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Riffenburgh Elementary School

Q: Is Riffenburgh Elementary School a good school?

Riffenburgh Elementary School ranks 119 th of 943 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

119^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 943 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 87% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Riffenburgh Elementary School is a K-5 school in Fort Collins, CO, serving 443 students as part of the highly rated Poudre School District R-1, a district ranked in the 90th percentile statewide. The school currently holds the 119th spot out of 943 elementary schools in Colorado, placing it in the 87th percentile with a 4-star SchoolDigger rating. After a dip during the pandemic years, Riffenburgh has rebounded strongly, climbing from 205th the previous year back to near its pre-pandemic peak.

Academically, Riffenburgh is a standout. Its ELA proficiency rate of 71.4% is the highest among nearby schools, and its math proficiency of 62.1% is second only to Kruse Elementary. Both figures far exceed district and state averages — by roughly 11 points in ELA and 10 points in math over the district, and by more than 25 points over the state. Science is the one relative weak spot: 51.6% of 5th graders were proficient in 2025–26, above the state average but below nearby standouts like O'Dea Elementary and Kruse. The school also outperforms its closest geographic neighbors, Mountain Sage Community School and Laurel Elementary, by a wide margin.

Riffenburgh also stands out for attendance and equity. Chronic absenteeism is just 13.2% — less than half the district rate of 30.7% and far better than many nearby schools, where rates range from 24% to over 33%. The school has improved results for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds dramatically, jumping from the 41st to the 85th percentile statewide in just two years, even as its free/reduced lunch rate has risen to 34.5%. Gifted and Talented students also rank in the 92nd percentile statewide. Class sizes have improved, with the student–teacher ratio dropping from 17.2 to 14.7. Overall, Riffenburgh is one of the strongest elementary schools in Fort Collins, with the main areas to watch being science and early-grade math.

443

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,661

Per pupil spending ?

34.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1320 East Stuart Street
Fort Collins, CO 80525-1231

(970) 488-7935

District: Poudre School District R-1

Students who attend Riffenburgh Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Lesher Middle School
High:	Fort Collins High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.3%

Hispanic:

18.1%

Two or more races:

5.2%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Riffenburgh Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 88th percentile in 2016 → 87th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (65% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 13% of Colorado elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Poudre School District R-1

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school65%

District avg56%

Colorado avg41%

119^th of 943

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Top 13%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 30Elementary Schools in the Poudre School District R-1

12^th of 115Poudre School District R-1 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
2026	85.9	119 of 943	87.4%	★★★★☆
2025	77.6	205 of 950	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	80.6	164 of 943	82.6%	★★★★☆
2023	78.5	176 of 933	81.1%	★★★★☆
2022	81.1	156 of 921	83.1%	★★★★☆
2021	75.7	188 of 710	73.5%	★★★★☆
2019	78.6	179 of 965	81.5%	★★★★☆
2018	85.2	114 of 917	87.6%	★★★★☆
2017	84.3	114 of 929	87.7%	★★★★☆
2016	84.5	114 of 914	87.5%	★★★★☆
2015	76.9	186 of 938	80.2%	★★★★☆
2014	75.9	225 of 962	76.6%	★★★★☆
2013	67.3	312 of 954	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	77.9	184 of 935	80.3%	★★★★☆
2011	78.2	184 of 935	80.3%	★★★★☆
2010	74.0	224 of 925	75.8%	★★★★☆
2009	70.1	266 of 872	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	66.4	296 of 849	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	75.0	202 of 852	76.3%	★★★★☆
2006	81.2	118 of 829	85.8%	★★★★☆
2005	77.7	171 of 823	79.2%	★★★★☆
2004	78.3	165 of 808	79.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	77.1	144 of 692	79.2%	★★★★☆
2025	70.0	175 of 694	74.8%	★★★★☆
2024	72.9	159 of 684	76.8%	★★★★☆
2023	64.3	205 of 642	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.7	161 of 595	72.9%	★★★★☆
2021	62.1	159 of 351	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.0	181 of 758	76.1%	★★★★☆
2018	73.1	155 of 690	77.5%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	76.9	9 of 119	92.4%	★★★★★
2023	48.2	58 of 82	29.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	71.8	22 of 110	80.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	77.8	47 of 319	85.3%	★★★★☆
2025	55.9	129 of 337	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.1	216 of 365	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.6	221 of 265	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	68.6	64 of 332	80.7%	★★★★☆
2018	64.1	76 of 308	75.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	81.1	117 of 694	83.1%	★★★★☆
2025	72.2	172 of 700	75.4%	★★★★☆
2024	71.7	172 of 683	74.8%	★★★★☆
2023	76.8	133 of 649	79.5%	★★★★☆
2022	77.6	112 of 594	81.1%	★★★★☆
2021	70.1	122 of 352	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.3	167 of 764	78.1%	★★★★☆
2018	83.0	98 of 693	85.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	75.9	93 of 546	83.0%	★★★★☆
2025	65.8	169 of 551	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.5	136 of 539	74.8%	★★★★☆
2023	67.6	150 of 525	71.4%	★★★★☆
2022	72.9	108 of 454	76.2%	★★★★☆
2021	66.6	105 of 288	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.9	148 of 596	75.2%	★★★★☆
2018	80.6	51 of 337	84.9%	★★★★☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2025)92nd percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)85th percentile~ school

Male (2026)83rd percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)83rd percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)79th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts71%+27 vs state

Math62%+25 vs state

Science52%+15 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Wednesday, October 28, 2015

I went to that school from K-5th grade and it was a fantastic school. The teachers are all really nice, there's a lot of cool programs and things, great school overall. Lots of great memories in this school. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, November 14, 2012

My daughter is in the middle of her kindergarten year here and I couldn't be happier. The principal and the teaching staff really care and are fully engaged. It is a smaller school which allows a real sense of community. The principal knows all the kids names and has created an atmosphere that focuses on the whole child. They care about academics and my daughter has learned so much already but they also care about physical and emotional health. It is a wellness school so they really incorporate healthy living choices and there are a ton of extracurricular activities that reinforce this like jump rope club, running club, girls basketball......my five year old just participated in free before school yoga! I did a ton of research over schools and got into both Liberty and Dunn but went with my gut and chose Riffenburgh. Close Quote

Schools Near Riffenburgh Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CMAS English Language Arts (2026)					CMAS Math (2026)					CMAS Science (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CMAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 5th 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 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	CMAS Science 8th Grade	Total
Riffenburgh Elementary School	Public	K-5	1320 East Stuart Street	Fort Collins	80525	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-7935	443	30	14.7	34.5%	316 (71.3%)	10 (2.3%)	80 (18.1%)	8 (1.8%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	23 (5.2%)	85.9	119^th of 943 public elementary schools	87.4%		77.6	205^th of 950 public elementary schools	78.4%	86	60.3	76.7	76.2		71.4	53.6	68.6	62.5		62.1	51.6		$18,661
Mountain Sage Community School	Public, Charter	K-8	2310 East Prospect Road Suite	Fort Collins	80525	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	Yes	No	No	No	(970) 568-5456	265	17	15.9	26.0%	216 (81.5%)	1 (0.4%)	15 (5.7%)	8 (3.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (9.1%)	44.8	470^th of 943 public elementary schools	50.2%		58	380^th of 950 public elementary schools	60.0%	90	42.9	46.7	57.1	93.8	54.3	22.7	38.6	28.6	68.8	37.1	33.3	75.0	$13,906
Laurel Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 East Locust Street	Fort Collins	80524	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 488-5925	412	30	13.8	54.6%	227 (55.1%)	8 (1.9%)	145 (35.2%)	4 (1.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.3%)	53.4	408^th of 943 public elementary schools	56.7%		49.5	446^th of 950 public elementary schools	53.1%	38	37.7	50.0	61.2		49.5	40.6	33.3	35.8		36.6	49.3		$20,328
Harris Bilingual Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	501 East Elizabeth	Fort Collins	80524	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 488-5200	311	22	13.8	61.1%	81 (26.0%)	0 (0.0%)	223 (71.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	62.3	333^rd of 943 public elementary schools	64.7%		55.6	402^nd of 950 public elementary schools	57.7%	69	67.7	41.7	50.0		51.2	47.1	37.3	52.0		45.4	56.0		$20,927
O'Dea Elementary School	Public	K-5	312 Princeton Road	Fort Collins	80525	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-4450	398	34	11.7	45.2%	273 (68.6%)	7 (1.8%)	77 (19.3%)	9 (2.3%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.3%)	85.6	124^th of 943 public elementary schools	86.9%		84.2	128^th of 950 public elementary schools	86.5%	4	56.3	70.4	76.6		67.8	60.0	59.7	62.7		60.7	60.3		$22,724
Shepardson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1501 Springwood Drive	Fort Collins	80525	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-4525	414	30	13.9	24.2%	339 (81.9%)	3 (0.7%)	39 (9.4%)	11 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.3%)	78	191^st of 943 public elementary schools	79.7%		89.5	78^th of 950 public elementary schools	91.8%	113	50.9	70.6	70.3		64.6	56.1	61.8	49.2		55.8	47.0		$20,118
Beattie Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3000 Meadowlark Avenue	Fort Collins	80526	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-4225	302	20	15.4	50.3%	186 (61.6%)	7 (2.3%)	73 (24.2%)	10 (3.3%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (7.0%)	72.5	236^th of 943 public elementary schools	75.0%		67.4	296^th of 950 public elementary schools	68.8%	60	54.3	73.8	63.2		64.3	48.6	52.4	47.4		49.6	41.7		$19,044
Bennett Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1125 Bennett Road	Fort Collins	80521	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-4750	362	25	14.7	48.6%	236 (65.2%)	11 (3.0%)	84 (23.2%)	10 (2.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.5%)	68	282^nd of 943 public elementary schools	70.1%		65.4	315^th of 950 public elementary schools	66.8%	33	40.7	65.2	69.0		57.0	45.3	48.9	54.8		49.3	45.0		$19,459
Dunn Elementary School	Public	K-5	501 South Washington	Fort Collins	80521	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-4825	392	27	14.4	30.6%	287 (73.2%)	18 (4.6%)	38 (9.7%)	27 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.6%)	79.2	180^th of 943 public elementary schools	80.9%		85.4	122^nd of 950 public elementary schools	87.2%	58	63.1	65.6	67.8		65.4	52.3	50.0	53.3		51.9	60.0		$20,272
Linton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4100 Caribou Drive	Fort Collins	80525	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 488-5850	307	26	11.6	67.4%	124 (40.4%)	1 (0.3%)	161 (52.4%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.2%)	25.7	672^nd of 943 public elementary schools	28.7%		22.4	702^nd of 950 public elementary schools	26.1%	30	40.0	28.0	34.0		33.1	36.7	20.0	25.0		25.8	23.4		$21,151

Frequently Asked Questions about Riffenburgh Elementary School

Is Riffenburgh Elementary School a good school?

Riffenburgh Elementary School ranks 119^th of 943 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Riffenburgh Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 443 students attended Riffenburgh Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Riffenburgh Elementary School?

Students at Riffenburgh Elementary School are 71% White, 18% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Asian.

What district is Riffenburgh Elementary School in?

Poudre School District R-1

What schools do graduates of Riffenburgh Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Riffenburgh Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lesher Middle School
High : Fort Collins High School

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 CMAS, PSAT10, PSAT9 & SAT test scoresNewAug 19, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataAug 27, 2025

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.