Summary:
Buena Vista School District No. R-31 serves roughly 865 students across four schools in the Buena Vista, Colorado area, spanning elementary through high school grades. The district ranks in the 64th percentile statewide with a 3-star rating, placing it among solid mid-tier Colorado districts. Avery/Parsons Elementary School is the largest school with 383 students in grades K-5, followed by Buena Vista High School with 256 students in grades 9-12 and Buena Vista Middle School with 211 students in grades 6-8. Chaffee County High School is a much smaller school serving just 15 students in grades 7-12.
Academically, math is the district's most consistent challenge—every school falls below the state average, with proficiency around 30% versus the state's 37-38%. Science, however, is a clear strength: 5th graders at Avery/Parsons reach 50% proficiency versus the state's 36.1%, and 8th graders at Buena Vista Middle reach 42.2% versus the state's 35.4%. Buena Vista High School stands out for its exceptional 95.5% graduation rate and strong PSAT reading/writing scores, though its math scores lag behind. While Avery/Parsons improved in both ELA and math this year, Buena Vista Middle saw a sharp ELA decline from 47.8% to 36.6%, a drop worth investigating.
Chaffee County High School faces the biggest challenges in the district, with a 66.7% graduation rate, an 11.8% dropout rate, and a 62.5% chronic absenteeism rate—far above the district's 15.5% and the state's 28.4%. Its 73.3% free/reduced lunch rate signals a high-needs student population. The traditional schools, by contrast, enjoy strong attendance, and the district's 90.6% graduation rate beats the state's 85.6%. If the district can lift math achievement across all grade levels and provide more support at Chaffee County High, this solid mid-tier district has real potential to climb higher.
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