The Juniper School

The Juniper School operates as a tight-knit elementary campus in DURANGO, Colorado, run under Durango School District No. 9-R. Current enrollment sits at 171 students spanning grades K through 8. By comparison, Colorado's public schools average about 379 students each, so The Juniper School sits 55% smaller than that benchmark.

Across the 13 schools in Durango School District No. 9-R (5,089 students total), The Juniper School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, The Juniper School lists that the largest single group is White, at 80% of enrollment. Other groups include 16% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. That composition is broadly in line with La Plata County as a whole.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, The Juniper School has 12 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.4:1. The state averages around 16.6:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 39% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, The Juniper School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 43.3%; this one delivers 48.4%.

Around the school, La Plata County reports that median household earnings sit near $86,056, about 49% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, 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 The Juniper School is one.

The closest other public school is Escalante Middle School, roughly 1.3 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts The Juniper School at 2nd of 6; the average score across the group is 43.5%.

The campus sits in a town-center setting. As a public charter, The Juniper School runs on public funding but with greater curricular and operational autonomy than a typical district school.

Over the past 7-year window. The Juniper School's enrollment has climbed 45% since 2018, when it stood at 118 (now 171). Hispanic enrollment moved from 10% to 16% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 11.1:1 in 2018 to 14.4:1 today.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.