Las Animas School District No. Re-1

Las Animas School District No. Re-1 is a high-poverty district in Colorado serving 879 students across four schools: one elementary, one middle, one traditional high school, and one online academy. Las Animas Elementary School is the district's clear standout, ranking in the 73rd percentile statewide with a 4-star rating in 2025–2026. Despite 82.3% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, the school outperforms the state in both ELA (57.1% vs. 44.7%) and math (41.7% vs. 37.3%). It also has the district's lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 19.4%, well below the state average of 28.4%, showing that high poverty does not have to mean low achievement.

Las Animas High School is a solid performer whose results are masked by district-wide averages. It ranks in the 41st percentile, with SAT reading/writing proficiency at 55% (near the state's 60%) and science proficiency exceeding the state average. It has reported a 95% graduation rate and 0% dropout rate in recent years. In contrast, Las Animas Junior High School is the district's weak point, with ELA proficiency at just 30.8% and math at 16.0%, well below state averages. Chronic absenteeism rises to 29.9% at the junior high, suggesting the middle school transition is a critical area for intervention.

Academy of Las Animas Online School is the district's largest school with 474 students, but it is the lowest-performing. With 11.5% proficiency in both ELA and math, a 66.9% graduation rate, a 7.2% dropout rate (more than four times the state average), and 47.4% chronic absenteeism, the academy is a serious concern. Its 37.7:1 student-teacher ratio far exceeds the physical campuses. Because it enrolls more students than the three brick-and-mortar schools combined, its poor outcomes significantly drag down the district's overall high school metrics. Addressing the online academy and the junior high, along with district-wide absenteeism, would have the greatest impact on the district's trajectory.