Best Public Schools in Calhan, CO

Calhan, Colorado is a small rural community served by five public schools spanning elementary through high school — Calhan Elementary School, Calhan Secondary School, Ellicott Elementary School, Ellicott Middle School, and Ellicott Senior High School — enrolling about 1,423 students across two districts, Calhan District No. RJ1 and Ellicott School District No. 22. All five schools serve predominantly low-income families, with free/reduced lunch rates ranging from roughly 50% to 60%. The two districts are not equal, however: Calhan District No. RJ1 ranks 75th of 115 districts (2 stars), while Ellicott School District No. 22 ranks 98th (1 star), a gap that shows up in nearly every metric.

Calhan Secondary School is the clear standout. It is the city's only school above the 50th percentile, with a 94.4% graduation rate (versus the state's 85.6%), 11th-grade science proficiency at 47.8% — nearly double the state rate — and the lowest student-teacher ratio at 9.4:1. It also posts just 17.2% chronic absenteeism. Calhan Elementary School had a strong 2024–2025 year but fell sharply in 2025–2026, illustrating how small enrollments create volatile rankings. Ellicott Senior High School graduates students at 86.8%, slightly above the state, but only 11% of its students are proficient in SAT math compared to 32% statewide, and its 30.5% chronic absenteeism is the highest in the city.

Math is the citywide weakness: no Calhan school reaches the state average in CMAS math, and Ellicott Middle School posts just 12% proficiency. Across schools, lower chronic absenteeism tracks with stronger outcomes — the two Calhan schools have the lowest absenteeism and the best results. Science is a bright spot at the high school level, where both Calhan Secondary School (47.8%) and Ellicott Senior High School (28.6%) exceed the state's 24.8% in 11th-grade science. Families should expect year-to-year swings with enrollments of 200–520 students; Calhan Elementary School dropped from the 52nd to the 22nd percentile in a single year, so one-year changes should not be over-interpreted.