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Boulder Universal

Public, Virtual, Alternative Grades K-12

28^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 328 Colorado Alternative Schools

Better than 91% of Colorado alternative schools

Summary

Boulder Universal is a small, alternative public virtual school serving grades K-12 in the Boulder Valley School District. With a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger and ranking 8th out of 115 districts in Colorado, Boulder Universal is a high-performing school that stands out for its exceptional academic outcomes.

The school boasts consistently high 4-year graduation rates, ranging from 83.1% to 92.3%, significantly higher than the state average of 77.3%. Its dropout rates are also very low, ranging from 0.7% to 3.8%, compared to the state average of 3.8%. On standardized tests, Boulder Universal students excel, with 88% of 11th graders proficient or better in SAT Reading and Writing, compared to 84% for the district and 62% for the state. In math, 56% of 11th graders were proficient or better, compared to 60% for the district and 32% for the state.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Peak to Peak Charter School, Boulder Universal stands out as a high-performing institution. As a public virtual school, it offers a unique educational model that may appeal to families seeking more flexibility and personalized learning opportunities. While the school's chronic absenteeism rates are higher than the district and state averages, its low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 12.2 to 13.6, may contribute to its academic success.

231

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,203

Per pupil spending ?

15%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6500 East Arapahoe Road
Boulder, CO 80303-1407

(720) 561-6253

District: Boulder Valley School District No. Re2

Racial breakdown:

White:

62.8%

Hispanic:

20.3%

Two or more races:

6.9%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Boulder Universal to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 14th percentile in 2013 → 91st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (72% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of Colorado alternative schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 77 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Graduation rate below the Colorado average (75% vs 86%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school72%

District avg72%

Colorado avg47%

28^th of 328

Colorado public high schools ?

Top 9%▲ up 3 pts since 2021

From top 12% (2021) to top 9% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Alternative Schools in the Boulder Valley School District No. Re2

8^th of 115Boulder Valley School District No. Re2 among Colorado districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	89.9	28 of 328	91.5%	★★★★★
2021	83.7	25 of 210	88.1%	★★★★☆
2014	31.9	268 of 369	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	12.6	299 of 349	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2021	77.9	54 of 239	77.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2021	94.8	9 of 240	96.3%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2021	85.9	24 of 225	89.3%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Male (2021)96th percentile+8 vs school

White (2021)89th percentile~ school

Female (2021)77th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

Reading and Writing88%+26 vs state

Mathematics56%+24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Boulder Universal

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				PSAT10 Reading and Writing (2025)	PSAT10 Mathematics (2025)	PSAT9 Reading and Writing (2025)	PSAT9 Mathematics (2025)	SAT Reading and Writing (2025)	SAT Mathematics (2025)	CMAS English Language Arts (2025)							CMAS Math (2025)							CMAS Science (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT10 Reading and Writing 10th Grade	PSAT10 Mathematics 10th Grade	PSAT9 Reading and Writing 9th Grade	PSAT9 Mathematics 9th Grade	SAT Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	CMAS Science 8th Grade	CMAS Science 11th Grade	Total
Boulder Universal	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	6500 East Arapahoe Road	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	Yes	No	(720) 561-6253	231	16	14.1		145 (62.8%)	7 (3.0%)	47 (20.3%)	9 (3.9%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	16 (6.9%)								(n/a)					88.0	56.0																		$23,203
Peak to Peak Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	800 Merlin Drive	Lafayette	80026	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 453-4600	1,447	82	17.6	17.6%	806 (55.7%)	11 (0.8%)	185 (12.8%)	337 (23.3%)	3 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	101 (7.0%)								(n/a)	92.0	74.0	92.0	74.0	88.0	68.0	55.3	72.7	75.7	75.2	76.0	61.8	69.8	60.5	70.1	72.6	66.7	60.8	42.3	60.9	77.0	52.9	62.7	$13,914
Prospect Ridge Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	2555 Preble Creek Pkwy	Broomfield	80023	Broomfield County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	Yes	No	No	No	(720) 399-0300	1,478	77	19.1	5.9%	949 (64.2%)	11 (0.7%)	196 (13.3%)	219 (14.8%)	6 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	96 (6.5%)								(n/a)	88.0	68.0	87.0	65.0	86.0	65.0	56.4	62.0	56.4	52.3	58.0	63.0	57.8	54.7	52.7	63.6	46.8	42.9	75.8	55.7	66.4	65.7	59.5	$13,375
Twin Peaks Classical Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	340 South Sunset Street	Longmont	80501	Boulder County	St. Vrain Valley School District No. Re1J	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 772-7286	879	57	15.3	38.8%	532 (60.5%)	13 (1.5%)	255 (29.0%)	32 (3.6%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.5%)	42 (4.8%)								(n/a)	79.0	50.0	74.0	50.0	81.0	43.0	55.8	58.8	53.8	49.3	49.0	52.1	53.5	58.4	42.5	45.0	45.3	50.0	50.7	48.5	30.4	43.1	44.1	$12,894
St. Vrain LaunchED Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	395 S. Pratt Parkway	Longmont	80501	Boulder County	St. Vrain Valley School District No. Re1J	No	No	Yes	No	(303) 702-8800	342	27	12.7		163 (47.7%)	2 (0.6%)	144 (42.1%)	6 (1.8%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	24 (7.0%)								(n/a)					52.0								44.4							29.6				$19,124
Academy of Charter Schools	Public, Charter, Alternative	PK, KG-12	11800 Lowell Blvd	Westminster	80031	Adams County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 289-8088	1,887	100	18.8	33.9%	1,036 (54.9%)	18 (1.0%)	598 (31.7%)	121 (6.4%)	6 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	107 (5.7%)								(n/a)	72.0	33.0	77.0	33.0	69.0	29.0	49.0	33.3	58.9	58.2	63.6	41.0	50.8	43.4	30.5	42.1	36.1	36.8	36.4	37.8	35.0	50.0	44.4	$11,643
Doral Academy of Colorado	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	10110 Church Ranch Way	Westminster	80021	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 250-3627	168	11	15.1	52.4%	85 (50.6%)	6 (3.6%)	60 (35.7%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (9.5%)								(n/a)										28.6	30.0	44.4	24.1							6.5		38.9		$14,159
Five Star Online Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	1-12	1865 W. 121st Ave #100	Westminster	80234	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(720) 972-7430	506	33	15.4		201 (39.7%)	13 (2.6%)	233 (46.0%)	19 (3.8%)	10 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.1%)								(n/a)	45.0		56.0		36.0				31.6	21.4			18.7				14.3			8.3				$14,997
Stargate Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	14530 Washington Street	Thornton	80023	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 450-3936	1,572	81	19.4	10.4%	748 (47.6%)	16 (1.0%)	168 (10.7%)	470 (29.9%)	6 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	156 (9.9%)								(n/a)	98.0	84.0	97.0	82.0	98.0	81.0	77.0	70.3	86.5	79.8	78.7	75.0	78.3	85.0	66.0	81.5	82.3	69.2	86.6	78.5	73.6	81.3	71.7	$12,095
Westgate Community School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	12500 Washington St	Thornton	80241	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 452-0967	540	27	20.0	38.3%	282 (52.2%)	4 (0.7%)	145 (26.9%)	60 (11.1%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (8.1%)								(n/a)	96.0	48.0	87.0	70.0	88.0	46.0	39.6	26.2	48.9	44.2	54.8	63.9	45.7	37.5	11.6	31.9	23.3	23.8	50.0	29.5	36.2	60.5	23.5	$12,648

Frequently Asked Questions about Boulder Universal

Is Boulder Universal a good school?

Yes. Boulder Universal ranks in the top 8.5% of Colorado alternative schools.

What is the racial makeup of Boulder Universal?

Students at Boulder Universal are 63% White, 20% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 3% African American, 2% Not Specified.

What district is Boulder Universal in?

Boulder Valley School District No. Re2

How many students attend Boulder Universal?

In the 2024-25 school year, 231 students attended Boulder Universal.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Colorado Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.