Early Childhood Center

Set in MONTROSE, Colorado, Early Childhood Center is a modestly sized elementary campus, part of Montrose County School District Re-1J. It works with 162 students across grade pre-K. Enrollment runs roughly 57% leaner than the state mean of about 379.

Across the 15 schools in Montrose County School District Re-1J (5,977 students total), Early Childhood Center accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Early Childhood Center records that 60% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. Other groups include 36% White. By comparison, Montrose County as a whole is about 22% Hispanic, so the school skews considerably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 5 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 33.8:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 16.6:1 average. Roughly 78% of students at Early Childhood Center qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Montrose County (around 56%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Montrose County put the typical household earns roughly $72,120 per year, about 29% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 8%. Across Montrose County's 19 public schools (combined enrollment of about 6,237 students), Early Childhood Center is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Outer Range, around 0.1 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

The campus sits in a town-center setting.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Early Childhood Center has shrank 43%, going from 285 students in 2018 to 162 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 53% to 60% across the same window. Class-load math has fell: from 52.6:1 in 2018 to 33.8:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for Early Childhood Center typically covers school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.