Deer Trail School District No. 26J

Deer Trail School District No. 26J is a small, economically challenged district in Colorado with two schools serving grades PK-12: Deer Trail Elementary School (PK–5) and Deer Trail Junior-Senior High School (6–12).

The high school is clearly the stronger performer. Deer Trail Junior-Senior High School graduates 88.9% of students, above the state average of 85.6%, and its dropout rate (1.4%) is lower than the state’s (1.6%). Its chronic absenteeism rate of 18.6% is far better than the district average of 26.8% and the state average of 28.4%. In English Language Arts, the high school’s proficiency rate (29.5%) is more than double that of Deer Trail Elementary School (12.5%). In fact, the high school’s 7th-grade ELA proficiency (48%) actually meets the state average (46.6%). By contrast, the elementary school is a major concern: its state ranking has collapsed from the 49th percentile in 2022–2023 to the 10th percentile in 2024–2025, and its math proficiency sits at just 11.1%.

Across the district, math is a consistent weakness. The high school’s 7th-grade math proficiency is 12% versus a 32.9% state average, and 9th-grade PSAT math proficiency is only 14% versus 40% statewide. Chronic absenteeism at the elementary school is especially high at 34.0%, which likely contributes to its low academic outcomes. Interestingly, the high school’s positive graduation and dropout rates show that students stay in school and earn diplomas, even though test scores lag. Overall, Deer Trail School District No. 26J ranks in the bottom fifth of Colorado districts (18th percentile), leaving substantial room for improvement, particularly in elementary literacy and secondary math.