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Banning Lewis Ranch Academy

Q: Is Banning Lewis Ranch Academy a good school?

Banning Lewis Ranch Academy ranks 503 rd of 950 Colorado alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter, Alternative Grades K-12

503^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 950 Colorado Alternative Schools

Better than 47% of Colorado alternative schools

Summary

Banning Lewis Ranch Academy is a public charter school serving 1,623 students in grades K-12 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The school is part of the El Paso County Colorado School District 49, which is ranked 46th out of 115 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Banning Lewis Ranch Academy stands out for its consistently higher four-year graduation rates, which reached 84.2% in the 2023-2024 school year, compared to the district and state averages of 59.0% and 55.7%, respectively. The school also has lower dropout rates at 1.9%, while the district and state averages were 8.1% and 9.0%. Academically, the school outperforms the district and state in science, English language arts, and SAT/PSAT scores, though its math proficiency is more competitive. However, the school's chronic absenteeism rate is higher than the district and state averages, which may be an area for improvement.

Compared to nearby schools, Banning Lewis Ranch Academy generally outperforms schools within its district, such as Springs Studio for Academic Excellence and Liberty Tree Academy. However, some schools outside the district, like Thomas MacLaren State Charter School, demonstrate even stronger academic performance, particularly in science, English language arts, and math proficiency. The school's relatively low percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, around 9%, suggests it may serve a more affluent student population, which could contribute to its higher academic outcomes.

1,697

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,345

Per pupil spending ?

15.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7094 Cottonwood Tree Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80927-5000

(719) 570-0075

District: El Paso County Colorado School District 49

Racial breakdown:

White:

55.9%

Hispanic:

23.9%

Two or more races:

10.8%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Banning Lewis Ranch Academy to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 54th percentile in 2022 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓92% graduate in 4 years — above the Colorado average (82%)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg36%

Colorado avg42%

Elementary school

503^rd of 950

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 47%▼ down 15 pts since 2015

From top 38% (2015) to bottom 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

206^th of 469

Colorado public middle schools ?

Top 44%▼ down 36 pts since 2015

From top 8% (2015) to top 44% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

153^rd of 328

Colorado public high schools ?

Top 47%▲ up 1 pts since 2021

See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Alternative Schools in the El Paso County Colorado School District 49

46^th of 115El Paso County Colorado School District 49 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	44.0	503 of 950	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.0	466 of 943	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.3	410 of 933	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.5	322 of 921	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.0	355 of 710	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.2	398 of 965	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.7	383 of 917	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	64.2	294 of 929	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.8	420 of 914	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	57.6	353 of 938	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	74.2	238 of 962	75.3%	★★★★☆
2013	76.2	210 of 954	78.0%	★★★★☆
2012	78.2	180 of 935	80.7%	★★★★☆
2011	65.5	336 of 935	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	61.8	388 of 925	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	53.3	448 of 872	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	38.0	411 of 694	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.1	407 of 684	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.0	368 of 642	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.1	269 of 595	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.8	261 of 351	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.6	346 of 758	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.5	326 of 690	52.8%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2018	24.2	80 of 84	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	52.3	103 of 247	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	75.2	38 of 242	84.3%	★★★★☆
2023	67.3	49 of 197	75.1%	★★★★☆
2022	76.4	22 of 153	85.6%	★★★★☆
2021	63.1	13 of 30	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.3	70 of 270	74.1%	★★★★☆
2018	64.0	46 of 172	73.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	55.0	132 of 337	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.3	136 of 365	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	85.2	11 of 203	94.6%	★★★★★
2019	78.7	34 of 332	89.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	33.9	438 of 700	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.7	392 of 683	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.9	339 of 649	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.9	264 of 594	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.1	223 of 352	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.5	357 of 764	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.5	355 of 693	48.8%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	41.8	6 of 8	25.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.6	6 of 7	14.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	12.7	3 of 3	0.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	21.3	465 of 551	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.0	462 of 539	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.9	387 of 525	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	42.5	287 of 454	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.0	215 of 288	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.8	357 of 596	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.5	228 of 337	32.3%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	49.2	206 of 469	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.7	187 of 485	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.2	135 of 480	71.9%	★★★★☆
2022	74.5	94 of 448	79.0%	★★★★☆
2021	40.3	203 of 369	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.9	217 of 458	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.3	206 of 418	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	76.6	74 of 424	82.5%	★★★★☆
2016	68.2	88 of 400	78.0%	★★★★☆
2015	88.1	33 of 436	92.4%	★★★★★
2014	78.5	83 of 461	82.0%	★★★★☆
2013	75.1	94 of 454	79.3%	★★★★☆
2012	75.2	94 of 425	77.9%	★★★★☆
2011	73.6	103 of 422	75.6%	★★★★☆
2010	74.2	103 of 409	74.8%	★★★★☆
2009	63.1	139 of 377	63.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	40.5	189 of 347	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.5	180 of 350	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.4	133 of 363	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.4	81 of 326	75.2%	★★★★☆
2021	40.2	140 of 254	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.9	171 of 352	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.4	162 of 315	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	44.3	88 of 132	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.4	69 of 125	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	13.7	117 of 121	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	70.2	37 of 218	83.0%	★★★★☆
2024	67.3	49 of 199	75.4%	★★★★☆
2023	73.7	33 of 198	83.3%	★★★★☆
2022	83.8	15 of 169	91.1%	★★★★★
2021	58.8	29 of 83	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.3	82 of 220	62.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	47.9	103 of 241	57.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	47.2	161 of 352	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.2	119 of 357	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.5	101 of 356	71.6%	★★★★☆
2022	69.5	80 of 328	75.6%	★★★★☆
2021	29.8	173 of 249	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.1	191 of 343	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.0	173 of 317	45.4%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	21.7	20 of 23	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	22.1	222 of 275	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.1	181 of 273	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.0	148 of 286	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.0	88 of 265	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	26.8	153 of 203	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.9	193 of 283	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.8	140 of 199	29.6%	★★☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	49.8	153 of 328	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.5	154 of 349	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.2	144 of 349	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.2	101 of 221	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.8	100 of 210	52.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	44.5	128 of 247	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.4	137 of 257	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.9	134 of 254	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.7	134 of 257	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.5	123 of 239	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	47.3	88 of 136	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.2	88 of 140	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	67.9	36 of 135	73.3%	★★★★☆
2021	42.7	77 of 118	34.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	55.3	72 of 187	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.8	56 of 199	71.9%	★★★★☆
2023	69.7	51 of 198	74.2%	★★★★☆
2022	60.4	68 of 205	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.7	45 of 181	75.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	48.2	118 of 246	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.9	104 of 256	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.8	105 of 252	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.4	92 of 253	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.0	90 of 240	62.5%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	40.0	36 of 58	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	25.4	156 of 209	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.4	136 of 229	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.6	152 of 234	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.2	133 of 228	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.4	139 of 225	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)61st percentile+14 vs school

Hispanic (2025)58th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)41st percentile-6 vs school

Male (2025)37th percentile-10 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)25th percentile-22 vs school

White (2025)16th percentile-31 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2018)5th percentile-53 vs school

Middle school

Hispanic (2025)83rd percentile+27 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)57th percentile~ school

Male (2025)54th percentile~ school

Female (2025)46th percentile-11 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)33rd percentile-23 vs school

White (2025)19th percentile-37 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)13th percentile-43 vs school

High school

Hispanic (2025)61st percentile+8 vs school

Male (2025)52nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)48th percentile-5 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)38th percentile-15 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)35th percentile-18 vs school

White (2025)25th percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

Reading and Writing67%~ state avg

English Language Arts46%~ state avg

Mathematics38%~ state avg

Science35%~ state avg

Math32%-4 vs state

3.2

5 ratings · 4 written reviews

5★2

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★2

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, September 17, 2019

This school is set up to provide a good path to college. The building is nice and clean and the classroom size is small. This enables the teachers to provide more one on one instruction. My son is happy here and learning a lot. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, January 16, 2014

My oldest child has gone here since the doors opened in 2006. He has had, what I believe to be, a wonderful education. The staff truly cares about the kids and it shows. Any issues we've had over the years were always heard and handled well. We're sad that my oldest will be leaving the BLRA family to go to high school, but his little brother will continue to attend. I'd recommend this school to anyone looking to provide a quality education to their child while having an active role in that education. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, March 14, 2013

This school focuses on the student and helping them to succeed in all their classes. The teachers are very professional and are more than willing to help their students. Our daughter's lowest mark was a 93% in English, and they were looking for ways to help her improve! This school is fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, August 13, 2009

I don't recommend this school at all. My son became very depressed and fell behind while at this school. Close Quote

Schools Near Banning Lewis Ranch Academy

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
Banning Lewis Ranch Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	7094 Cottonwood Tree Drive	Colorado Springs	80927	El Paso County	El Paso County Colorado School District 49	Yes	No	No	No	(719) 570-0075	1,697	116	14.6	15.5%	949 (55.9%)	85 (5.0%)	406 (23.9%)	61 (3.6%)	6 (0.4%)	7 (0.4%)	183 (10.8%)								(n/a)	70.0	30.0	67.0	38.0	66.0	25.0	42.3	39.7	50.0	39.7	53.9	50.4	46.0	38.2	34.4	33.1	27.0	31.3	28.9	32.1	36.9	38.8	25.0	$12,345
Liberty Tree Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	8579 Eastonville Road	Falcon	80831	El Paso County	El Paso County Colorado School District 49	Yes	No	No	No	(719) 338-6470	602	41	14.8	28.1%	402 (66.8%)	27 (4.5%)	116 (19.3%)	9 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (8.0%)								(n/a)	72.0	42.0	76.0		79.0		31.9	20.5	38.3	51.7	58.0	40.0	40.9	29.8	6.8	21.3	12.1	30.0	18.0	19.6	23.4	16.0		$14,379
Thomas MacLaren State Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	1702 N Murray Blvd	Colorado Springs	80915	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(719) 313-4488	975	76	12.7	41.5%	593 (60.8%)	26 (2.7%)	231 (23.7%)	22 (2.3%)	6 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	96 (9.8%)								(n/a)
Colorado Military Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	PK, KG-12	360 Command View	Colorado Springs	80915	El Paso County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	No	No	Yes	(719) 576-9838	618	36	17.2	48.1%	205 (33.2%)	65 (10.5%)	256 (41.4%)	21 (3.4%)	3 (0.5%)	11 (1.8%)	57 (9.2%)								(n/a)	53.0		56.0	19.0	35.0		26.3	32.6	30.6	10.6	27.3	28.3	25.9	15.8	37.2	24.5	8.5	6.8	12.2	17.4	36.7	24.5		$10,537
Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	33 N. Institute St.	Colorado Springs	80903	El Paso County	Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 578-2100	167	31	5.4	61.7%	69 (41.3%)	15 (9.0%)	61 (36.5%)	12 (7.2%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.8%)								(n/a)																								$00
The Haven School	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	930 Leta Dr	Colorado Springs	80911	El Paso County	School District No. 3	No	No	Yes	No	(719) 391-3080	240	15	16.4	45.0%	106 (44.2%)	16 (6.7%)	86 (35.8%)	3 (1.3%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	26 (10.8%)								(n/a)													34.4							13.0				$14,767
Zebulon Pike Youth Services Center	Public, Alternative	4-12	1427 West Rio Grande	Colorado Springs	80905	El Paso County	Cheyenne Mountain School District No. 12	No	No	No	No	(719) 390-2766	24	7	3.4	87.5%	7 (29.2%)	6 (25.0%)	11 (45.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																								$30,588
Peyton Online Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	18320 Main Street	Peyton	80831	El Paso County	Peyton School District No. 23	No	No	Yes	No	(719) 749-2330	28	2	14.0		21 (75.0%)	1 (3.6%)	5 (17.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.6%)								(n/a)																								$11,422
Aspire Online Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	200 Loomis Ave	Colorado Springs	80906	El Paso County	Harrison School District No. 2	No	No	Yes	No	(719) 579-3254	98	10	9.8		28 (28.6%)	14 (14.3%)	48 (49.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (8.2%)								(n/a)																								$19,663
Education reEnvisioned School	Public, Alternative	K-12	430 Beacon Lite Road Suite 150	Monument	80132	El Paso County	Education Reenvisioned BOCES	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(719) 963-9824	59	24	2.4		42 (71.2%)	1 (1.7%)	15 (25.4%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																								$5,099

Frequently Asked Questions about Banning Lewis Ranch Academy

Is Banning Lewis Ranch Academy a good school?

Banning Lewis Ranch Academy ranks 503^rd of 950 Colorado alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Banning Lewis Ranch Academy in?

El Paso County Colorado School District 49

What is the racial makeup of Banning Lewis Ranch Academy?

Students at Banning Lewis Ranch Academy are 56% White, 24% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 5% African American, 4% Asian.

How many students attend Banning Lewis Ranch Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,697 students attended Banning Lewis Ranch Academy.

Rate Banning Lewis Ranch Academy!

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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.