Juniper Ridge Community School

Summary:

Juniper Ridge Community School is a public charter elementary school serving 419 students in grades K-8 in Grand Junction, Colorado, which is part of the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51. While the school has a significantly higher percentage of white students compared to nearby schools, it consistently underperforms the district and state averages on academic assessments, ranking in the bottom 20% of Colorado elementary schools for various student groups.

Juniper Ridge's academic performance is a concern, with proficiency rates of just 25.8% in English Language Arts and 9.1% in Math, compared to the district's 41.1% and 31.8%, and the state's 44.1% and 34.2%, respectively. The school's statewide ranking has also steadily declined over the past several years, from 715 out of 938 Colorado elementary schools in 2014-2015 to 800 out of 943 in 2023-2024, with the school consistently rated at 1 or 0 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger. Additionally, Juniper Ridge has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, which may be contributing to the academic performance gaps observed between the school and its peers.

When compared to the nearby schools in the same district, such as Wingate Elementary and Scenic Elementary, Juniper Ridge consistently underperforms on academic measures, suggesting the need for a closer examination of the school's practices and strategies to improve student learning and achievement.


Detail:

Public, Charter K-8

 640 24 1/2 Rd
       Grand Junction, CO  81505-3294


(970) 639-0884

District: Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

SchoolDigger Rank:
800th of 943 Colorado Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $9,301 Help


Student/teacher ratio:  14.9 Help
Number of students:  419

Racial breakdown:

White:
80.2%
Hispanic:
12.4%
Two or more races:
6.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  39.6% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Juniper Ridge Community School ranks worse than 84.8% of elementary schools in Colorado. It also ranks 24th among 27 ranked elementary schools in the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 15.3. (See more...)
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Compare Details Juniper Ridge Community School ranks worse than 61.4% of middle schools in Colorado. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 32.61. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Juniper Ridge Community School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
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The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
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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 Juniper Ridge Community School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51.  (See more...)
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Juniper Ridge Community School is $9,301, which is the lowest among 27 elementary schools in the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Juniper Ridge Community School:

SchoolDigger ranks Juniper Ridge Community School 800th of 943 Colorado public elementary schools. (See Juniper Ridge Community School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:

SchoolDigger ranks Juniper Ridge Community School 298th of 485 Colorado public middle schools. (See Juniper Ridge Community School in the ranking list.)

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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Rank History for Juniper Ridge Community School

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Compare

Rank History for all elementary school students at Juniper Ridge Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2015 23.18 715th 938 23.8%
2019 20.96 768th 965 20.4%
2022 11.78 857th 921 6.9%
2023 20.34 726th 933 22.2%
2024 15.30 800th 943 15.2%
See the entire list of Colorado Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Juniper Ridge Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 17.30 326th 365 10.7%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Juniper Ridge Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 18.67 528th 642 17.8%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Juniper Ridge Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 12.83 585th 649 9.9%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school White students at Juniper Ridge Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 3.20 524th 525 0.2%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for White Students!

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

Rank History for Juniper Ridge Community School

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Compare
Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2015 14.11 398th 436 8.7%
2023 19.56 371st 480 22.7%
2024 32.61 298th 485 38.6%
See the entire list of Colorado Elementary School Rankings!

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

Juniper Ridge Community School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
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Data source: Colorado Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1.5)
0%

0%

0%

50%

50%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Sunday, January 17, 2021

Open Quote A total trainwreck of a school. Be prepared for the fact that once your children hit high-school age, they are thrown to the wolves in the local public school system and will be woefully unprepared for what awaits them. There also is a strong anti-science, anti-vax sentiment at Juniper Ridge, so be cautious if your child has a compromised immune system as they will frequently be sick. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Juniper Ridge Community School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2014 129 2 0 21 0 0 7 0 159
2015 169 2 1 22 3 0 7 0 204
2016 220 2 1 29 2 0 8 0 262
2017 248 2 1 36 2 0 14 0 303
2018 320 3 1 40 2 0 16 0 382
2019 281 0 0 36 3 0 15 0 335
2020 298 1 0 39 4 0 17 0 359
2021 323 2 0 35 4 0 20 0 384
2022 346 1 0 40 5 0 22 0 414
2023 336 1 0 52 4 0 26 0 419

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 Juniper Ridge Community School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2014 159 9.7 16.3 12.6
2015 204 13.0 15.6 18.6
2016 262 14.0 18.7 32.4
2017 303 19.2 15.7 36.3
2018 382 21.0 18.1 13.1
2019 335 20.4 16.3 39.1
2020 359 21.4 16.7 37.9
2021 384 24.3 15.7 43
2022 414 27.4 15.0 33.3
2023 419 28.0 14.9 39.6

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 Juniper Ridge Community School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2014 159 9.7 16.3 12.6
2015 204 13.0 15.6 18.6
2016 262 14.0 18.7 32.4
2017 303 19.2 15.7 36.3
2018 382 21.0 18.1 13.1
2019 335 20.4 16.3 39.1
2020 359 21.4 16.7 37.9
2021 384 24.3 15.7 43
2022 414 27.4 15.0 33.3
2023 419 28.0 14.9 39.6

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 Juniper Ridge Community School

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $10,263
2020 $7,394
2021 $8,763
2022 $8,061
2023 $9,301

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Juniper Ridge Community 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 768th of 965 Elementary schoolsRanks 726th of 933 Elementary schools
 1.8%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
4th Grade English Language Arts (Juniper Ridge Community School)13.825
 11.2%
   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%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Juniper Ridge Community School)46.930.4
 16.5%
   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 (Juniper Ridge Community School)12.213.6
 1.4%
   5th Grade Math (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)23.536.4
 12.9%
   5th Grade Math (Colorado)35.736.5
 0.8%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Juniper Ridge Community School)3512.9
 22.1%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Mesa County Valley School District No. 51)34.636.6
 2%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)46.942.4
 4.5%
All Grades English Language Arts (Juniper Ridge Community School)24.126.8
 2.7%
   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%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students335419
 25.1%
African American01
American Indian34
 33.3%
Asian00
Hispanic3652
 44.4%
Pacific Islander00
White281336
 19.6%
Two or More Races1526
 73.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients39.1%39.6%
 0.5%


Schools Near Juniper Ridge Community School









Frequently Asked Questions about Juniper Ridge Community School

Students at Juniper Ridge Community School are 80% White, 12% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

In the 2022-23 school year, 419 students attended Juniper Ridge Community School.

Juniper Ridge Community School ranks in the bottom 15.2% of Colorado elementary schools.


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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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