Summary:
Black Hawk, Colorado, is served by the Gilpin County School District No. Re-1, which operates two public schools on a shared campus that together serve 392 students: Gilpin County Elementary School (grades PK–5) and Gilpin County Undivided High School (grades 6–12). The district is highly rated overall, ranking 21st out of 115 districts in Colorado with a 4-star rating, though the two schools contribute very differently to that reputation.
Gilpin County Undivided High School is the clear standout, ranking in the 76th percentile statewide and steadily improving from 123rd to 80th over the past two years. It posts an exceptional 97.3% graduation rate versus the state average of 85.6%, and students perform well above state averages in SAT Reading/Writing (78% vs. 60%) and 11th-grade Science (42.1% vs. 24.8%), while maintaining a favorable 11.7 student-teacher ratio. In contrast, Gilpin County Elementary School sits right at the state average, ranking 459th out of 943 elementary schools. It shows strength in 4th-grade ELA (52.2% vs. 47.0% statewide) and 5th-grade Science, but lags in 5th-grade ELA and Math. The high school is clearly the district's academic flagship, while the elementary school provides a solidly average foundation.
The most notable concern across both schools is chronic absenteeism, which runs well above the state rate of 28.4%: the high school sits at 42.2% and the elementary school at 31.5%, a potential risk despite strong current outcomes. Math is a mixed picture, as the high school's overall CMAS math proficiency is low at 27.5% versus 37.3% statewide, yet recent PSAT9 math scores jumped from 33% to 53% proficiency, suggesting improvement. The elementary school serves a more economically disadvantaged population (47.9% free/reduced lunch vs. 38% at the high school) yet still performs at or slightly above state averages. A dip in 5th-grade scores may reflect the upcoming transition to the 6th–12th grade campus, an area worth watching as families plan their children's academic path.
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