Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School

Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School operates as a very small elementary campus in HESPERUS, Colorado, run under Durango School District No. 9-R. Current enrollment sits at 116 students spanning grades pre-K through 5. That puts it 69% smaller than the typical public school in Colorado, which averages around 379 students.

Durango School District No. 9-R runs 13 schools in total, collectively educating 5,089 students. Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School is one of those campuses.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School logs that 72% of the student body identifies as White. Beyond that, the school records 22% Hispanic, 3% Native American. The wider county runs roughly 82% White, putting the school's mix noticeably less White than the area baseline.

On the resource side, On paper, Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School has 11 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 10.2:1. The state averages around 16.6:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 51% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is noticeably above La Plata County's rate of about 39%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 35.9%; this one delivers 50.0%, a residual of +14.1 points.

Around the school, La Plata County reports that median household earnings sit near $86,056, 49% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. In all, La Plata County runs 24 public schools (combined enrollment of about 7,504 students), of which Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School is one.

The closest other public school is Sunnyside Elementary School, roughly 14.3 miles away. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 40.9%.

Geographically, the school is in an outlying area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School has edged down 17%, going from 140 students in 2018 to 116 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share contracted from 82% to 72%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 13.3:1 in 2018 to 10.2:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.