Schools in Rangely, CO

The city of Rangely, Colorado, is served by two public schools within the Rangely School District RE4: Rangely Junior/Senior High School (grades 6–12, 249 students) and Parkview Elementary School (grades PK–5, 236 students), together educating 485 students in a rural northwestern Colorado community. Both schools maintain favorable student–teacher ratios near 12:1, and each serves a significant economically disadvantaged population, with 42.2% of high school students and 50.4% of elementary students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

Rangely Junior/Senior High School stands out for exceptional graduation and dropout outcomes: its 97.4% graduation rate eclipses the state average of 85.6% by nearly 12 points, and its 1.2% dropout rate is better than the state's 1.6%. However, academic proficiency tells a different story, with SAT reading/writing proficiency around 25% and SAT math at just 11% in 2024–2025. Parkview Elementary School, meanwhile, is the district's academic bright spot, and its 5th grade students exceed state averages in both English Language Arts (52.8% vs. 49.9%) and math (41.7% vs. 39.3%) despite serving a higher-poverty population. Overall CMAS proficiency at Parkview (35.9% ELA, 31.5% math) also outpaces the high school (24.2% ELA, 17.4% math) by significant margins.

The most concerning pattern is the steep academic decline between elementary and secondary grades: 6th grade math proficiency is 21.1%, falling to 16.0% in 7th grade and 13.8% in 8th grade, all far below state averages. Math is clearly the district's weakest subject at the secondary level. Chronic absenteeism affects nearly 1 in 4 high school students (23.9%) and about 1 in 5 elementary students (20.9%), though both are below the state rate of 28.4%. On a positive note, the high school's state ranking has improved from the 21st percentile in 2023–2024 to the 30th percentile in 2025–2026. For parents, the takeaway is that Rangely offers strong graduation outcomes and a solid elementary foundation, but secondary math achievement and college readiness need sustained attention.