The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in Science. The lowest is 18% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Manzanola Elementary School
Manzanola Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in a very small rural town on Colorado’s southeastern plains. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it sits within the Manzanola Joint District No. 3J. The school shares a building complex that was recently expanded and renovated with a major grant, consolidating elementary through high school in one campus. For a family considering this school, the most important takeaway is that it operates in a tight-knit, economically strained community with limited local amenities, and its academic results are mixed: the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects sits above the midpoint among districts in Otero County, but the specific numbers reveal areas that merit a closer look.
On state assessments for the most recent year, the school’s math proficiency rate was suppressed, meaning the state did not release a percentage for public reporting, though nearly all eligible students were tested. In English language arts, just under a fifth of students scored at the proficient or above level. In fifth-grade science, a bit over a third of students met that bar. The average scale scores in each subject fall below the state’s proficiency thresholds, which a parent will want to investigate further by speaking with the school about curriculum, intervention programs, and how the school supports students who are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks. That said, the school’s performance index, which combines all tested subjects, places it above the county median, indicating that it is not the lowest-performing elementary in the area. The data does not include chronic absenteeism or discipline information, so those factors cannot be assessed here.
The student body is small, with an enrollment size typical for a rural elementary. The overwhelming majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the high poverty rate in the town and surrounding area. The student population is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students who are multiracial, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Black. The school does not appear to report counts for students with disabilities or English learners in the available data, so a parent with a child who has an individualized education plan or is learning English should ask the school directly about supports.
Manzanola itself is a statutory town that has been losing population over the past few years. It has a general store and a cafe along US-50, little else in the way of retail or services. Housing values in the area are well below the Colorado state median, consistent with the rural agricultural economy. The town’s median household income is low, and the poverty rate is high. The most notable recent development is the school facility project, which added an elementary wing to the historic high school building. No major housing or commercial growth was reported, and the town’s decline suggests a stable but contracting residential base.
For a family, Manzanola Elementary offers a small, community-centered environment where the school is physically and socially at the heart of the town. The academic data shows that the school faces challenges in moving a large share of students to proficiency, though it performs competitively within its county. A parent who values a close relationship with teachers and staff and is comfortable with a rural setting with few outside amenities may find the school a good fit. A parent concerned about academic outcomes should ask what specific interventions are in place, especially in reading and math, and whether the school has seen recent improvement or decline. The absence of a graduation rate or secondary-level data is simply because the school only serves through fifth grade.
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