Summary:
Basalt, Colorado is served by three public schools within the Roaring Fork School District No. Re-1, which collectively educate 1,320 students across the full K-12 spectrum. The district ranks 54th out of 115 Colorado districts, placing it at the 53rd percentile with a 3-star rating. The three schools form a complete vertical pipeline: Basalt Elementary School serves grades PK-4 with 539 students, Basalt Middle School serves grades 5-8 with 367 students, and Basalt High School serves grades 9-12 with 414 students.
Basalt Elementary School is the clear standout of the three, earning 3 stars and ranking 430th of 943 elementary schools statewide (54th percentile). It is the only school in the city with a 3-star rating, and its English Language Arts proficiency of 52.9% far outpaces the district's 37.1% and the state's 44.7%. Basalt Middle School shows the strongest improvement, climbing from the 29th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 45th percentile in 2025-2026. Basalt High School is the area of concern, ranking at the 40th percentile with a dropout rate of 3.2% — double the statewide rate of 1.6%.
Families should note that academic performance drops sharply after elementary school. ELA proficiency falls from 52.9% at Basalt Elementary to 37.1% at Basalt Middle, while math falls from 35.2% to 28.5%. Middle school math is a particular weakness, with only 19.2% of 6th graders proficient. Chronic absenteeism also rises with grade level, from 21.4% at the elementary school to 31.7% at the middle school and 29.8% at the high school. The middle school serves the highest-need population, with 55.59% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. On a positive note, Basalt Middle School's 7th-grade ELA proficiency of 48.1% beats the state average of 46.6%, and the school's steady upward trajectory suggests momentum worth supporting.
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