Summary:
Eads, Colorado, is a small rural community served by three public schools in the Kiowa County School District No. Re-1: Eads Elementary School (PK–5, 119 students), Eads Middle School (6–8, 44 students), and Eads High School (9–12, 48 students), totaling roughly 211 students across the district. Despite over 60% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch at every school, all three schools consistently outperform state averages in most academic categories, making this small district a notable exception to the assumption that high poverty automatically leads to low performance.
The elementary school is currently the district's strongest performer in core subjects, with 2025–26 CMAS proficiency rates of 80% in ELA and 77.5% in math, compared to state averages of 44.7% and 37.3%. The middle school holds the highest statewide ranking, earning a 5-star rating and 90th percentile placement (47th out of 469 Colorado middle schools) in 2024–25, with 8th-grade science proficiency of 83.3% versus 36.4% statewide. However, its 2025–26 ELA and math scores dropped significantly, falling to 43.2% and 37.8% respectively, which is worth monitoring. The high school posted a 100% graduation rate and strong college-readiness indicators, including 71% proficiency on PSAT10 reading/writing and 53% on PSAT10 math versus 36% statewide.
Class sizes are small district-wide, with student-teacher ratios ranging from 17.7 at the elementary school to just 7.7 at the high school, enabling personalized instruction. Chronic absenteeism is far below the state average of 28.4%, ranging from 9.1% at the middle school to 16.3% at the high school. The high school's state ranking slipped from the 74th to 63rd percentile despite remaining above state averages, indicating other schools improved faster. The main concern is the middle school's recent test-score decline, which could reflect a strong previous cohort or a real trend needing attention.
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