Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Cortez

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
D

Montezuma-Cortez School District RE-1

Public school districtGrades PK–12

Serves Cortez.

Cortez’s School Grade D better than 11% of Colorado school districts

Students
2,380
Schools
10
Spent per student
$13,869
CO $15,889
Students per teacher
15:1
Free or reduced lunch
64%
Debt
$11.1M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Montezuma-Cortez School District RE-1

  • Its letter, D: results better than 11% of Colorado districts
  • Math proficiency 17 pts below the state
  • Reading proficiency 17 pts below the state
  • Graduation rate 16 pts below the state
  • Spends 13% less per student than the CO average
  • 15 students per teacher
  • Debt of $11.1M, about $4,663 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

D: better than 11% of the 169 Colorado school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well below the state, 2021–22
C−
GraduationFour-year graduation well below the state, class of 2023
D
The town it serves, and its School Grade
DCortez 9,126

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Cortez. Grade by grade →

K–52 elementary schoolsThis district
6–8Montezuma-Cortez Middle SchoolThis district
9–12Montezuma-Cortez High SchoolThis district

Test scores vs. CO

2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency15%
State average 31.8% · 1,217 students tested
Reading / language arts28%
State average 44.9% · 1,220 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)65–69%
State average 82.7% · 158 in the class

90% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$13,869 per student · 13% below CO
Spending
Classroom instruction 47%Support & administration 50%Other 4%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 41%State 29%Federal 30%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
2,384’20
2,378’21
2,449’22
2,505’23
2,380’24

About steady since 2020–21.

Students
White 47%American Indian/Alaska Native 24%Hispanic 21%Two or more races 7%Asian <1%Black <1%

Schools in the district

10 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Colorado’s other public schools.

Beech Street Preschool
Prekindergarten · Grades PK · Cortez
70 students
Mesa Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Cortez
C
359 students13:1
Kemper Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Cortez
B+
339 students14:1
Children's Kiva Montessori School
Elementary · Grades K–8 · Cortez
C
130 students14:1
Lewis-Arriola Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Cortez
B
125 students16:1
Battle Rock Charter School
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Cortez
C−
88 students14:1
Pleasant View Charter School
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Pleasant View
C−
35 students12:1
Montezuma-Cortez Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Cortez
C−
505 students15:1
Montezuma-Cortez High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Cortez
B−
598 students21:1
Southwest Open Charter School
High · Grades 9–12 · Cortez
C−
131 students12:1

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within Colorado.