School District No. Re-2 Brush

School District No. Re-2 Brush is a small, rural Colorado district serving 1,420 students across four 1-star rated schools: Thomson Primary School (PK–2), Beaver Valley Elementary School (3–5), Brush Middle School (6–8), and Brush High School (9–12). The district itself ranks in the 10th percentile among Colorado districts, yet every ranked school shows modest year-over-year improvement in its state percentile.

Brush High School stands out for its exceptional graduation rate of 95.2 percent, well above the state average of 85.6 percent, and a low 1.0 percent dropout rate. It also posts the district's only above-state test score, with 71 percent of 9th graders proficient in reading and writing on the PSAT9 versus 66 percent statewide; however, only 8 percent of 11th graders are proficient in SAT math, compared to 32 percent statewide. Beaver Valley Elementary School is the district's brightest academic spot, with the lowest chronic absenteeism at 20.5 percent and the best math performance in the district at 28.8 percent proficient on CMAS math, still below the state's 37.3 percent. Brush Middle School represents the clearest challenge, with just 9.8 percent of students proficient in math, a dramatic 27.5-point gap from the state average. Thomson Primary School has no state test data but carries the highest poverty rate at 66.8 percent and the largest enrollment at 452 students.

Math is the district's most serious academic weakness across every tested grade, and science is an overlooked problem area as well. Interestingly, attendance does not follow poverty patterns: Beaver Valley has high poverty yet the best attendance, while Brush High School has the lowest poverty rate yet the highest chronic absenteeism at 26.5 percent. Elementary class sizes are also large at over 20:1, while the middle and high schools enjoy much lower ratios near 14–15:1. The district is improving slightly, with every ranked school gaining two to three percentile points over the prior year, suggesting modest progress despite persistent academic gaps.