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Schools›Colorado›PALISADE
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MESA COUNTY VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 51·NCES 080435000620

Palisade High School

3679 G ROAD, PALISADE, CO 81526 · (970) 254-4800 · Mesa County
GRADES 09–12HIGH22-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,073 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded

This school has no state test results for 2023-24 or 2024-25 to grade, which is common for schools that end before third grade. How grades work

Enrollment
1,073
High
DISTRICT 870 · STATE 627
Student : Teacher
18.3:1
59 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.0:1 · STATE 16.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
51%
546 students
DISTRICT 54% · STATE 50%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 928126%
Grade 1029027%
Grade 1125023%
Grade 1225223%
Student demographics
48%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 45% · STATE 62% · US 70%
White
70966%
DISTRICT 69% · STATE 49% · US 43%
Hispanic
30128%
DISTRICT 25% · STATE 37% · US 30%
Black
91%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 5% · US 15%
Asian
71%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 3% · US 6%
Two+
373%
DISTRICT 3% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Native American
61%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 1% · US 1%
Pacific Islander
40%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
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
Male
52949%
Female
54451%

Discussions

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BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
34.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
35.9%
based on CO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-1.4pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 34% 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 Palisade High School

Palisade High School's state test result (34.5% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Palisade High School this school1,07350.9%34.5%
Poudre High School
FORT COLLINS
1,40945.3%37.2%
Canon City High School
CANON CITY
93649.6%30.0%
Montrose High School
MONTROSE
1,27945.3%33.0%
Coronado High School
COLORADO SPRINGS
1,27948.3%24.4%
Florence Jr./Sr. High School
FLORENCE
57247.9%29.0%
Matched among Colorado high 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 Palisade High School ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn ColoradoIn Mesa County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
34.5%#85 of 231N/A
Enrollment
ranked largest first
1,073#101 of 409#4 of 9
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
18.3:1#135 of 250N/A
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
48.3%#126 of 250N/A
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
50.9%#144 of 320#3 of 6
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+1.9%#94 of 108N/A
Ranked against other public high 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 2024-25
Enrollment
1,073
-39 (-4%) vs 2020
+133% since 1990-91, when it was 460
Student : Teacher
18.3:1
was 20.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-251,07358.618.3:151% (546)
2023-241,06958.318.3:151% (549)
2022-231,1255819.4:142% (476)
2020-211,1125520.2:152% (578)
2017-181,05352.919.9:146% (481)
2015-161,0065319.0:147% (477)
2010-111,0035717.6:146% (457)
2000-019354919.1:138% (356)
1990-914602518.4:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Palisade High School.

Since 2017-18: students up 2% (1,053 to 1,073); teachers up 11% (52.9 to 58.6).

About Palisade High School

Palisade High School is a large high school for students in PALISADE, Colorado. The grade span is 9 through 12, and enrollment is 1,073 students. An average school in this group (high schools in Colorado) has about 627 students.

Mesa County Valley School District No. 51, which runs Palisade High School, has 45 schools and 20,344 students.

Palisade High School's enrollment is 66% White. Other groups include 28% Hispanic and 3% multiracial. By comparison, Mesa County residents are about 82% White. The chance that two students picked at random at Palisade High School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 48%.

Its teaching staff equals 58.6 full-time positions, a ratio of 18.3:1. That ratio is over the 16.9:1 average for high schools in Colorado. Around 51% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. That is close to the 53% average for public schools in Mesa County.

Based on student poverty, the model expects 35.9% at Palisade High School; the school's average proficiency rate on state tests is 34.5%.

Palisade High School is located in Mesa County, where median household income is about $73,658, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 32%, and about 7% of people live in poverty. Palisade High School is one of 57 public schools in Mesa County, which together enroll about 22,232 students.

Taylor Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.9 miles away. A five-mile radius around the school includes 4 other public schools. Local comparison: Palisade High School ranks 3rd of 9 nearby schools, at 34.5% versus a 27.9% average.

For locale, NCES codes Palisade High School as Suburb: Mid-size.

Enrollment was 1,112 in 2020-21 and 1,073 in 2024-25, a decrease of 39 students. The student-to-teacher ratio went down from 20.2:1 to 18.3:1.

Topics for discussion here include school safety, transportation, and start times. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.

Mesa County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
158,601
Census ACS
Median income
$73,658
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
32%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
57
22,232 students

Quick facts

School name
Palisade High School
District
Mesa County Valley School District No. 51
Address
3679 G ROAD, PALISADE, CO 81526
Phone
(970) 254-4800
County
Mesa County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
1,073
Teachers (FTE)
59
Student–teacher ratio
18.3:1
Free and reduced lunch
546 (51%)
Locale
22-Suburb: Mid-size
NCES ID
080435000620
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Mesa County Valley School District No. 51
Other schools in PALISADE
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Palisade High School
How large is Palisade High School?
Palisade High School enrolls approximately 1,073 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Palisade High School serve?
Palisade High School serves grades 09-12.
How many students per teacher at Palisade High School?
Approximately 18.3:1 students per teacher at Palisade High School.
How diverse is Palisade High School?
Palisade High School reports a student body of 66% White, 28% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Is Palisade High School public or private?
Palisade High School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Mesa County Valley School District No. 51.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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