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What's one thing Cactus Valley Elementary School gets right about preparing students for what comes next?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
462
Elementary
DISTRICT 384 · STATE 379
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·GARFIELD SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. RE-2·NCES 080624001099
Cactus Valley Elementary School
222 GRAND AVENUE, SILT, CO 81652 · (970) 665-7850 · Garfield County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL462 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 25% of Colorado public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Colorado public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
16.6:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.9:1 · STATE 16.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
41%
190 students
DISTRICT 48% · 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 | 46 | 10% |
| Kindergarten | 67 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 53 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 74 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 82 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 69 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 71 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (67) is 6% smaller than its 5th grade class (71).
Student demographics
51%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 51% · 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
33.8%
CO avg 44.9% . -5.5pp since 2023
Math
31.5%
CO avg 36.1% . +7.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the CMAS, Colorado's statewide test, about 34 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 32 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Colorado schools, those numbers are about 45 and 36. Reading and writing scores are down about 6 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 7 points.
CMAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 33.8% | 31.5% |
| 2023-24 | 39.3% | 24.5% |
% 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
32.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
41.8%
based on CO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-9.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 33% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 42% 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 Cactus Valley Elementary School
Cactus Valley Elementary School's state test result (32.7% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cactus Valley Elementary School this school | 462 | 41.1% | 32.7% |
| Crystal River Elementary School CARBONDALE | 445 | 40.9% | 25.4% |
| Sopris Elementary School GLENWOOD SPRINGS | 392 | 42.6% | 41.3% |
| Highland Elementary School PIERCE | 443 | 36.6% | 24.6% |
| Strasburg Elementary School STRASBURG | 544 | 39.2% | 34.5% |
| Cedar Ridge Elementary School PUEBLO WEST | 458 | 39.5% | 47.1% |
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 Cactus Valley Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Colorado | In Garfield County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 32.7% | #537 of 931 | #6 of 14 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 31.5% | #521 of 940 ▲ 90 | #4 of 14 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 33.8% | #591 of 946 ▼ 78 | #6 of 14 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 462 | #299 of 1,056 | #1 of 15 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.6:1 | #623 of 896 | #11 of 13 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 51.0% | #423 of 896 | #7 of 13 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 41.1% | #570 of 983 | #11 of 15 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +7.4% | #119 of 200 | #5 of 8 |
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
462
+54 (+13%) vs 2020
+60% since 1990-91, when it was 289
Student : Teacher
16.6:1
was 14.1:1
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 | 462 | 27.9 | 16.6:1 | 41% (190) |
| 2023-24 | 493 | 26.8 | 18.4:1 | 31% (155) |
| 2022-23 | 463 | 29.1 | 15.9:1 | 33% (154) |
| 2020-21 | 408 | 29 | 14.1:1 | 37% (151) |
| 2017-18 | 430 | 23.1 | 18.6:1 | 43% (186) |
| 2015-16 | 440 | 24 | 18.3:1 | 45% (199) |
| 2010-11 | 411 | 24 | 17.1:1 | 45% (184) |
| 2000-01 | 362 | 21 | 17.2:1 | 26% (95) |
| 1990-91 | 289 | 12 | 24.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Cactus Valley Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 7% (430 to 462); teachers up 21% (23.1 to 27.9).
About Cactus Valley Elementary School
Cactus Valley Elementary School runs as a mid-sized elementary school in SILT, Colorado. It reported 462 students in pre-K through 5 in 2024-25. By comparison, elementary schools in Colorado enroll about 379 students on average.
Garfield School District No. Re-2 has 4,695 students in 10 schools, and Cactus Valley Elementary School is one of those schools.
White students are 54% of those enrolled at Cactus Valley Elementary School. The rest of enrollment is 44% Hispanic. Census estimates put the White share of Garfield County's population at about 69%. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 51, compared with 70 nationally.
A staff of 27.9 full-time-equivalent teachers puts the student-to-teacher ratio at 16.6:1. The average for elementary schools in Colorado is about 16.6:1. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 41%. Across public schools in Garfield County, the average is 50%.
Cactus Valley Elementary School earns a C on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 25% of Colorado public elementary schools.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for Cactus Valley Elementary School is 41.8%, and its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 32.7%.
In the wider Garfield County area, median household income comes to about $91,131, roughly 34% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Garfield County's 29 public schools enroll about 10,790 students and include Cactus Valley Elementary School.
Coal Ridge High School, about 2.8 miles away, is the closest public school. Within ten miles of Cactus Valley Elementary School, there are at least 8 other public schools. Ranked by average proficiency, Cactus Valley Elementary School places 2nd out of 9 schools in its immediate area.
Its NCES locale code is Rural: Distant: the school is in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
The school grew from 408 students in 2020-21 to 462 in 2024-25. There were more students per teacher in 2024-25 (16.6:1) than in 2020-21 (14.1:1).
On allk12, people connected to Cactus Valley Elementary School can post about pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Garfield County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
62,479
Census ACS
Median income
$91,131
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
29
10,790 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Garfield School District No. Re-2
- Rifle High SchoolHigh · 778 students
- Coal Ridge High SchoolHigh · 578 students
- Rifle Middle SchoolMiddle · 552 students
- Riverside SchoolMiddle · 483 students
- Highland Elementary SchoolElementary · 451 students
- Graham Mesa Elementary SchoolElementary · 424 students
Nearby schools
- Coal Ridge High School2.8 mi · 578
- Graham Mesa Elementary School5.3 mi · 424
- Highland Elementary School5.6 mi · 451
- Wamsley Elementary School6.0 mi · 420
- Elk Creek Elementary6.6 mi · 272
- Rifle Middle School6.6 mi · 552
Frequently asked questions
About Cactus Valley Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Cactus Valley Elementary School?
Cactus Valley Elementary School enrolls approximately 462 students in grades PK-05.
Is Cactus Valley Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Cactus Valley Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at Cactus Valley Elementary School?
Approximately 16.6:1 students per teacher at Cactus Valley Elementary School.
How diverse is Cactus Valley Elementary School?
Cactus Valley Elementary School reports a student body of 54% White, 44% Hispanic, 0% Asian, 1% Two or more.
What district is Cactus Valley Elementary School in?
Cactus Valley Elementary School is part of Garfield School District No. Re-2.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.