | 40% (180) |
| 2022-23 | 453 | 25.3 | 17.9:1 | 24% (110) |
| 2020-21 | 417 | 24 | 17.4:1 | 32% (132) |
| 2017-18 | 442 | 21 | 21.1:1 | 27% (120) |
| 2015-16 | 384 | 20 | 19.2:1 | 30% (117) |
| 2010-11 | 422 | 21 | 20.1:1 | 32% (133) |
| 2000-01 | 409 | 19 | 21.5:1 | 22% (91) |
| 1990-91 | 203 | 8 | 25.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Appleton Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 1% (442 to 439); teachers up 16% (21 to 24.3).
About Appleton Elementary School
Appleton Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school located in GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado. The school runs pre-K through 5 and enrolls 439 students.
A total of 45 schools make up Mesa County Valley School District No. 51, with 20,344 students enrolled.
The share of students at Appleton Elementary School who are White is 84%. Other groups make up 12% Hispanic and 2% multiracial. Mesa County residents are about 82% White, a similar share. A diversity index of 29% means there is a 29% chance two randomly chosen students at Appleton Elementary School are from different groups.
With 24.3 full-time-equivalent teachers, the student-to-teacher ratio is about 18.1:1. Statewide, elementary schools in Colorado average 16.6:1. Roughly 37% of students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. On average, public schools in Mesa County report 53%.
On BeatsExpectations, Appleton Elementary School is 10.1 points above its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of Colorado schools.
In the surrounding county, Mesa County, median household income comes to about $73,658, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 32% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 7%. The county's public schools total 57, with about 22,232 students.
The closest school to Appleton Elementary School is Caprock Academy, located about 1.3 miles away. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of Appleton Elementary School. In a group of 7 nearby schools with scores, Appleton Elementary School ranks 4th on average proficiency.
Appleton Elementary School falls in the Suburb: Mid-size locale category, used for schools in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
The school's enrollment rose 5% from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
Parents, students, and staff can share information on pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback here. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Mesa County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
158,601
Census ACS
Median income
$73,658
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
32%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
57
22,232 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Mesa County Valley School District No. 51
- Grand Junction High SchoolHigh · 1,832 students
- Fruita Monument High SchoolHigh · 1,427 students
- Central High SchoolHigh · 1,352 students
- Palisade High SchoolHigh · 1,073 students
- Fruita Middle SchoolMiddle · 690 students
- Redlands Middle SchoolMiddle · 632 students
Other schools in GRAND JUNCTION
- Grand Junction High SchoolHigh · 1,832 students
- Central High SchoolHigh · 1,352 students
- Caprock AcademyCombined · 871 students
- Redlands Middle SchoolMiddle · 632 students
- Orchard Mesa Middle SchoolMiddle · 560 students
- Bookcliff Middle SchoolMiddle · 525 students
Nearby schools
- Caprock Academy1.3 mi · 871
- Mesa Valley Community School2.3 mi · 178
- Pomona Elementary School2.9 mi · 395
- Redlands Middle School3.0 mi · 632
- Broadway Elementary School3.0 mi · 300
- Wildflower Montessori Public School of Colorado Grand Valley3.3 mi · 40
Frequently asked questions
About Appleton Elementary SchoolHow large is Appleton Elementary School?
Appleton Elementary School enrolls approximately 439 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Appleton Elementary School serve?
Appleton Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at Appleton Elementary School?
Approximately 18.1:1 students per teacher at Appleton Elementary School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Appleton Elementary School?
At Appleton Elementary School, the student body is approximately 84% White, 12% Hispanic, 1% Asian, 2% Two or more.
What district is Appleton Elementary School in?
Appleton Elementary School is part of Mesa County Valley School District No. 51.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.