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Crested Butte Secondary School

Public Grades 6-12
91st
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 340 Colorado High Schools
Better than 73% of Colorado high schools
Summary

Crested Butte Secondary School serves approximately 400 students in grades 6 through 12 in the mountain town of Crested Butte, CO, and is part of the Gunnison Watershed School District Re1J. With no other schools within 20 miles, it is the sole secondary option for local families. The school stands out most for exceptional graduation and attendance outcomes. Graduation rates have consistently exceeded 94% — reaching 100% in 2019-2020 — well above district and state averages. Chronic absenteeism sits around 12%, less than half the district's 25-28% and the statewide rate. Students here show up, stay engaged, and finish school at rates that set the school apart from most of Colorado.

Academically, the school is a literacy powerhouse. Students score far above state averages in English Language Arts, SAT Reading/Writing, and PSAT reading/writing assessments, often by 20 to 30 percentage points. Science is another standout, with 11th-grade proficiency sometimes double the state average. Math is the clear weak spot: CMAS math proficiency has run below state averages in recent years, and college-readiness math scores dropped noticeably in 2025-2026. In short, families can expect strong reading, writing, and science preparation, while math may need extra support at home.

The school's statewide ranking dipped from the 90th to the 73rd percentile in 2025-2026, with declines across both male and female student subgroups. With only 60-70 students per grade, a single cohort can shift percentages dramatically. At the same time, the share of students receiving free or reduced lunch jumped from roughly 3% to 16% in two years — a real demographic shift that may partly explain recent changes. Despite this, Crested Butte Secondary School continues to outperform its district in nearly every measure, from graduation rates and attendance to reading and science scores. It remains a strong, close-knit school for families who value high engagement and literacy, with small-school volatility and math performance worth monitoring.

400
Students ?
14.1
Student/teacher ratio ?
$15,589
Per pupil spending ?
16.3%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 818 Red Lady Avenue
       Crested Butte, CO  81224

(970) 641-7720

District: Gunnison Watershed School District Re1J

Racial breakdown:

White:
90.8%
Hispanic:
6.3%
Two or more races:
2.0%
more
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At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 96th percentile in 2016 → 73rd in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the Colorado average (51% vs 43% meeting standards)
✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the Colorado average (86%)
✓Above the Colorado median (73rd percentile)
Worth a look
!Ranking has slipped — down 23 percentile points since 2016
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school51%
District avg41%
Colorado avg43%
91st of 340
Colorado public high schools ?
Top 27%▼ down 23 pts since 2016
From top 4% (2016) to top 27% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
1st of 2High Schools in the Gunnison Watershed School District Re1J
30th of 114Gunnison Watershed School District Re1J 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)
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202467.9132 of 48572.8%★★★★☆
202275.390 of 44879.9%★★★★☆
201978.479 of 45882.8%★★★★☆
201577.260 of 43686.2%★★★★☆
201485.551 of 46188.9%★★★★☆
201386.547 of 45489.6%★★★★☆
201287.339 of 42590.8%★★★★★
201185.541 of 42290.3%★★★★★
201080.763 of 40984.6%★★★★☆
200985.540 of 37789.4%★★★★☆
200884.244 of 36287.8%★★★★☆
200785.738 of 36089.4%★★★★☆
200688.225 of 34692.8%★★★★★
200578.465 of 34080.9%★★★★☆
200484.740 of 33688.1%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202478.759 of 35083.1%★★★★☆
202372.982 of 36377.4%★★★★☆
202280.548 of 32685.3%★★★★☆
201987.633 of 35290.6%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202639.8191 of 37248.7%★★☆☆☆
202454.3135 of 35762.2%★★★☆☆
202361.5114 of 35668.0%★★★☆☆
202270.278 of 32876.2%★★★★☆
High school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202672.991 of 34073.2%★★★★☆
202588.133 of 32889.9%★★★★★
202486.640 of 34988.5%★★★★☆
202385.444 of 34987.4%★★★★☆
202285.124 of 22189.1%★★★★☆
202177.843 of 21079.5%★★★★☆
201990.028 of 41193.2%★★★★★
201891.223 of 38894.1%★★★★★
201788.94 of 25698.4%★★★★★
201684.810 of 25596.1%★★★★★
201588.214 of 29295.2%★★★★★
201495.27 of 36998.1%★★★★★
201388.525 of 34992.8%★★★★★
201293.77 of 33497.9%★★★★★
201193.77 of 33797.9%★★★★★
201091.018 of 32794.5%★★★★★
200991.514 of 31095.5%★★★★★
200887.131 of 30189.7%★★★★★
200778.357 of 29880.9%★★★★☆
200689.617 of 28694.1%★★★★★
200592.28 of 28097.1%★★★★★
200477.760 of 27978.5%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202672.766 of 24673.2%★★★★☆
202591.512 of 24795.1%★★★★★
202487.028 of 25789.1%★★★★☆
202389.520 of 25492.1%★★★★★
202285.137 of 25785.6%★★★★☆
202184.133 of 23986.2%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202669.075 of 24469.3%★★★★☆
202580.945 of 24681.7%★★★★☆
202480.145 of 25682.4%★★★★☆
202384.337 of 25285.3%★★★★☆
202281.343 of 25383.0%★★★★☆
202180.249 of 24079.6%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202575.845 of 20978.5%★★★★☆
202473.061 of 22973.4%★★★★☆
202384.128 of 23488.0%★★★★☆
202278.646 of 22879.8%★★★★☆
202166.774 of 22567.1%★★★☆☆
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)
Middle school
Female (2024)83rd percentile+10 vs school
Male (2026)49th percentile
High school
White (2025)78th percentile-11 vs school
Female (2026)73rd percentile~ school
Male (2026)69th percentile-4 vs school
By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?
Reading and Writing88%+23 vs state
Mathematics59%+20 vs state
English Language Arts50%+5 vs state
Science33%~ state avg
Math32%-6 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Crested Butte Secondary School

Crested Butte Secondary School ranks 91st of 340 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Crested Butte Secondary School are 91% White, 6% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

In the 2024-25 school year, 400 students attended Crested Butte Secondary School.

Rate Crested Butte Secondary 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.

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