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High Plains School

Q: Is High Plains School a good school?

High Plains School ranks 363 rd of 950 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

363^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 950 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 62% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

High Plains School is an elementary and middle school (grades PK-8) located in Loveland, Colorado, serving 491 students. The school consistently outperforms the Thompson School District R-2j and the state of Colorado in CMAS test scores across all grade levels and subjects, with 53.6% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 42.1% in Math, compared to the district's 44.4% and 34.4%, respectively.

High Plains School's female and white students generally perform better than their counterparts across the state, ranking 244 out of 694 and 287 out of 551 Colorado elementary schools, respectively. However, the school has seen a steady increase in its chronic absenteeism rate, from 19.5% in 2023-2024 to 27.7% in 2023-2024, which is an area of concern. When compared to other schools in the Thompson School District, High Plains School generally outperforms them in test scores and student subgroup performance, with Laurene Edmondson Elementary School and Garfield Elementary School having significantly lower proficiency rates.

Despite having a relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, High Plains School's performance on CMAS tests is still strong, suggesting that it is effectively serving this population. However, the school has seen a slight increase in its dropout rate, from 0.9% in 2022-2023 to 1.9% in 2023-2024, which is an area that the school should monitor closely. Additionally, the success of the nearby New Vision Charter School suggests that the district may benefit from exploring alternative educational models.

495

Students ?

17.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,061

Per pupil spending ?

34.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4255 Buffalo Mountain Drive
Loveland, CO 80538-8660

(970) 679-9800

District: Thompson School District R-2j

Students who attend High Plains School usually attend:

High:

Mountain View High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.7%

Hispanic:

21.0%

Two or more races:

6.3%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare High Plains School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 52nd percentile in 2019 → 62nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (48% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2019

✓Above the Colorado median (62nd percentile)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school48%

District avg39%

Colorado avg40%

Elementary school

363^rd of 950

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Top 38%▲ up 10 pts since 2019

From top 48% (2019) to top 38% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

167^th of 469

Colorado public middle schools ?

Top 36%▲ up 21 pts since 2019

From bottom 43% (2019) to top 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 20Elementary Schools in the Thompson School District R-2j

43^rd of 115Thompson School District R-2j 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	59.6	363 of 950	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.8	416 of 943	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.0	389 of 933	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.9	324 of 921	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.9	292 of 710	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.6	461 of 965	52.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	62.0	244 of 694	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.0	335 of 684	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.5	299 of 642	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.4	185 of 595	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.5	218 of 351	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.3	501 of 758	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.9	415 of 690	39.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	54.8	134 of 337	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.2	193 of 365	47.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	54.9	293 of 700	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.5	336 of 683	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.3	354 of 649	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.7	385 of 594	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.7	189 of 352	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.7	309 of 764	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.2	306 of 693	55.8%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	50.7	287 of 551	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.5	254 of 539	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	28.1	409 of 525	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	47.3	253 of 454	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.9	440 of 596	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	58.0	167 of 469	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.2	123 of 485	74.6%	★★★★☆
2023	72.0	114 of 480	76.3%	★★★★☆
2022	61.4	146 of 448	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.6	196 of 369	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.8	260 of 458	43.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	62.0	116 of 350	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.2	115 of 363	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.6	142 of 326	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	18.8	225 of 254	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.4	161 of 352	54.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	74.0	75 of 357	79.0%	★★★★☆
2023	69.7	86 of 356	75.8%	★★★★☆
2022	76.7	56 of 328	82.9%	★★★★☆
2021	34.3	157 of 249	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.6	229 of 343	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.6	128 of 317	59.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2023	60.5	95 of 286	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.6	137 of 265	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.4	231 of 283	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Female (2025)65th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)60th percentile~ school

Male (2025)58th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)48th percentile-14 vs school

Middle school

Male (2024)79th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2024)67th percentile-8 vs school

White (2023)67th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts54%+9 vs state

Science47%+9 vs state

Math42%+6 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, September 9, 2022

It’s disappointing to have to leave a review so low but sometimes the truth is needed in hopes that the individuals that operate this school will look in the mirror and make it a great school again. The communication is non existent, bias opinions to make decisions, the engagement of teachers is below average this is a direct reflection of leadership within the organization. Teaching is done by chrome books not by teachers this method of teaching our students does not give our children the tools they needs to interact and learn structure. There is no mentorship as a teacher should. Parents are not included in the education of their children, the curriculum is almost secretive. Makes you wonder what is my children are being taught. This is an environment to create sheep not leaders that our community will need in the future. Thompson school district should be ashamed this school was great when it first opened but a change in leadership has made this school below average. Our child was given a transgender hand out and when I called the school it they denied ever doing so, this was the final straw. Our kids were pulled out this school and moved into a wholesome school that parents are included in their child’s education and taught skills that will help support them as they grow. Our children are not mature enough to handle sexuality situations like this it is our responsibility as parents to teach this not a school. Close Quote

Schools Near High Plains School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CMAS English Language Arts (2025)							CMAS Math (2025)							CMAS Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CMAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 5th 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 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	CMAS Science 8th Grade	Total
High Plains School	Public	PK, KG-8	4255 Buffalo Mountain Drive	Loveland	80538	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	No	(970) 679-9800	495	28	17.6	34.1%	335 (67.7%)	10 (2.0%)	104 (21.0%)	13 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (6.3%)	59.6	363^rd of 950 public elementary schools	61.8%		53.8	416^th of 943 public elementary schools	55.9%	53	57.5	54.3	55.2	39.2	55.6	61.4	53.6	57.5	52.2	45.5	17.6	28.9	54.5	42.1	42.4	54.5	$14,061
New Vision Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	299 Peridot Ave	Loveland	80537	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	Yes	No	No	No	(970) 593-6827	1,005	51	19.6	21.5%	811 (80.7%)	2 (0.2%)	132 (13.1%)	5 (0.5%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	50 (5.0%)	67.2	297^th of 950 public elementary schools	68.7%		68.6	280^th of 943 public elementary schools	70.3%	17	50.5	49.1	52.4	63.2	61.5	54.7	54.9	49.5	50.9	51.4	45.3	40.2	44.2	47.2	41.3	47.6	$10,477
Peakview Academy at Conrad Ball	Public	PK, KG-8	2660 North Monroe Avenue	Loveland	80538	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	No	(970) 613-7300	536	38	14.0	62.7%	281 (52.4%)	4 (0.7%)	218 (40.7%)	3 (0.6%)	7 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.3%)	15.2	804^th of 950 public elementary schools	15.4%		15.6	797^th of 943 public elementary schools	15.5%	7	21.4	24.0	20.0	24.2	14.3	21.5	21.1	28.6		15.7	9.7		13.8	13.8	18.0	14.1	$17,200
Winona Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	201 South Boise Avenue	Loveland	80537	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 613-7100	246	17	14.6	58.9%	117 (47.6%)	5 (2.0%)	105 (42.7%)	4 (1.6%)	5 (2.0%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.7%)	21.5	718^th of 950 public elementary schools	24.4%		21.8	720^th of 943 public elementary schools	23.6%	2	35.6	19.4	24.4				27.0	22.7	23.3	28.6				24.8	20.0		$16,712
Riverview Pk-8	Public	PK, KG-8	3550 Barkwood Drive	Johnstown	80534	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	No	(970) 613-7000	757	45	17.0	26.2%	493 (65.1%)	7 (0.9%)	201 (26.6%)	14 (1.8%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (5.2%)	44.3	495^th of 950 public elementary schools	47.9%		47.7	469^th of 943 public elementary schools	50.3%	26	44.4	32.4	40.3	58.5	43.2	39.7	43.7	31.1	23.2	38.8	36.6			26.2	32.8	20.6	$12,737
Truscott Elementary School	Public	K-5	211 West 6th Street	Loveland	80537	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 613-6900	194	18	10.6	50.5%	87 (44.8%)	0 (0.0%)	97 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	9 (4.6%)	13.6	824^th of 950 public elementary schools	13.3%					(n/a)	27.8	15.4	13.0				20.0							11.5			$17,829
Laurene Edmondson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	307 West 49th Street	Loveland	80538	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 613-6300	235	16	14.7	63.8%	127 (54.0%)	6 (2.6%)	88 (37.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.5%)	18.6	758^th of 950 public elementary schools	20.2%		28.8	627^th of 943 public elementary schools	33.5%	131	23.1	20.5	18.9				20.9	38.5						19.8	13.5		$16,099
Bamford Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6055 Travers Stakes Street	Loveland	80538	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-8500	310	24	12.7	27.7%	215 (69.4%)	8 (2.6%)	51 (16.5%)	14 (4.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.8%)	69	275^th of 950 public elementary schools	71.1%		77.3	193^rd of 943 public elementary schools	79.5%	82	52.3	50.0	55.3				52.5	42.2	50.0	53.1				48.6	60.4		$18,523
Garfield Elementary School	Public	K-5	720 Colorado Avenue	Loveland	80537	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	No	(970) 613-6000	213	16	13.2	45.1%	158 (74.2%)	2 (0.9%)	44 (20.7%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.8%)	51.6	433^rd of 950 public elementary schools	54.4%		49.2	457^th of 943 public elementary schools	51.5%	24	60.5	41.2	45.9				50.0	53.5	32.4	18.9				36.0	37.8		$17,510
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3312 North Douglas Avenue	Loveland	80538	Larimer County	Thompson School District R-2j	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 613-6200	196	12	16.0	47.4%	118 (60.2%)	2 (1.0%)	61 (31.1%)	2 (1.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (6.1%)	47.4	469^th of 950 public elementary schools	50.6%		54.1	411^th of 943 public elementary schools	56.4%	58	57.7	30.4	34.8				41.7	42.3	26.1	34.8				34.7	52.2		$17,320

Frequently Asked Questions about High Plains School

Is High Plains School a good school?

High Plains School ranks 363^rd of 950 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of High Plains School?

Students at High Plains School are 68% White, 21% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% African American.

How many students attend High Plains School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 495 students attended High Plains School.

What district is High Plains School in?

Thompson School District R-2j

What schools do graduates of High Plains School attend?

Students who attend High Plains School usually go on to attend:

High : Mountain View High School

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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.