Pagosa Peak Open School

Pagosa Peak Open School is a small, public K-8 school in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, serving 111 students as part of Archuleta County School District No. 50 Jt. The school maintains a 12.9 student-teacher ratio and serves a predominantly low-income population, with nearly 59% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, Pagosa Peak Open School is performing well below district and state averages. On the 2025–2026 CMAS assessments, only 28.6% of students met proficiency in English Language Arts, compared to 37.7% in the district and 44.7% statewide. Math results are more concerning: just 18.4% of students are proficient, less than half the state rate of 37.3%. While that figure has improved from 11.1% in 2022–2023, it remains far behind nearby Pagosa Springs Elementary School, where 37.6% of students are proficient in math—more than double Pagosa Peak's rate.

Perhaps the most alarming metric is the school's dropout rate. For a K-8 school, a 5.6% dropout rate in 2024–2025 is a major outlier—more than four times the district rate of 1.2% and over three times the state rate of 1.6%. Chronic absenteeism is also elevated, with 32.2% of students missing significant school time, below the district's 39.5% but above the state's 28.4%. The comparison to Pagosa Springs Elementary is striking: both schools serve similar poverty levels and have nearly identical student-teacher ratios, yet Pagosa Peak trails by nine points in ELA and more than 19 points in math. This suggests the gaps are tied to the school's model and instructional practices rather than student demographics.