South Routt School District No. Re 3

South Routt School District No. Re 3 is a small rural Colorado district serving roughly 300 students across three schools: South Routt Elementary School (K–5), Soroco Middle School (6–8), and Soroco High School (9–12). The district overall earns a 3-star rating, but that average masks wide differences in school performance.

Soroco Middle School is the clear academic standout, ranking in the 81st percentile statewide with ELA proficiency at 69.1% (well above the state’s 44.7%) and math at 47.3%. It also has the district’s lowest chronic absenteeism (20.0%) and lowest free/reduced lunch rate (20.9%). Soroco High School shines in graduation (94.4% vs. 85.6% statewide), SAT reading/writing (72% proficient), and science, but math is a persistent weakness—only 24% proficient on SAT math versus 32% statewide. South Routt Elementary School is the district’s biggest concern: its state rank has collapsed from the 51st percentile in 2023–2024 to the 25th percentile in 2025–2026, with third-grade ELA at just 17.4% and fifth-grade math at 28.1%—both far below state averages.

Notably, the middle school outperforms the elementary school dramatically in ELA (69.1% vs. 31.3%), even though the elementary school has a lower student–teacher ratio (11.8 vs. 16.7). The high school’s low math scores contrast with its strong literacy and science results, and the district’s small class sizes mean even a handful of students can swing proficiency rates. Chronic absenteeism is below the state average across all three schools, but roughly one in four elementary and high school students is still chronically absent. With this mix of a high-performing middle school, a strong-but-math-weak high school, and an elementary school in urgent need of support, the district’s overall rating understates how much variation exists between its schools.