The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in Math. The lowest is 34% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Gunnison Elementary School
Gunnison Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the small mountain college town of Gunnison, Colorado. It is a regular public school within the Gunnison Watershed School District Re1J and sits in a residential area off North 11th Street, within a short distance of the downtown Main Street corridor and Western Colorado University’s campus. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and no Title I designation was reported.
The student body is large for an elementary school serving only up to fifth grade, and the grade-level enrollments are relatively balanced across kindergarten through fifth grade. In terms of economic context, a substantial share of students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially and ethnically, the student population is predominantly white, with a significant Hispanic or Latino presence and smaller numbers of students identifying as two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or Black. Data on the percentage of students with individualized education programs and English learners were not available from the source, so a parent may wish to ask the school directly about its special education and language support services.
State testing results from the Colorado Measures of Academic Success provide a picture of academic proficiency at the school. In mathematics, a share of students in grades three through five scored at the proficient or above level; the same was true in English language arts. The school’s participation rate on these assessments was high, meeting the state’s threshold for reporting. In science, which Colorado tests in fifth grade, the proficiency rate was not reported due to data suppression, which can happen when the number of students in a subgroup is small; a parent interested in science outcomes may want to discuss this with the school. Because the district is one of only two in Gunnison County, the comparison set for neighboring districts was too small to calculate a relative proficiency index, so it is not possible to position the school’s performance against county peers from the available data.
Gunnison itself shapes the experience of families at this school. The town is the county seat and home to Western Colorado University, which anchors the local economy alongside ranching, tourism, and outdoor recreation. U.S. Highway 50 runs east–west through town, with storefronts along Main Street and a walkable grid at high elevation. The League of American Bicyclists has awarded the town a silver-level bicycle friendly designation, and a compact downtown hosts summer farmers markets and festivals. Hartman Rocks offers mountain biking and climbing terrain, and the Gunnison River’s whitewater park sits below the Highway 50 bridge. The Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority provides bus service between Gunnison and Crested Butte, and the town has a regional airport. Housing values in the area run above the national typical level, reflecting the mountain and college-town character, and the cost of buying versus renting likely presents a meaningful decision for new residents. The district’s public profile showed no recent parent-relevant changes, such as boundary redraws or major program shifts, over the past several years.
For a family considering Gunnison Elementary, the school offers a full elementary program in a town that combines a university presence, outdoor recreation, and a remote but connected mountain setting. The academic results show room for growth in core subjects, and a parent may want to explore how the school supports students who are not yet at the proficient level and what enrichment is available for those who are. The high participation rate on state assessments suggests most students are present for testing, which is a baseline indicator of a school that prioritizes access to the assessment system. The school’s size and grade span mean children move through all elementary years in one building, and the community context provides a range of out-of-school opportunities tied to the town’s recreation and university life.
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