Dolores School District No. Re-4A

Dolores School District No. Re-4A serves about 597 students across three schools in the Dolores, Colorado area: Dolores Elementary School (K-5), Dolores Middle School (6-8), and Dolores High School (9-12). The district currently holds a 2-star rating from the state, ranking 79th out of 115 Colorado districts, indicating generally average-to-below-average performance compared to the rest of the state. While class sizes are a positive feature across all three schools, parents should be aware of significant academic challenges, particularly in mathematics, as well as high rates of chronic absenteeism.

When comparing the three schools, Dolores Elementary School posts the strongest overall proficiency rates in the district, with 32.7% of students proficient in both ELA and Math, though these figures trail state averages. The Dolores Middle School faces the most significant hurdles, having the lowest test proficiency in the district (27% ELA, 20% Math) and the highest rate of economic disadvantage at 57.2%. In contrast, Dolores High School shows clear bright spots in literacy and science, with 10th graders hitting 77% proficiency in PSAT Reading/Writing (versus 65% statewide) and 11th grade science scores above the state average. However, the high school's math scores are a glaring concern, with only 12% of 11th graders proficient in SAT Math compared to 32% statewide.

A district-wide issue parents should note is chronic absenteeism, which exceeds the state rate of 28.4% at every school level, reaching a concerning 38.2% at the high school. These attendance struggles likely play a role in the district's slipping statewide percentile rankings over the past three years across all three schools. For parents, the key takeaways are that math proficiency is a district-wide weakness requiring attention, the middle school years represent a particularly vulnerable transition period academically, and reducing chronic absenteeism should be a top priority for the district. The strong 10th-grade reading scores and low high school dropout rate (0.9%) do provide a solid foundation to build upon.