Thunder Mountain Elementary School

Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

432 Students

Elementary School Pre-K - 5th

School Overview

Thunder Mountain Elementary School, located in Grand Junction, Colorado, is a public school serving students in the Mesa County Valley School District 51. The school is situated in a residential area on the eastern side of the city and is known for providing a foundational K-5 education. It emphasizes a supportive learning environment, aiming to foster both academic growth and social-emotional development in its students through a structured curriculum and community engagement.

As a neighborhood-focused institution, Thunder Mountain places a strong value on parent involvement and building a collaborative culture between families and staff. The school typically provides a range of services and programs designed to meet diverse student needs, including access to technology, extracurricular opportunities, and specialized instructional support. By prioritizing core subjects like literacy and mathematics alongside character-building initiatives, the school strives to prepare its young learners for successful transitions into middle school.

432

Total Students

26.6

Full-Time Teachers

16.2

Student/Teacher Ratio

54.4%

Free/Reduced Lunch

Student Demographics

Student Demographics Data Table

Student Demographics for Thunder Mountain Elementary School
Demographic	Student Count
White	279
Hispanic	123
Black	5
Asian	9
Two or More	15
Pacific Islander	1

White
279 (64.6%)
Hispanic
123 (28.5%)
Two or More
15 (3.5%)
Asian
9 (2.1%)
Black
5 (1.2%)
Pacific Islander
1 (0.2%)

School Location

School Details

Status:	Open
School Level:	Elementary School
School Type:	Regular School
Charter Status:*	Public Non-Charter
Virtual Instruction:	No virtual instruction
Shared Time Status:	No
District:	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51
Phone:	(970)254-5870
Grade Range:	Pre-K - 5th
Total Students:	432
Full-Time Teachers (FTE):	26.6
Pupil/Teacher Ratio:	16.2
NSLP Participation:¹	Yes under Community Eligibility Option (CEO)
Qualified Free Lunch:	198
Qualified Reduced Lunch:	37

* Charter Schools: A public charter school is a publicly funded school that operates independently under a legislative contract (or "charter") with a state, school district, or designated authorizing entity. Charters grant these schools greater operational flexibility over curriculum, staffing, and budgeting in exchange for strict accountability to achieve performance standards established in their charter agreement.

¹ National School Lunch Program (NSLP): The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to eligible children each school day based on household income thresholds or community eligibility options (CEO).

Title I Program Overview: Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) allocates federal financial assistance to local educational agencies and public schools with high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.

Grades Taught

Pre-Kindergarten 52

Kindergarten 66

Grade 1 54

Grade 2 62

Grade 3 72

Grade 4 58

Grade 5 68