Academy of Las Animas Online School

Academy of Las Animas Online School is a public virtual school serving 474 students in grades 6–12 from the Pueblo, Colorado area, operating under Las Animas School District No. Re-1. The school currently ranks in the bottom quarter of Colorado high schools—276th out of 328 with a 1-star rating—though it has climbed from the 3rd percentile in 2018–19 to the 16th percentile in 2024–25.

There is encouraging news in graduation outcomes: the four-year graduation rate has risen dramatically from 27.9% in 2021–22 to 66.9% in 2024–25. Still, that rate remains nearly 19 points below the state average of 85.6% and well behind every traditional high school in the area, including Pueblo West High School at 96.7% and Pueblo County High School at 97.0%. Academic proficiency is a serious concern: only 11.5% of students were proficient in English Language Arts and Math on state assessments, versus state averages of 44.7% and 37.3%. On the SAT, 22% of 11th graders met reading/writing benchmarks, compared to 60% statewide and 42% across Pueblo School District No. 60.

The biggest challenge appears to be student engagement. Despite operating online—where students do not need to be physically present—47.4% of students were chronically absent in 2024–25, far above the state rate of 28.4% and starkly higher than GOAL Academy, another large online school with just 15.0% chronic absenteeism. The student-to-teacher ratio of 37.7-to-1 is the highest in the region, leaving little room for individualized support. The dropout rate has improved from a shocking 47.8% in 2021–22 to 7.2%, but that still exceeds the state average of 1.6%. Families considering this school should weigh its meaningful progress on graduation against the persistently low test scores, high absenteeism, and limited staffing compared to nearby options in Pueblo County School District 70.