Summary:
Otis School District No. R-3 is a small, rural Colorado district serving roughly 192 students across just two schools: Otis Elementary School (grades PK–5, 90 students) and Otis Junior-Senior High School (grades 6–12, 102 students), with no standalone middle school. Both schools serve communities with similar economic profiles, as about 56% of students at each qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and class sizes are very small, with student-teacher ratios of 9.3 at the elementary school and 12.9 at the high school.
Otis Junior-Senior High School is the district's standout for momentum. Its state ranking improved dramatically over two years, moving from the 29th percentile (1 star) in 2022–2023 to the 61st percentile (3 stars) in 2024–2025, a jump of 122 positions. The school's 10th graders also outperformed the state on the PSAT10, with 69% proficient in reading/writing versus 64% statewide and 38% in math versus 36% statewide. However, the school faces a serious challenge: a 100% chronic absenteeism rate, meaning every high school student is missing a significant number of school days. Despite the ranking improvement, CMAS proficiency remains low, with math at just 18.4% compared to the state average of 37.3%.
Otis Elementary School tells a different story on attendance. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 22.8% is better than the state average of 28.4% and far better than the high school's 100% rate. Historically a top performer, the elementary school ranked in the 92nd percentile with a 5-star rating in 2013–2014, though no recent ranking data is available. However, its CMAS proficiency has slipped recently: ELA fell from 36.8% to 30.3% and math from 23.7% to 18.2%. Meanwhile, the high school's proficiency moved in the opposite direction, with ELA rising from 30.3% to 34.2% and math from 15.2% to 18.4%. The district's most urgent issue is high school chronic absenteeism, which, if addressed, could help translate ranking momentum into stronger academic outcomes.
Thank you for your feedback!