Wray Rd-2 School District

Wray Rd-2 School District is a small, rural Colorado district serving 731 students in just two schools: Wray Elementary School (grades PK–6) and Wray Junior Senior High School (grades 7–12). Both schools serve high-poverty populations, with free and reduced lunch rates of 63.6% at the elementary and 56.2% at the high school, yet the district still ranks in the 63rd percentile statewide.

Wray Elementary is the district’s academic bright spot. Its 5th-grade science proficiency is outstanding at 54.9% versus 36.1% statewide, and all-grade math proficiency (40.9%) edges out the state average. Reading scores are essentially on par with state averages. The elementary also posts a chronic absenteeism rate of 26.8%, well below both the district average and the state rate. However, its state ranking has slipped for three straight years, from the 67th to the 58th percentile. By comparison, Wray Junior Senior High has a strong 94.4% graduation rate and a low 1.4% dropout rate, but its academic proficiency lags the state in nearly every subject, with only 23% of 11th graders proficient in SAT math versus 32% statewide, and its ranking has dropped to the 41st percentile.

The most urgent concern is the high school’s chronic absenteeism rate of 52.7%, which is nearly double the state rate of 28.4% and roughly double the elementary school’s own rate. Math proficiency also falls off sharply after the elementary years: 3rd-grade math is strong at 50% versus 41.5% statewide, but by 8th grade only 24.5% of students are proficient compared to 37.8% statewide. Because this district contains only one elementary and one secondary school, improvement efforts can be sharply focused at each campus.