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Grand Junction, Colorado - 46 schools
An equity score of 34/100 ranks Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 #109 of 142 districts in Colorado (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,650 per pupil, Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 ranks #154 of 180 Colorado districts by per-pupil spending (Colorado districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
20,762
Total Enrollment
46
Schools
$11,650
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 operates 46 public schools serving 20,762 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Colorado. The school portfolio breaks down into 29 combined, 8 middle, 5 high, 4 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Mesa County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,650 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 180 Colorado districts by per-pupil spending. See how Colorado compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 38.9% local, 46.3% state, and 14.7% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 34/100, ranked #109 of 142 in Colorado against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 5 of 46 schools offering Advanced Placement (46 AP courses district-wide), a 359.7:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 34.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 69.6% White, 25.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.8% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Nisley Elementary School, with a diversity index of 56.2/100.
Its largest campus is Grand Junction High School, enrolling 1,832 students (9% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Gateway School, at 12 students, a 153x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 school enrollment varies 153× across entities
Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 school enrollment ranges from 12 students (lowest) to 1,832 students (highest), a spread of 1,820 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 student-counselor ratio is 360:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 chronic absenteeism rate is 34.6% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Comparisons are relative to Mesa County Valley School District No. 51's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in Colorado
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Mesa County Valley School District No. 51?
Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 has 46 schools, including 5 high, 29 combined, 8 middle, 4 elementary. Total enrollment is 20,762 students.
How much does Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 spend per student?
Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 spends $11,650 per student. The district has an equity score of 34/100, ranking #109 in Colorado.
What is the demographic composition of Mesa County Valley School District No. 51?
Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 students are 69.6% White, 25.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.8% Asian, 0.5% African American, averaged across 46 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Mesa County Valley School District No. 51?
Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 has an equity score of 34/100, ranking #109 out of 142 districts in Colorado.