Estes Park School District R-3

Estes Park School District R-3 serves 882 students across three schools in the mountain community of Estes Park, Colorado—Estes Park K-5 School (PK–5), Estes Park Middle School (6–8), and Estes Park High School (9–12)—and holds a 2-star rating, ranking 77th of 115 Colorado districts. While all three schools share the district-level rating, their school-level rankings vary. Estes Park Middle School is the strongest relative performer, ranking 250th of 469 middle schools (47th percentile), followed by Estes Park High School (31st percentile) and Estes Park K-5 School (30th percentile).

Academically, the middle school posts the district's strongest ELA performance at 36.5% proficient, and its 6th grade math proficiency of 42% exceeds the state average by 9.3 points. Estes Park K-5 School, despite serving the highest-poverty student population, improved math proficiency from 28.1% to 31.5% year-over-year and has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 22.0%, below the state average of 28.4%. Estes Park High School made the largest math gains—SAT Math jumped from 16% to 27% and PSAT9 Math rose from 28% to 40%—and its science proficiency (23.6%) nearly matches the state (24.8%). However, the high school also has the district's highest chronic absenteeism rate at 36.2% and the highest student-to-teacher ratio at 16.0.

Chronic absenteeism increases with grade level, from 22.0% at the elementary school to 32.4% at the middle school and 36.2% at the high school, which is 7.8 points above the state average. Science proficiency also dropped sharply, falling by 16.3 points at the elementary school and 15.5 points at the middle school in the past year. Meanwhile, the middle school's strong 6th grade math results do not carry through to 7th and 8th grades, where proficiency falls to about 22%. ELA remains a district-wide weakness, with every school significantly below state averages, led by a 17.1-point gap at the elementary school. While the district is below average overall, its bright spots include strong 6th grade math, improving high school math, and low elementary absenteeism. Focusing on attendance and early literacy, while building on the math gains, could help the district improve its overall standing.