St. Vrain Virtual High School

St. Vrain Virtual High School is a small, fully online high school in Longmont, Colorado, serving 69 students in grades 9–12 through the St. Vrain Valley School District No. Re1J, which ranks 23rd out of 115 Colorado districts (4 stars). Despite its small size and virtual format, the school ranks 44th out of 328 Colorado high schools in 2024–2025 — the 87th percentile with a 4-star rating — making it one of the strongest virtual programs in the state and a standout even among its traditional brick-and-mortar neighbors.

Its clearest strength is literacy: 95% of 11th graders scored proficient on the SAT reading and writing test, compared with 69% for the district and 62% statewide. That outpaces every nearby high school, including Lyons Middle/Senior High School (85%), Niwot High School (80%), Erie High School and Silver Creek High School (78%), and Longmont High School (58%). Math proficiency sits at 45% — above the district (39%) and state (32%) averages, though Niwot (54%) and Silver Creek (48%) do better. The school also offers an exceptionally low 3.5-to-1 student–teacher ratio, far below any surrounding high school, and posted an 18.3% chronic absenteeism rate that beats even traditional schools like Mead High School (21.3%) and Niwot (27.7%).

The improvement story is just as impressive. Over the past decade, St. Vrain Virtual climbed from the 39th percentile in 2013–2014 to its current 87th-percentile ranking. The graduation rate rose from 69% in 2020–2021 to 90.9% in 2024–2025 — above the state average of 85.6% — while the dropout rate fell from 5.0% to 1.1%, also below the state. Because the school is so small, individual students can swing these metrics from year to year, but the trend is unmistakeably positive. Around 14.5% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a lower share than most neighboring high schools. For families seeking a flexible, personalized alternative with exceptional reading outcomes, this school delivers.