Gunnison Watershed School District Re1J

The Gunnison Watershed School District Re1J is a 4-star district in Colorado, ranked 31st out of 115 districts, serving roughly 2,021 students across six schools in the Gunnison and Crested Butte mountain communities. The district includes two elementary schools, one middle school, two high/secondary schools, and one small alternative charter school spanning grades K through 12.

The district shows a clear performance divide between its Crested Butte and Gunnison schools. Crested Butte Elementary School is the standout traditional school, ranking in the 86th percentile statewide with ELA proficiency of 64.4% and math proficiency of 57.9%, far outpacing district averages of 40.5% and 36.0%. Crested Butte Secondary School posts a 94.3% graduation rate and impressive SAT reading/writing scores, though it slipped from the 90th to the 73rd percentile this year. Tiny Marble Charter School has the highest test proficiency in the district at 71.4% in both ELA and math, but with only 34 students and a 42.9% chronic absenteeism rate, its results should be interpreted cautiously. By contrast, Gunnison Elementary School, Gunnison Middle School, and Gunnison High School all rank below the 50th percentile, with the elementary school notably declining from the 51st to the 31st percentile over the past three years.

Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide concern, with Gunnison Middle (37.5%) and Gunnison Elementary (31.0%) far exceeding the district's 25.6% average. Math is the district's weakest subject; almost every school falls below state math averages, while literacy is a relative strength. Encouragingly, the district's 88.1% graduation rate exceeds the state's 85.6%, and even lower-performing Gunnison High graduates students at 85.0%. Parents should know that the Crested Butte schools offer the strongest academics and healthiest attendance, while Gunnison's schools would benefit most from targeted support, particularly around math instruction and absenteeism.