Summary:
The Colorado Springs, Colorado area is served by 181 K-12 schools — 108 elementary, 28 middle, 38 high, and 7 alternative — across districts including Academy School District No. 20, Colorado Springs School District No. 11, Cheyenne Mountain School District No. 12, Harrison School District No. 2, El Paso County Colorado School District 49, and School District No. 3. Outcomes vary enormously — high school state rankings span from #4 to #338 and elementary rankings from #47 to #935 — so choosing a school matters greatly.
For parents seeking top academic performers, The Vanguard School (High) is the clear standout, ranked #4 in the state with 98% SAT Reading/Writing proficiency, 80% SAT Math, and a 10:1 student-teacher ratio. The Classical Academy High School ranks #17 with a 98.4% graduation rate, and Pine Creek High School posts a 97.4% graduation rate. Among middle schools, Discovery Canyon Campus Middle School ranks #28 in the state. At the elementary level, Chipeta Elementary School ranks #47 with 76% ELA proficiency despite sitting inside the lower-performing Colorado Springs School District No. 11, while Gold Camp Elementary School and Foothills Elementary School also land in the 90th percentile.
Chronic absenteeism is one of the strongest differentiators between high- and low-performing schools. Standouts like Gold Camp Elementary School (7.6%), Cheyenne Mountain High School (12.4%), and The Vanguard School (Middle) (9.0%) keep attendance high, while struggling schools like Eastlake High School of Colorado Springs (95.8%) and Community Prep Charter School (94.7%) face near-total absenteeism. Charter and alternative schools complicate district comparisons: The Vanguard School (High) sits inside Harrison School District No. 2 yet far outperforms its host district's traditional schools, and Colorado Springs School District No. 11 is highly polarized, containing both Chipeta Elementary School at the 95th percentile and Monroe Elementary School at the 2nd percentile.
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