Pomona Junior/Senior High School

Pomona Junior/Senior High School is a combined 6–12 school in Arvada, Colorado, serving approximately 1,252 students as part of the Jefferson County School District R-1. The school tells a striking story: it graduates students at a high rate (91.5% in 2024–25, above the state average of 85.6%) and keeps dropout rates low (1.0%), yet its academic proficiency rates are among the lowest in the state. Pomona ranks in the 25th percentile of Colorado high schools and earned a 1-star rating, despite sitting within a district ranked in the top quarter statewide.

Test scores at Pomona trail nearby schools by a wide margin. Just 17% of students scored proficient on the SAT math exam, compared to 32% statewide and 42% across the district. SAT reading and writing proficiency (50%) is stronger but still well below the district's 70%. The math gap is severe across all grade levels, with CMAS math proficiency at 14.3% versus 37.3% statewide. Students are already behind by sixth grade, when only 9.6% meet math expectations. By comparison, nearby Ralston Valley Senior High School posts SAT math proficiency of 64% and Arvada West High School 37%, while Arvada High School (7%) is the only area school with lower scores. Standley Lake High School, about 2.5 miles away, ranks significantly higher with SAT reading at 75% and math at 32%.

The most pressing concern for parents may be chronic absenteeism: 45.6% of Pomona students were chronically absent in 2024–25, up from 41.3% the year before, and far above the state rate of 28.4%. This likely drives both the low test scores and weak performance across every student subgroup, including gifted students. On a positive note, graduation rates have climbed steadily from 86.6% in 2020–21, and the dropout rate has fallen by more than half. Still, with nearly half of students missing significant school time, the school's ability to sustain those gains — and to prepare students for college or careers — remains an open question.