Enrollment
310
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Palisade, CO
Taylor Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Taylor Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 080435000626
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 3
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Taylor Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median.
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.8:1
- students per teacher
- 23.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 310
- students enrolled
Taylor Elementary School has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 · Colorado
NCES ID 080435000626 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.4%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Taylor Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Taylor Elementary School
Taylor Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Palisade, Colorado, enrolling 310 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 23.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 310 students, its enrollment sits close to the Colorado median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Among 312 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #273, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 326 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 spends $11,650 per pupil, 28% below the Colorado average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 also operates Grand Junction High School (1,832 students) and Fruita Monument High School (1,427 students) alongside Taylor Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Taylor Elementary School compares
Taylor Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Colorado and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.8:1 | ▼ 11% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.4% | ▼ 39% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 310 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
310
Bigger than 34% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
23.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 39% below the Colorado average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 39% in Colorado - lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
39.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,650
per pupil, district-wide
- below Colorado avg of $16,273
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.9 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 85.5%
Hispanic or Latino 12.3%
Two or More 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 85.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.4, Taylor Elementary School is less mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mesa County Valley School District No. 51, which includes Taylor Elementary School.
$11,650
Per student
-28%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.9%
State 46.3%
Federal 14.7%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Taylor Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Junction High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fruita Monument High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Central High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Palisade High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fruita 8/9 School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Taylor Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,832
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,427
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,352
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,073
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 704
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Colorado, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~310 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Taylor Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Taylor Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Mesa County Valley School District No. 51's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Taylor Elementary School
How many students attend Taylor Elementary School?
Taylor Elementary School has 310 students enrolled. It is a public school in Palisade, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Taylor Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Taylor Elementary School is 14.8:1, which is 11% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Taylor Elementary School?
23.4% of students at Taylor Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Taylor Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Taylor Elementary School is White at 85.5% of enrollment, in Palisade, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Taylor Elementary School?
Taylor Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Taylor Elementary School a good school?
Taylor Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Mesa County Valley School District No. 51?
Besides Taylor Elementary School, Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 also operates Grand Junction High School (1,832 students), Fruita Monument High School (1,427 students), and Central High School (1,352 students). See the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.