Enrollment
146
Elementary
DISTRICT 104 · STATE 379
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CUSTER COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT CONSOLIDATE 1·NCES 080720001226
Custer County Elementary School
709 MAIN STREET, WESTCLIFFE, CO 81252 · (719) 783-2291 · Custer County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL146 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 30% 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.
- C-Beats 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
9.7:1
15 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.9:1 · STATE 16.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
51%
74 students
DISTRICT 51% · STATE 50%
Community
0
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 | 34 | 23% |
| Kindergarten | 18 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 20 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 26 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 17 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 11 | 8% |
| Grade 5 | 20 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (18) is 10% smaller than its 5th grade class (20).
Student demographics
25%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 32% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within Custer County School District Consolidate 1. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
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START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
CMAS 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
47.9%
CO avg 44.9% . +18.8pp since 2023
Math
25.0%
CO avg 36.1% . +5.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the CMAS, Colorado's statewide test, about 48 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 25 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 19 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 5 points.
CMAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 47.9% | 25.0% |
| 2023-24 | 29.1% | 20.0% |
% 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
30.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.0%
based on CO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-5.4pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 31% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 36% 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 Custer County Elementary School
Custer County Elementary School's state test result (30.6% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custer County Elementary School this school | 146 | 50.7% | 30.6% |
| Nucla Elementary School NATURITA | 161 | 55.9% | 32.0% |
| Dove Creek Elementary School DOVE CREEK | 124 | 54.0% | 26.0% |
| North Fork School of Integrated Studies PAONIA | 112 | 51.8% | 58.5% |
| Plateau Valley Elementary School COLLBRAN | 142 | 43.7% | 36.5% |
| Caliche Elementary School ILIFF | 139 | 48.9% | 26.3% |
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 Custer County Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Colorado |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 30.6% | #573 of 931 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 25.0% | #624 of 940 ▲ 72 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 47.9% | #401 of 946 ▲ 258 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 146 | #948 of 1,056 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 50.7% | #467 of 983 |
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
146
-12 (-8%) vs 2020
-26% since 1990-91, when it was 198
Student : Teacher
9.7:1
was 12.2:1
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 | 146 | 15.1 | 9.7:1 | 51% (74) |
| 2023-24 | 152 | 15.6 | 9.8:1 | 61% (92) |
| 2022-23 | 165 | 14.3 | 11.6:1 | 42% (69) |
| 2020-21 | 158 | 13 | 12.2:1 | 54% (85) |
| 2017-18 | 194 | 11.3 | 17.2:1 | 55% (106) |
| 2015-16 | 187 | 13 | 14.4:1 | 52% (98) |
| 2010-11 | 181 | 15 | 12.1:1 | 43% (78) |
| 2000-01 | 227 | 13 | 17.5:1 | 24% (54) |
| 1990-91 | 198 | 9 | 22.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Custer County Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 25% (194 to 146); teachers up 34% (11.3 to 15.1).
About Custer County Elementary School
Custer County Elementary School is a public elementary school in WESTCLIFFE, Colorado. Students in pre-K through 5 attend the school, which enrolls 146 students. The average among elementary schools in Colorado is roughly 379 students; this school is 61% smaller than that.
Custer County Elementary School falls under Custer County School District Consolidate 1, which has 3 schools enrolling 313 students.
Custer County Elementary School's enrollment is 86% White. The school is also 8% Hispanic and 5% multiracial. The school's diversity index is 25%, meaning two students picked at random have a 25% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
The school has about 9.7 students per teacher and 15.1 full-time-equivalent teachers. The school has fewer students per teacher than the 16.6:1 average for elementary schools in Colorado. About 51% of enrolled students meet the income rules for free or reduced-price lunch. For comparison, public schools in Custer County average 50%.
The allk12 Grade for Custer County Elementary School is C. Compared with Colorado public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 30% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Test results at Custer County Elementary School are 5.4 points below what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (30.6% actual, 36.0% predicted).
In the county around the school, Custer County, the median household income is $72,674, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 44% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 8%. Custer County is home to 3 public schools and about 313 public school students.
Custer County High School is the nearest neighboring public school, less than a tenth of a mile away. Within five miles of Custer County Elementary School, there are 2 other public schools. In a group of 9 nearby schools with scores, Custer County Elementary School ranks 4th on average proficiency.
The federal government classifies Custer County Elementary School's location as Rural: Remote.
Enrollment at Custer County Elementary School declined 8% between 2020-21 and 2024-25, from 158 to 146 students. Its ratio of students to teachers was 12.2:1 in 2020-21, and 9.7:1 in 2024-25.
Questions about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news can be posted here. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Custer County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
5,247
Census ACS
Median income
$72,674
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
44%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
3
313 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Custer County School District Consolidate 1
- Custer County High SchoolHigh · 98 students
- Custer Middle SchoolMiddle · 69 students
Other schools in WESTCLIFFE
- Custer County High SchoolHigh · 98 students
- Custer Middle SchoolMiddle · 69 students
Nearby schools
- Custer County High School0.0 mi · 98
- Custer Middle School0.0 mi · 69
- Crestone Charter School16.3 mi · 100
- Cotopaxi Elementary School20.7 mi · 78
- Cotopaxi Junior-Senior High School20.7 mi · 77
- Lincoln School of Science and Technology23.7 mi · 254
Frequently asked questions
About Custer County Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Custer County Elementary School?
Custer County Elementary School enrolls approximately 146 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Custer County Elementary School serve?
Custer County Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Custer County Elementary School have?
Custer County Elementary School employs 15 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 9.7:1.
What is the student diversity at Custer County Elementary School?
Student demographics at Custer County Elementary School are roughly 86% White, 8% Hispanic, 1% Black, 5% Two or more.
What district is Custer County Elementary School in?
Custer County Elementary School is part of Custer County School District Consolidate 1.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.