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Fossil Ridge High School

Public Grades 9-12

22^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Colorado High Schools

Better than 94% of Colorado high schools

Summary

Fossil Ridge High School is a large comprehensive public high school in Fort Collins, Colorado, serving 1,846 students in grades 9–12 as part of Poudre School District R-1. For the 2025–2026 school year, Fossil Ridge earned a 5-star rating, ranking 21st of 338 Colorado high schools (94th percentile), and it has consistently ranked in the top 5–7% of the state for nearly a decade.

Academically, Fossil Ridge outperforms district and state averages by wide margins. On the SAT, 86% of 11th graders were proficient in reading/writing (vs. 60% statewide) and 60% in math (vs. 32% statewide). Science is a particular standout: 69.6% proficiency on the 11th-grade CMAS — nearly triple the state rate of 24.8% — the highest among nearby schools. The graduation rate is elite at 97.1%, with near-zero dropout rates. Among nearby comprehensive high schools, Fossil Ridge ranks highest, ahead of Rocky Mountain High School (#58), Fort Collins High School (#71), and Poudre High School (#77). Its closest geographic neighbor, Fort Collins High School, lags on nearly every metric.

The school's biggest outlier is chronic absenteeism: 42.7% of students were chronically absent in 2024–2025, well above the state rate of 28.4%, and even higher in prior years. Despite this, achievement and graduation metrics remain elite, suggesting a strong instructional culture. Fossil Ridge also serves students well across subgroups, ranking in the 88th–94th percentile for Asian, female, male, gifted, and multiracial students, while Hispanic and low-income students saw slight declines from 5-star to 4-star status in recent years — a trend worth monitoring. Overall, Fossil Ridge is a top-tier school combining elite academics, strong graduation outcomes, and a robust STEM focus, with attendance as the clearest area for parents to watch.

1,846

Students ?

19.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,886

Per pupil spending ?

16.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5400 Ziegler Road
Fort Collins, CO 80528-9524

(970) 488-6260

District: Poudre School District R-1

Feeder schools for Fossil Ridge High School:

Elementary:	Bacon Elementary School
	Werner Elementary School
	Zach Elementary School
Middle:	Preston Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.1%

Hispanic:

11.7%

Asian:

6.3%

See top rated Colorado high schools

Compare Fossil Ridge High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 71st percentile in 2016 → 94th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (76% vs 48% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 6% of Colorado high schools

✓97% graduate in 4 years — above the Colorado average (86%)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school76%

District avg68%

Colorado avg48%

22^nd of 340

Colorado public high schools ?

Top 6%▲ up 23 pts since 2016

From top 29% (2016) to top 6% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 7High Schools in the Poudre School District R-1

12^th of 114Poudre 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	91.5	22 of 340	93.5%	★★★★★
2025	92.8	16 of 328	95.1%	★★★★★
2024	92.8	18 of 349	94.8%	★★★★★
2023	92.1	20 of 349	94.3%	★★★★★
2022	89.7	16 of 221	92.8%	★★★★★
2021	87.1	19 of 210	91.0%	★★★★★
2019	94.8	19 of 411	95.4%	★★★★★
2018	94.6	15 of 388	96.1%	★★★★★
2017	68.8	33 of 256	87.1%	★★★★☆
2016	53.9	75 of 255	70.6%	★★★★☆
2015	70.7	42 of 292	85.6%	★★★★☆
2014	91.0	19 of 369	94.9%	★★★★★
2013	86.9	31 of 349	91.1%	★★★★★
2012	88.7	20 of 334	94.0%	★★★★★
2011	89.2	24 of 337	92.9%	★★★★★
2010	83.0	42 of 327	87.2%	★★★★☆
2009	84.7	36 of 310	88.4%	★★★★☆
2008	87.3	29 of 301	90.4%	★★★★★
2007	90.5	16 of 298	94.6%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	83.1	5 of 43	88.4%	★★★★★
2025	82.5	5 of 43	88.4%	★★★★★
2024	83.0	6 of 43	86.0%	★★★★☆
2023	77.1	6 of 43	86.0%	★★★★☆
2022	80.9	4 of 45	91.1%	★★★★★
2021	74.1	10 of 41	75.6%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2023	80.5	7 of 74	90.5%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	90.8	19 of 246	92.3%	★★★★★
2025	90.1	19 of 247	92.3%	★★★★★
2024	89.7	21 of 257	91.8%	★★★★★
2023	89.2	21 of 254	91.7%	★★★★★
2022	92.3	15 of 257	94.2%	★★★★★
2021	89.1	20 of 239	91.6%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	75.2	9 of 143	93.7%	★★★★★
2025	72.8	23 of 136	83.1%	★★★★☆
2023	71.5	25 of 135	81.5%	★★★★☆
2022	71.1	22 of 108	79.6%	★★★★☆
2021	76.4	7 of 118	94.1%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	89.3	25 of 198	87.4%	★★★★☆
2025	93.2	14 of 187	92.5%	★★★★★
2024	93.6	10 of 199	95.0%	★★★★★
2023	89.0	19 of 198	90.4%	★★★★★
2022	94.1	12 of 205	94.1%	★★★★★
2021	91.0	13 of 181	92.8%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	79.5	33 of 209	84.2%	★★★★☆
2025	91.8	13 of 194	93.3%	★★★★★
2024	93.8	8 of 211	96.2%	★★★★★
2023	82.3	26 of 200	87.0%	★★★★☆
2022	90.4	12 of 203	94.1%	★★★★★
2021	62.8	53 of 188	71.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	89.3	22 of 244	91.0%	★★★★★
2025	92.2	16 of 246	93.5%	★★★★★
2024	92.3	17 of 256	93.4%	★★★★★
2023	91.6	14 of 252	94.4%	★★★★★
2022	92.5	17 of 253	93.3%	★★★★★
2021	90.6	19 of 240	92.1%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	88.9	4 of 61	93.4%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2022	80.8	6 of 77	92.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	82.6	34 of 221	84.6%	★★★★☆
2025	84.5	28 of 209	86.6%	★★★★☆
2024	83.8	27 of 229	88.2%	★★★★☆
2023	84.3	27 of 234	88.5%	★★★★☆
2022	87.5	20 of 228	91.2%	★★★★★
2021	83.5	29 of 225	87.1%	★★★★☆

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 (2026)94th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2024)93rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)92nd percentile~ school

Special Education (2022)92nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)91st percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2023)91st percentile-4 vs school

Asian (2026)88th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)87th percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)85th percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)84th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

Reading and Writing91%+26 vs state

Mathematics73%+33 vs state

Science70%+45 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Monday, December 13, 2021

This school was a terrible experience for me. While I attended this school I was horrendously bullied. I could not walk down a hall without being harassed because of the way that I looked. The forms of harassment I faced were horrible. Every day I was called transphobic slurs, people would threaten to hurt me, people would take photos of me without my consent, and I was constantly laughed at and yelled at. When I attempted to report them to the deans, the only punishment they would face was a small talking to. Because of the way the deans handled it, many students found it fun to harass and bully me. It was so bad that I was forced to leave the school after my first quarter there. I could not attend any after-school event because of how concerned I was for my safety. The teachers would do nothing to help me, and most ignored me when I asked for help. I couldn't sit at the door by any of my classes because people would stand by it and take pictures of me. When it came to the point where I couldn't go a class period without having to make a report of being harassed, my family and I decided to withdraw from the school. Only when I left the school did the school decide to have an assembly about bullying. I would not recommend this school to anyone who is looking for an inclusive environment for their children. Close Quote

Schools Near Fossil Ridge High 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)				PSAT10 Reading and Writing (2026)	PSAT10 Mathematics (2026)	PSAT9 Reading and Writing (2026)	PSAT9 Mathematics (2026)	SAT Reading and Writing (2026)	SAT Mathematics (2026)	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 (2025)	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	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 6th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 8th Grade	CMAS Science 11th Grade	Total
Fossil Ridge High School	Public	9-12	5400 Ziegler Road	Fort Collins	80528	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-6260	1,846	96	19.2	16.4%	1,404 (76.1%)	19 (1.0%)	216 (11.7%)	116 (6.3%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	85 (4.6%)	91.5	22^nd of 340 public high schools	93.5%		92.8	16^th of 328 public high schools	95.1%	6	88.0	59.7	91.1	73.1	86.1	59.8										69.6	$17,886
Colorado Early Colleges Fort Collins	Public, Charter	6-12	4424 Innovation Drive	Fort Collins	80525	Larimer County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	No	No	No	(970) 377-0044	971	40	24.5	33.5%	714 (73.5%)	20 (2.1%)	164 (16.9%)	29 (3.0%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (4.0%)	81.9	59^th of 340 public high schools	82.6%		84.2	45^th of 328 public high schools	86.3%	14	86.1	56.5	83.3	51.0	82.4	45.8	51.9	48.1	42.9	47.3	32.7	34.6	35.7	34.5	42.9	47.1	$12,307
Fort Collins High School	Public	9-12	3400 Lambkin Way	Fort Collins	80525	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-8021	1,836	99	18.6	37.4%	1,212 (66.0%)	27 (1.5%)	466 (25.4%)	44 (2.4%)	14 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (3.9%)	79.7	72^nd of 340 public high schools	78.8%		80.3	61^st of 328 public high schools	81.4%	11	80.7	52.2	80.8	56.6	78.8	44.2										52.8	$18,735
Colorado Early Colleges Windsor	Public, Charter	5-12	7640 Westgate Dr	Windsor	80528	Larimer County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	No	No	No	(970) 657-2860	196	15	13.1	26.0%	153 (78.1%)	1 (0.5%)	32 (16.3%)	4 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.1%)								(n/a)									30.4	27.3			34.8	38.6	36.4		$21,881
Timnath Middle-High School	Public	6-12	4700 East Prospect Road	Timnath	80535	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(970) 419-3400	1,456	79	18.3	19.4%	1,093 (75.1%)	21 (1.4%)	248 (17.0%)	34 (2.3%)	6 (0.4%)	4 (0.3%)	50 (3.4%)	84.2	46^th of 340 public high schools	86.5%					(n/a)	88.3	60.6	84.7	55.3	78.5	46.2	52.9	58.6	49.7	53.7	57.2	42.4	50.0	49.8	43.4	58.3	$18,518
Compass Community Collaborative School	Public, Charter	6-12	2105 South College Avenue	Fort Collins	80525	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	Yes	No	No	No	(970) 372-4242	179	14	13.0	17.3%	142 (79.3%)	1 (0.6%)	26 (14.5%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.9%)	92.5	16^th of 340 public high schools	95.3%		90	26^th of 328 public high schools	92.1%	10	546.0	508.0	94.1	64.7			71.4	78.3	78.3	76.1	52.4	56.5	76.9	62.9	48.0		$11,882
Rocky Mountain High School	Public	9-12	1300 West Swallow Road	Fort Collins	80526	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-7023	2,044	104	19.5	34.4%	1,522 (74.5%)	36 (1.8%)	378 (18.5%)	15 (0.7%)	9 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	84 (4.1%)	81.8	62^nd of 340 public high schools	81.8%		80.9	55^th of 328 public high schools	83.2%	7	83.3	61.1	80.3	56.6	76.6	44.9										51.1	$17,543
Centennial High School	Public	9-12	330 East Laurel Street	Fort Collins	80524	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-4940	118	12	9.6	75.4%	61 (51.7%)	1 (0.8%)	49 (41.5%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (5.1%)								(n/a)					22.7	378.0											$30,893
Windsor High School	Public	9-12	1100 West Main Street	Windsor	80550	Weld County	Weld County Reorganized School District No. Re-4	No	No	No	No	(970) 686-8100	1,094	57	19.1	19.2%	840 (76.8%)	14 (1.3%)	192 (17.6%)	6 (0.5%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	37 (3.4%)	57.8	134^th of 340 public high schools	60.6%		51.7	142^nd of 328 public high schools	56.7%	8	71.3	39.3	70.7	43.2	63.1	33.5										33.5	$15,614
Windsor Charter Academy Early College High School	Public, Charter	9-12	810 Automation Drive	Windsor	80550	Weld County	Weld County Reorganized School District No. Re-4	Yes	No	No	No	(970) 833-5190	435	24	18.3	17.0%	340 (78.2%)	6 (1.4%)	60 (13.8%)	9 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.6%)	91.7	20^th of 340 public high schools	94.1%		94.5	12^th of 328 public high schools	96.3%	8	89.6	79.2	86.0	75.4	89.1	69.1										40.8	$16,041

Frequently Asked Questions about Fossil Ridge High School

How many students attend Fossil Ridge High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,846 students attended Fossil Ridge High School.

What is the racial makeup of Fossil Ridge High School?

Students at Fossil Ridge High School are 76% White, 12% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What district is Fossil Ridge High School in?

Poudre School District R-1

Is Fossil Ridge High School a good school?

Yes. Fossil Ridge High School ranks in the top 6.5% of Colorado high schools.

What schools feed into Fossil Ridge High School?

Fossil Ridge High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bacon Elementary School
Elementary : Werner Elementary School
Elementary : Zach Elementary School
Middle : Preston Middle School

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataNewOct 6, 2026

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

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

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.