Can I use Rio Grande County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Rio Grande County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Rio Grande County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Rio Grande County?

Start with the 11 listed public schools and 3 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Rio Grande County Schools & Education

Name: Rio Grande County, Colorado Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Rio Grande County, Colorado

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

7/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

77.5%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

77.5%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 83.1%

Per-Pupil Spending

$5,643

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,447

School Score

7/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 36/100

State Score Position

#59

of 63 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Rio Grande County

Measured School Summary

Rio Grande County faces educational challenges with a school score of 7/100 and a graduation rate of 77.5%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $5,643 per pupil, Rio Grande County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 80% below the Colorado average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 5.6 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 24% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Rio Grande County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

11 public schools and 3 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

7/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #59 of 63 Colorado counties with school score data.

Completion

77.5%

5.6 pts below the state average

Funding context

$5,643

$1,804 below the state average

School coverage

3 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Rio Grande County has 11 public schools across 3 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Rio Grande County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Review-carefully county

Rio Grande County has a lower measured county-level school signal. Use the school table to look for specific districts or grade bands that may differ from the county average.

State position

#59

of 63 Colorado counties with school score data. The county score is 29 points below the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

Monte Vista School District No. C-8

Elementary to high school visible

1,033 students

Elementary 2Middle 1High 2Other 1

6 listed schools in this county slice.

Upper Rio Grande School District C-7

Elementary and high visible

386 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 0

2 listed schools in this county slice.

Sargent School District No. Re-33J

Elementary to high school visible

322 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 1Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

Monte Vista School District No. C-8 is the largest listed district slice, with 6 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Rio Grande County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Rio Grande County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Data Story

Rio Grande County School Composite Score Lower Than State Median

Education data brief for Rio Grande County, Colorado.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:School score

Rio Grande County recorded a school composite score of 7.3, which is significantly lower than the Colorado state average of 35.6 and the national median of 50.0. The graduation rate for the county is 77.5%, falling below the state average of 83.1% and the national average of 87.0%. Educational funding is reported at $5,643 per pupil, which is less than the Colorado average of $7,447 and the national average of $13,000. The county contains 11 public schools with a total enrollment of 1,741 students, distributed across three districts. Monte Vista School District No. C-8 is the largest, managing six schools and 1,033 students. The school mix includes four elementary, two middle, and four high schools, with no charter schools reported in the NCES directory. Six of the schools are located in rural areas and five in towns. See the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.

Sources

NCES Common Core of Data
U.S. Census Bureau ACS

School Overview

Total Schools

in Rio Grande County

Reported Enrollment

1,741

11 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary4

Middle2

High4

Other1

3 School Districts in Rio Grande County

Monte Vista School District No. C-8

6 schools

1,033 students

Upper Rio Grande School District C-7

2 schools

386 students

Sargent School District No. Re-33J

3 schools

322 students

11 Public Schools in Rio Grande County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 11 of 11 matching schools

Public schools in Rio Grande County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Bill Metz Elementary School	Record	Monte Vista School District No. C-8	MONTE VISTA, 81144Town: Remote	2–5	Primary	269
Monte Vista Senior High School	Record	Monte Vista School District No. C-8	MONTE VISTA, 81144Town: Remote	9–12	High	250
Monte Vista Middle School	Record	Monte Vista School District No. C-8	MONTE VISTA, 81144Rural: Fringe	6–8	Middle	210
Del Norte Elementary School	Record	Upper Rio Grande School District C-7	DEL NORTE, 81132Rural: Remote	KG–6	Primary	198
Del Norte High Jr./Sr. High School	Record	Upper Rio Grande School District C-7	DEL NORTE, 81132Rural: Remote	7–12	High	188
Sargent Elementary School	Record	Sargent School District No. Re-33J	MONTE VISTA, 81144Rural: Distant	KG–6	Primary	180
Marsh Elementary School	Record	Monte Vista School District No. C-8	MONTE VISTA, 81144Town: Remote	PK–1	Primary	166
Sargent Senior High School	Record	Sargent School District No. Re-33J	MONTE VISTA, 81144Rural: Distant	9–12	High	86
Monte Vista On-Line Academy	Record	Monte Vista School District No. C-8	MONTE VISTA, 81144Town: Remote	4–12	Virtual	85
Sargent Junior High School	Record	Sargent School District No. Re-33J	MONTE VISTA, 81144Rural: Distant	7–8	Middle	56
Byron Syring Delta Center	Record	Monte Vista School District No. C-8	MONTE VISTA, 81144Town: Remote	9–12	Alternative	53

Bill Metz Elementary School

Monte Vista School District No. C-8

MONTE VISTA, 81144 / Town: Remote

Record2–5Primary269 students

Monte Vista Senior High School

Monte Vista School District No. C-8

MONTE VISTA, 81144 / Town: Remote

Record9–12High250 students

Monte Vista Middle School

Monte Vista School District No. C-8

MONTE VISTA, 81144 / Rural: Fringe

Record6–8Middle210 students

Del Norte Elementary School

Upper Rio Grande School District C-7

DEL NORTE, 81132 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–6Primary198 students

Del Norte High Jr./Sr. High School

Upper Rio Grande School District C-7

DEL NORTE, 81132 / Rural: Remote

Record7–12High188 students

Sargent Elementary School

Sargent School District No. Re-33J

MONTE VISTA, 81144 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–6Primary180 students

Marsh Elementary School

Monte Vista School District No. C-8

MONTE VISTA, 81144 / Town: Remote

RecordPK–1Primary166 students

Sargent Senior High School

Sargent School District No. Re-33J

MONTE VISTA, 81144 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High86 students

Monte Vista On-Line Academy

Monte Vista School District No. C-8

MONTE VISTA, 81144 / Town: Remote

Record4–12Virtual85 students

Sargent Junior High School

Sargent School District No. Re-33J

MONTE VISTA, 81144 / Rural: Distant

Record7–8Middle56 students

Byron Syring Delta Center

Monte Vista School District No. C-8

MONTE VISTA, 81144 / Town: Remote

Record9–12Alternative53 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$5,643

State avg $7,447

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Rio Grande County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Colorado counties have the highest graduation rates?

Pitkin County (97.0%), Rio Blanco County (93.2%), and Routt County (93.2%) currently lead Colorado among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Colorado?

Across Colorado counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $7,447. The highest current county values are Mineral County ($13,728), San Juan County ($13,639), and Hinsdale County ($13,446). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Rio Grande County?

Rio Grande County has a school score of 7/100, which is a lower measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Rio Grande County?

The high school graduation rate in Rio Grande County is 77.5%, which is below the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Rio Grande County spend per student?

Rio Grande County spends $5,643 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

Mesa County

Colorado

-0 pts

7/100

School score

El Paso County

Colorado

-1 pts

7/100

School score

La Plata County

Colorado

-1 pts

6/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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