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Appleton Elementary School

Summary:

Appleton Elementary School is a public elementary school in Grand Junction, Colorado, serving 453 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51, which is ranked 52 out of 116 districts in the state.

Appleton Elementary stands out for its strong academic performance, consistently outperforming the district and state averages on CMAS tests across all grades and subjects. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, 57.1% of Appleton students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 41.1% for the district and 44.1% for the state. The school also has an exceptional ranking for its low-income student population, earning 5 out of 5 stars on SchoolDigger for the past two years. Additionally, Appleton has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 17.2 to 18.1 over the past three years.

While Appleton Elementary has a higher percentage of White students (78.59%) compared to the surrounding schools, which range from 59.47% to 85.05% White, the school's racial makeup has remained relatively stable. Nearby schools like Chipeta Elementary and Dual Immersion Academy School have a higher percentage of low-income students, suggesting Appleton may have a more economically diverse population. Overall, Appleton Elementary stands out as a high-performing school, particularly in its academic achievement and support for low-income students, when compared to other schools in the area.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 2358 H Road
       Grand Junction, CO  81505-9677

(970) 254-6400

District: Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

SchoolDigger Rank:
295th of 943 Colorado Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $13,481 Help


Students who attend Appleton Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Fruita Middle School
High:    Fruita Monument High School

Student/teacher ratio:  18.1 Help
Number of students:  447

Racial breakdown:

White:
80.1%
Hispanic:
15.0%
Two or more races:
3.1%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  40.3% Help


 See top rated Colorado elementary schools

 Compare Appleton Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Appleton Elementary School ranks better than 68.7% of elementary schools in Colorado. It also ranks 6th among 27 ranked elementary schools in the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 67.08. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (80.1%), Hispanic (15%), two or more races (3.1%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 40.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Appleton Elementary School is 18.1. 24 elementary schools in the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Appleton Elementary School employs 24.6 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Appleton Elementary School is $13,481. 23 elementary schools in the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Appleton Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Appleton Elementary School 295th of 943 Colorado public elementary schools. (See Appleton Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Mesa County Valley School District No. 51:

SchoolDigger ranks Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 52nd of 116 Colorado school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Appleton Elementary School?

Rank History for Appleton Elementary School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Appleton Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 64.62 311th 808 61.5%
2005 68.68 271st 823 67.1%
2006 66.92 295th 829 64.4%
2007 71.82 243rd 852 71.5%
2008 65.41 309th 849 63.6%
2009 58.12 394th 872 54.8%
2010 58.88 422nd 925 54.4%
2011 54.78 465th 935 50.3%
2012 57.07 432nd 935 53.8%
2013 53.30 480th 954 49.7%
2014 55.04 450th 962 53.2%
2015 48.03 446th 938 52.5%
2016 59.86 325th 914 64.4%
2017 46.96 444th 929 52.2%
2018 52.57 394th 917 57.0%
2019 63.20 330th 965 65.8%
2021 76.69 174th 710 75.5%
2022 68.48 266th 921 71.1%
2023 70.60 242nd 933 74.1%
2024 67.08 295th 943 68.7%
See the entire list of Colorado Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Appleton Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 49.03 157th 308 49.0%
2019 73.74 51st 332 84.6%
2023 96.21 5th 265 98.1%
2024 81.17 31st 365 91.5%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Appleton Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 47.36 334th 690 51.6%
2019 56.82 304th 758 59.9%
2021 65.78 143rd 351 59.3%
2022 61.09 224th 595 62.4%
2023 64.31 204th 642 68.2%
2024 50.34 321st 684 53.1%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Appleton Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 40.52 381st 693 45.0%
2019 55.67 301st 764 60.6%
2021 67.25 136th 352 61.4%
2022 57.27 241st 594 59.4%
2023 59.07 242nd 649 62.7%
2024 64.98 224th 683 67.2%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Appleton Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 50.67 290th 596 51.3%
2021 57.81 137th 288 52.4%
2022 49.60 239th 454 47.4%
2023 47.17 280th 525 46.7%
2024 40.84 336th 539 37.7%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Colorado Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Appleton Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 
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Data source: Colorado Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3.7)
67%

0%

0%

0%

33%

  

Reviews:
by a citizen
Monday, April 15, 2019

Open Quote Awful Close Quote


by a parent
Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Open Quote First year here and our children are thriving.
Teachers and principal are great! Close Quote



Enrollment information for Appleton Elementary School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 151 0 2 11 0 n/a n/a 0 164
1989 167 0 2 4 0 n/a n/a 0 173
1990 176 0 1 6 0 n/a n/a 0 183
1991 190 1 1 11 0 n/a n/a 0 203
1992 206 2 1 12 1 n/a n/a 0 222
1993 218 0 1 9 1 n/a n/a 0 229
1994 240 0 1 11 1 n/a n/a 0 253
1995 257 0 1 20 2 n/a n/a 0 280
1996 257 0 1 20 2 n/a n/a 0 280
1997 240 0 2 15 3 n/a n/a 0 260
1998 242 0 3 17 4 n/a n/a 0 266
1999 296 2 3 25 2 n/a n/a 0 328
2000 313 3 3 32 5 n/a n/a 0 356
2001 343 4 4 56 2 n/a n/a -11 398
2002 349 6 4 48 0 n/a n/a 0 407
2003 349 6 4 48 0 n/a n/a 0 407
2004 344 6 6 36 2 n/a n/a 0 394
2005 365 8 4 29 5 n/a n/a 0 411
2006 386 5 9 40 7 n/a n/a 0 447
2007 342 5 7 35 7 n/a n/a 0 396
2008 345 2 7 29 4 n/a n/a 0 387
2009 354 2 11 41 4 n/a n/a 0 412
2010 346 2 17 38 0 n/a n/a 0 403
2011 345 1 12 45 1 2 16 0 422
2012 309 4 13 55 4 2 12 0 399
2013 324 5 13 56 2 2 16 0 418
2014 299 3 11 51 2 2 12 0 380
2015 311 6 13 42 2 2 12 0 388
2016 289 6 12 59 2 2 14 0 384
2017 307 4 14 67 2 3 17 0 414
2018 330 3 16 67 1 3 22 0 442
2019 330 3 12 73 1 4 16 0 439
2020 354 3 3 80 1 2 13 0 456
2021 320 1 4 76 1 1 14 0 417
2022 337 1 5 82 1 2 16 0 444
2023 356 1 4 74 0 3 15 0 453
2024 358 1 4 67 0 3 14 0 447

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Appleton Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 164 7.1 23.0 n/a
1989 173 7.1 24.3 16.8
1990 183 7.4 24.7 24
1991 203 8.9 22.8 15.3
1992 222 9.6 23.1 14.4
1993 229 12.4 18.5 17
1994 253 13.6 18.6 11.5
1995 280 13.1 21.4 28.9
1996 280 13.1 21.4 28.9
1997 260 13.3 19.5 22.7
1998 266 14.8 18.0 17.3
1999 328 14.6 22.5 13.7
2000 356 15.7 22.7 21.1
2001 398 19.7 20.8 22.2
2002 407 19.3 21.1 24.1
2003 407 19.3 21.1 24.1
2004 394 19.8 19.9 23.4
2005 411 19.9 20.7 21.7
2006 447 20.2 22.1 19.9
2007 396 18.3 21.6 16.7
2008 387 19.3 20.1 19.4
2009 412 20.4 20.2 19.7
2010 403 21.3 18.9 29.3
2011 422 21.2 19.8 31.5
2012 399 20.5 19.4 30.3
2013 418 19.8 21.0 28.9
2014 380 22.0 17.2 30.3
2015 388 20.0 19.4 29.9
2016 384 20.0 19.2 30.5
2017 414 22.0 18.8 35
2018 442 21.0 21.0 27.1
2019 439 22.1 19.8 30.3
2020 456 23.2 19.5 29.6
2021 417 24.1 17.2 31.7
2022 444 24.5 18.1 25.5
2023 453 25.2 17.9 24.3
2024 447 24.6 18.1 40.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Appleton Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 164 7.1 23.0 n/a
1989 173 7.1 24.3 16.8
1990 183 7.4 24.7 24
1991 203 8.9 22.8 15.3
1992 222 9.6 23.1 14.4
1993 229 12.4 18.5 17
1994 253 13.6 18.6 11.5
1995 280 13.1 21.4 28.9
1996 280 13.1 21.4 28.9
1997 260 13.3 19.5 22.7
1998 266 14.8 18.0 17.3
1999 328 14.6 22.5 13.7
2000 356 15.7 22.7 21.1
2001 398 19.7 20.8 22.2
2002 407 19.3 21.1 24.1
2003 407 19.3 21.1 24.1
2004 394 19.8 19.9 23.4
2005 411 19.9 20.7 21.7
2006 447 20.2 22.1 19.9
2007 396 18.3 21.6 16.7
2008 387 19.3 20.1 19.4
2009 412 20.4 20.2 19.7
2010 403 21.3 18.9 29.3
2011 422 21.2 19.8 31.5
2012 399 20.5 19.4 30.3
2013 418 19.8 21.0 28.9
2014 380 22.0 17.2 30.3
2015 388 20.0 19.4 29.9
2016 384 20.0 19.2 30.5
2017 414 22.0 18.8 35
2018 442 21.0 21.0 27.1
2019 439 22.1 19.8 30.3
2020 456 23.2 19.5 29.6
2021 417 24.1 17.2 31.7
2022 444 24.5 18.1 25.5
2023 453 25.2 17.9 24.3
2024 447 24.6 18.1 40.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Appleton Elementary School

Help

YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $10,549
2020 $12,510
2021 $11,972
2022 $12,166
2023 $13,481

Data source: Colorado Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Appleton Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Ranks 330th of 965 Elementary schoolsRanks 242nd of 933 Elementary schools
 8.3%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 % proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Appleton Elementary School)52.141.8
 10.3%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)32.937.4
 4.5%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)41.339.9
 1.4%
3rd Grade Math (Appleton Elementary School)47.960.8
 12.9%
   3rd Grade Math (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)31.838.3
 6.5%
   3rd Grade Math (Colorado)4140.4
 0.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Appleton Elementary School)51.445.2
 6.2%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)4239.6
 2.4%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)4843.8
 4.2%
4th Grade Math (Appleton Elementary School)2534.7
 9.7%
   4th Grade Math (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)22.928.4
 5.5%
   4th Grade Math (Colorado)33.632.7
 0.9%
5th Grade Science (Appleton Elementary School)51.752.1
 0.4%
   5th Grade Science (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)2832.1
 4.1%
   5th Grade Science (Colorado)35.933.9
 2%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Appleton Elementary School)59.371.2
 11.9%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)41.146.7
 5.6%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)48.447.8
 0.6%
5th Grade Math (Appleton Elementary School)46.656.2
 9.6%
   5th Grade Math (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)23.536.4
 12.9%
   5th Grade Math (Colorado)35.736.5
 0.8%
All Grades English Language Arts (Appleton Elementary School)53.952.4
 1.5%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)3639.2
 3.2%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Colorado)45.843.7
 2.1%
All Grades Math (Appleton Elementary School)39.450.9
 11.5%
   All Grades Math (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)24.429.1
 4.7%
   All Grades Math (Colorado)34.732.9
 1.8%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Total Students439453
 3.2%
African American31
 66.7%
American Indian10
 100%
Asian124
 66.7%
Hispanic7374
 1.4%
Pacific Islander43
 25%
White330356
 7.9%
Two or More Races1615
 6.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients30.3%24.3%
 6%

Schools Near Appleton Elementary School








Frequently Asked Questions about Appleton Elementary School

Appleton Elementary School ranks 295th of 943 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students at Appleton Elementary School are 80% White, 15% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

Students who attend Appleton Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Fruita Middle School
High : Fruita Monument High School

In the 2023-24 school year, 447 students attended Appleton Elementary School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Colorado Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.




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