Best Public Schools in Boulder, CO

Summary:

The Boulder Valley School District in Colorado encompasses 31 schools, including 18 elementary schools, 6 middle schools, 6 high schools, and 1 alternative school. The district is highly ranked, with the 7th best school district in the state and a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. Several standout schools emerge, including Fairview High School, ranked 7th in Colorado with exceptional test scores, and Southern Hills Middle School, ranked 9th in the state with outstanding CMAS performance.

The schools in the Boulder Valley School District have a diverse student population, with varying racial/ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses. While many schools excel, there is a significant variation in performance, with some, like Casey Middle School and Columbine Elementary, struggling with lower proficiency rates. This disparity appears to be correlated with the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, a metric that can indicate socioeconomic status.

The district also offers specialized schools and programs, such as the Summit Middle Charter School and the Horizons K-8 School, which provide unique educational approaches. Additionally, the district includes a small, rural school, Gold Hill Elementary, with only 15 students and an exceptionally low student-teacher ratio. Overall, the Boulder Valley School District offers a diverse range of educational opportunities, with both high-performing and struggling schools, highlighting the importance of understanding the unique needs of each school community.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				PSAT10 Reading and Writing (2023)	PSAT10 Mathematics (2023)	PSAT9 Reading and Writing (2023)	PSAT9 Mathematics (2023)	SAT Reading and Writing (2023)	SAT Mathematics (2023)	CMAS English Language Arts (2023)							CMAS Math (2023)							CMAS Science (2023)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT10 Reading and Writing 10th Grade	PSAT10 Mathematics 10th Grade	PSAT9 Reading and Writing 9th Grade	PSAT9 Mathematics 9th Grade	SAT Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	CMAS Science 8th Grade	CMAS Science 11th Grade	Total
Williamsburg Academy of Colorado	Public, Virtual	6-12	1942 Broadway Street Ste 314c	Boulder	80302	Boulder County	Education Reenvisioned BOCES	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(303) 345-4145	58	9	6.1		58 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																								$7,943
Bear Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2500 Table Mesa Drive	Boulder	80305	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-3500	342	18	19.3	4.4%	246 (71.9%)	2 (0.6%)	25 (7.3%)	27 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (12.3%)	98.5	7^th of 935 public elementary schools	99.3%		96.5	17^th of 921 public elementary schools	98.2%	10							75.5	94.2	83.1				84.1	79.2	84.6	92.2				86.3	87.0			$18,044
Boulder High School	Public	9-12	1604 Arapahoe Avenue	Boulder	80302	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-2200	2,074	103	20.1	27.7%	1,376 (66.3%)	19 (0.9%)	502 (24.2%)	61 (2.9%)	3 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	112 (5.4%)	88.9	29^th of 352 public high schools	91.8%		81.2	31^st of 221 public high schools	86.0%	2	81.0	63.0	85.0	70.0	83.0	62.0																	60.7	$16,921
Manhattan Middle School of the Arts and Academics	Public	6-8	290 Manhattan Drive	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-6300	400	23	17.4	28.0%	254 (63.5%)	2 (0.5%)	98 (24.5%)	13 (3.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.8%)	77.2	89^th of 481 public middle schools	81.5%		73	99^th of 448 public middle schools	77.9%	10										63.6	63.0	66.3	64.2				36.6	35.3	50.5	40.2		52.1		$19,829
Casey Middle School	Public	6-8	1301 High Street	Boulder	80304	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-2700	452	30	15.0	56.6%	199 (44.0%)	4 (0.9%)	212 (46.9%)	11 (2.4%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.7%)	21 (4.6%)	37.2	273^rd of 481 public middle schools	43.2%		44.8	228^th of 448 public middle schools	49.1%	45										34.4	40.9	38.7	38.2				15.7	17.3	30.7	21.5		32.0		$21,070
Centennial Middle School	Public	6-8	2205 Norwood Avenue	Boulder	80304	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-5441	567	33	17.0	29.6%	371 (65.4%)	2 (0.4%)	154 (27.2%)	11 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.1%)	61.6	147^th of 481 public middle schools	69.4%		61.6	145^th of 448 public middle schools	67.6%	2										50.3	49.5	37.9	46.3				43.3	39.7	44.4	42.2		31.3		$17,791
Columbine Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3130 Repplier Drive	Boulder	80304	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-2500	405	31	13.1	64.2%	130 (32.1%)	8 (2.0%)	238 (58.8%)	18 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.7%)	42.7	494^th of 935 public elementary schools	47.2%		44.6	473^rd of 921 public elementary schools	48.6%	21							61.3	55.9	39.7				49.2	32.2	16.4	34.9				27.9	31.7			$22,680
Crest View Elementary School	Public	K-5	1897 Sumac Avenue	Boulder	80304	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-5461	435	27	16.0	32.2%	269 (61.8%)	8 (1.8%)	109 (25.1%)	22 (5.1%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	23 (5.3%)	74.7	212^th of 935 public elementary schools	77.3%		67.6	276^th of 921 public elementary schools	70.0%	64							52.0	50.7	60.9				54.4	57.0	59.7	47.9				55.0	44.4			$20,255
Eisenhower Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1220 Eisenhower Drive	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-6700	304	19	16.3	14.8%	219 (72.0%)	4 (1.3%)	31 (10.2%)	13 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (12.2%)	92.5	53^rd of 935 public elementary schools	94.3%		89.8	72^nd of 921 public elementary schools	92.2%	19							75.5	59.6	87.8				74.0	73.5	52.7	82.4				69.0	73.9			$20,228
Fairview High School	Public	9-12	1515 Greenbriar Boulevard	Boulder	80305	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-3100	1,880	87	21.5	13.6%	1,311 (69.7%)	19 (1.0%)	201 (10.7%)	184 (9.8%)	5 (0.3%)	5 (0.3%)	155 (8.2%)	95.8	7^th of 352 public high schools	98.0%		93	9^th of 221 public high schools	95.9%	2	94.0	75.0	92.0	82.0	90.0	74.0																	82.1	$16,592
Flatirons Elementary School	Public	K-5	1150 7th Street	Boulder	80302	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-4600	182	11	16.5	14.8%	153 (84.1%)	1 (0.5%)	10 (5.5%)	4 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (7.7%)	88	91^st of 935 public elementary schools	90.3%		90.9	59^th of 921 public elementary schools	93.6%	32							67.9	57.1	81.1				69.9	75.0	42.9	73.7				64.9	55.9			$21,499
Foothill Elementary School	Public	K-5	1001 Hawthorne Avenue	Boulder	80304	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-2600	437	26	17.0	8.9%	345 (78.9%)	4 (0.9%)	45 (10.3%)	8 (1.8%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (7.3%)	95.1	27^th of 935 public elementary schools	97.1%		95.3	29^th of 921 public elementary schools	96.9%	2							67.8	81.6	79.8				77.2	66.1	66.2	70.2				67.7	76.8			$18,505
Southern Hills Middle School	Public	6-8	1500 Knox Drive	Boulder	80305	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-3400	456	24	18.6	9.9%	358 (78.5%)	4 (0.9%)	28 (6.1%)	26 (5.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (8.3%)	96.5	9^th of 481 public middle schools	98.1%		96.7	10^th of 448 public middle schools	97.8%	1										84.9	90.3	77.4	84.3				62.3	64.8	68.9	65.4		61.1		$18,824
University Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	956 16th Street	Boulder	80302	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-5416	413	33	12.5	54.5%	113 (27.4%)	1 (0.2%)	288 (69.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.7%)	63.3	315^th of 935 public elementary schools	66.3%		61.3	327^th of 921 public elementary schools	64.5%	12							54.1	64.1	50.9				55.6	41.4	39.7	40.4				40.4	43.9			$21,754
Whittier Elementary School	Public	K-5	2008 Pine Street	Boulder	80302	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-5431	329	24	13.5	39.2%	199 (60.5%)	4 (1.2%)	91 (27.7%)	16 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.8%)	56.9	369^th of 935 public elementary schools	60.5%		48.8	440^th of 921 public elementary schools	52.2%	71							32.0	34.5	62.3				44.0	40.4	31.0	53.3				41.8	50.0			$20,649
New Vista High School	Public	9-12	700 20th Street	Boulder	80302	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-8700	310	17	18.1	23.5%	233 (75.2%)	1 (0.3%)	49 (15.8%)	2 (0.6%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.8%)	74	84^th of 352 public high schools	76.1%		71.3	61^st of 221 public high schools	72.4%	23	82.0	44.0	88.0	62.0	75.0	27.0																	66.7	$20,427
Community Montessori School	Public	PK, KG-6	805 Gillaspie Dr	Boulder	80305	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-3700	274	18	15.3	19.0%	198 (72.3%)	3 (1.1%)	45 (16.4%)	10 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	17 (6.2%)	69.1	261^st of 935 public elementary schools	72.1%		67.4	277^th of 921 public elementary schools	69.9%	16							34.2	63.6	90.9				61.5	52.6	33.3	39.4				42.3	65.6			$20,064
High Peaks Elementary School	Public	K-5	3995 East Aurora Avenue	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-6500	266	15	17.4	10.5%	139 (52.3%)	3 (1.1%)	19 (7.1%)	66 (24.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (14.7%)	98.7	5^th of 935 public elementary schools	99.5%		99.1	3^rd of 921 public elementary schools	99.7%	2							83.3	93.8	95.5				91.0	73.8	85.7	88.6				83.0	76.7			$17,400
Summit Middle Charter School	Public, Charter	6-8	4655 Hanover Avenue	Boulder	80305	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-3900	359	21	17.0	12.0%	234 (65.2%)	1 (0.3%)	28 (7.8%)	62 (17.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (8.9%)	99.1	4^th of 481 public middle schools	99.2%		99.3	3^rd of 448 public middle schools	99.3%	1										92.4	92.4	88.7	91.3				90.8	89.0	84.0	88.0		68.3		$11,853
Boulder Community School/Integrated Studies	Public	K-5	3995 East Aurora Avenue	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-6500	284	16	17.7		225 (79.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (11.3%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (8.5%)	93.4	42^nd of 935 public elementary schools	95.5%		82.9	134^th of 921 public elementary schools	85.5%	92							87.0	70.8	76.5				77.9	78.7	52.0	68.6				66.2	72.0			$17,998
Boulder Prep Charter High School	Public, Charter	9-12	5075 Chaparral Court #1	Boulder	80301	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(303) 545-6186	119	13	8.9		69 (58.0%)	2 (1.7%)	42 (35.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	1 (0.8%)	4 (3.4%)								(n/a)																								$11,351
Horizons K-8 School	Public, Charter	K-8	4545 Sioux Drive	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-5580	348	28	12.2	10.6%	285 (81.9%)	2 (0.6%)	23 (6.6%)	9 (2.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	27 (7.8%)	81.7	150^th of 935 public elementary schools	84.0%		78.2	185^th of 921 public elementary schools	79.9%	35							61.1	58.5	76.5	67.6	83.8	69.7	69.3	52.8	39.0	69.4	44.1	61.1	54.5	53.2	63.9	52.9		$12,692
Creekside Elementary School at Martin Park	Public	PK, KG-5	3740 Martin Drive	Boulder	80305	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-3800	378	24	16.0	26.5%	257 (68.0%)	5 (1.3%)	61 (16.1%)	30 (7.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.1%)	92.2	55^th of 935 public elementary schools	94.1%		91.1	55^th of 921 public elementary schools	94.0%								73.7	70.0	76.1				73.2	79.7	53.8	69.6				68.2	56.5			$19,415
Mesa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1575 Lehigh Street	Boulder	80305	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-3000	246	16	15.2	12.6%	199 (80.9%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.3%)	7 (2.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (10.6%)	94.2	37^th of 935 public elementary schools	96.0%		89	77^th of 921 public elementary schools	91.6%	40							80.0	61.0	72.7				71.2	85.0	65.9	75.6				75.4	77.8			$21,824
Heatherwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7750 Concord Drive	Boulder	80301	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-5586	261	18	14.7	16.1%	211 (80.8%)	5 (1.9%)	21 (8.0%)	8 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (6.1%)	84.3	125^th of 935 public elementary schools	86.6%		62.9	319^th of 921 public elementary schools	65.4%	194							50.0	69.7	71.4				63.2	69.0	57.6	54.8				60.7	51.2			$21,508
Boulder Universal	Public, Alternative	K-12	6500 East Arapahoe Road	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-6253	206	17	12.2		142 (68.9%)	7 (3.4%)	31 (15.0%)	11 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	14 (6.8%)								(n/a)					94.0																			$25,226
Arapahoe Ridge High School	Public	9-12	6600 Arapahoe Avenue	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-5220	206	28	7.3	68.4%	58 (28.2%)	3 (1.5%)	132 (64.1%)	1 (0.5%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.4%)								(n/a)																								$22,323
Douglass Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	840 75th Street	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-5541	335	20	16.8	10.7%	278 (83.0%)	2 (0.6%)	25 (7.5%)	5 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (7.2%)	73.1	221^st of 935 public elementary schools	76.4%		74.5	218^th of 921 public elementary schools	76.3%	3							55.1	54.5	56.3				55.4	48.0	58.5	51.5				52.7	43.1			$18,817
Nevin Platt Middle School	Public	6-8	6096 Baseline Road	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-5536	466	29	16.3	14.6%	379 (81.3%)	8 (1.7%)	41 (8.8%)	7 (1.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.2%)	71.4	115^th of 481 public middle schools	76.1%		67.1	121^st of 448 public middle schools	73.0%	6										56.1	55.2	58.9	56.6				37.4	33.6	46.7	38.6		50.5		$19,033
Gold Hill Elementary School	Public	K-5	890 Main Street	Boulder	80302	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 561-5940	15	3	5.3		12 (80.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (13.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (6.7%)								(n/a)																								$32,567

Cities Near Boulder

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Longmont	5.1 mi	32	80^th
Louisville	5.24 mi	6	13^th
Lafayette	6.72 mi	8	46^th
Erie	6.93 mi	9	22^nd
Superior	8.03 mi	2	2^nd

See the top CO Colorado cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Colorado Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.