Best Public Schools in Greeley, CO

Greeley, Colorado, is served by 30 schools across Greeley School District No. 6 and Centennial BOCES—15 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 9 high schools, and 3 alternative schools enrolling about 19,900 students in a high-poverty community where the median free/reduced lunch rate is 72.6%. The district ranks 97th of 115 Colorado districts (16th percentile, 1 star), with test proficiency below state averages in every subject, yet its 90.1% graduation rate tops the state's 85.6%.

The city's academic leaders are choice and charter schools. Early College Academy ranks 62nd of 338 high schools with SAT reading/writing proficiency of 72% versus the district's 43%. University Schools and Frontier Charter Academy both graduate over 97% of students. S. Christa McAuliffe STEM Academy leads elementary schools with CMAS ELA proficiency of 51.9%, while West Ridge Academy posts the lowest chronic absenteeism in the city at 14.9%. At the other extreme, Jefferson Junior/Senior High ranks 348th of 349 high schools with a 79.1% graduation rate and 83.9% chronic absenteeism. Bella Romero Academy of Applied Technology, Maplewood Elementary School, Salida del Sol Academy, and Shawsheen Elementary School all rank below the 4th percentile statewide.

Chronic absenteeism is the clearest warning sign: schools with the lowest rates—West Ridge Academy, S. Christa McAuliffe STEM Academy, Early College Academy, University Schools, and Frontier Charter Academy—have the best outcomes, while schools above 40% absenteeism, including Heath Middle School, Franklin Middle School, Northridge High School, and Greeley Central High School, struggle academically. Middle school math is a particular weak point, with 7th-grade proficiency below 13% at all three standalone middle schools. Yet poverty is not destiny: Early College Academy achieves elite results with 62% free/reduced lunch. For parents, the data suggest Greeley's traditional neighborhood schools face real challenges, but the city's choice schools prove strong outcomes are possible, and reducing chronic absenteeism is the district's clearest opportunity for improvement.