Needham Elementary School

Needham Elementary School, a medium-sized elementary school in DURANGO, Colorado, one of the schools within Durango School District No. 9-R, instructs 367 students, covering grades pre-K through 5.

Within Durango School District No. 9-R, which oversees 13 schools and 5,089 students, Needham Elementary School is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, Needham Elementary School records that White students make up the majority at 66%. The remainder consists of 20% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, 5% Native American. That is considerably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 82%.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Needham Elementary School has 32 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.6:1. The state averages around 16.6:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 42% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Needham Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 41.1%; this one delivers 41.6%.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for La Plata County indicate median household earnings sit near $86,056, about 49% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, La Plata County runs 24 public schools (combined enrollment of about 7,504 students), of which Needham Elementary School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Miller Middle School, around 0.3 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Needham Elementary School comes 4th of 5 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 43.2%.

Geographically, the school is in a town-center area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Needham Elementary School's enrollment has edged down 15% since 2018, when it stood at 432 (now 367). The White share of enrollment fell from 74% to 66% over that span. Class-load math has tightened: from 15.1:1 in 2018 to 11.6:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.