Summary:
Rangely School District RE4 serves roughly 485 students across two schools in the small, rural northwestern Colorado town of Rangely: Parkview Elementary School (PK–5, 236 students) and Rangely Junior/Senior High School (6–12, 249 students). The district ranks 86th out of 115 Colorado districts overall, but both individual schools earned 2-star ratings, suggesting the district-level rating understates some real strengths at the school level.
The two schools offer very different profiles. Parkview Elementary School is the academic bright spot, outperforming the district average in both ELA and math on the most recent CMAS tests. Its 5th graders exceed state proficiency in both subjects — 52.8% proficient in ELA versus 49.9% statewide, and 41.7% in math versus 39.3% statewide — despite serving a student body with a higher poverty rate (50.4% free/reduced lunch). Rangely Junior/Senior High School, meanwhile, shines in student outcomes: a 97.4% graduation rate versus the 85.6% state average, and a low 1.2% dropout rate. The high school is also improving, moving from the 21st to the 30th percentile in state rankings over the past two years.
The district's biggest academic challenge is math. At the high school, only 17.4% of middle-grade students are proficient in math, PSAT 9 math sits at 27% versus 40% statewide, and SAT math proficiency is just 11% versus 32% statewide. Reading and writing scores are notably closer to state averages, though SAT Reading/Writing for 11th graders dropped from 51% to 25% in a single year — a reminder that small schools produce volatile year-to-year swings. Chronic absenteeism is another concern: 20.9% at Parkview and 23.9% at the high school, both below the state average of 28.4% but still affecting roughly one in five students. With strong elementary academics, exceptional graduation rates, and the high school's ranking on the rise, Rangely has clear momentum — but closing the math gap will be essential to lifting its overall standing.
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