Summary:
Las Animas, Colorado, is served by three public schools in the Las Animas School District No. Re-1, covering kindergarten through 12th grade: Las Animas Elementary School (K–6), Las Animas Junior High School (7–8), and Las Animas High School (9–12), with a combined enrollment of 405 students and roughly 80% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch.
Las Animas Elementary School is the district’s clear standout, having jumped from the 39th to the 73rd percentile in state rankings and earning a 4-star rating. It now exceeds state averages in both English Language Arts (57.1% vs. 44.7%) and Math (41.7% vs. 37.3%), with particularly strong 3rd-grade math (71.4% proficient). This is even more notable given its high student-teacher ratio of 22.9. By contrast, Las Animas Junior High School shows a sharp decline, with only 30.8% proficient in ELA and 16.0% in Math—well below state averages—and the highest chronic absenteeism in the district (29.9%). The transition from elementary to middle school appears to be a major academic challenge.
Las Animas High School offers bright spots, including 55% proficiency in SAT Reading/Writing and 30.8% on 11th-grade science, both near or above state levels, along with a historical 95% graduation rate. However, the district’s current graduation rate is only 73.8%, and dropout rates are elevated, suggesting possible data discrepancies or recent changes. Chronic absenteeism remains a district-wide concern—even the elementary school has nearly 1 in 5 students chronically absent. With small enrollments (64–209 students), year-to-year proficiency swings can be volatile, especially at the junior high. Overall, the elementary school is outperforming the secondary schools, and supporting the middle-school transition and addressing absenteeism are the district’s most pressing priorities.
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