Peetz Elementary School

Peetz Elementary School is a small, rural elementary school in Peetz, Colorado, serving 114 students in grades PK–5 and belonging to School District No. Re-5 Plateau, the top-ranked district in Colorado at #1 of 115 (99th percentile, 5 stars). For the 2025–2026 school year, Peetz Elementary ranked 57th of 943 Colorado elementary schools, placing it in the 94th percentile with a 5-star rating. Parents looking at northeastern Colorado will find a school that consistently outperforms state averages while offering a close-knit rural learning environment.

Academically, Peetz separates itself from both the state and its nearest comparable school, Caliche Elementary, located about 12.6 miles away. In English Language Arts, 57.4% of Peetz students scored proficient, well above the state average of 44.7% and Caliche's 38.2%. Math proficiency reached 48.9% at Peetz, compared to 37.3% statewide and just 25.0% at Caliche. Science is a standout strength: 72.2% of 5th graders scored proficient, nearly double the state's 36.1%. The ranking gap is stark—Peetz holds 5 stars (94th percentile) while Caliche Elementary sits at 2 stars (33rd percentile). The district context reinforces this: School District No. Re-5 Plateau is #1 in Colorado, while Caliche's School District No. Re-1 Valley ranks 73rd.

The school also shows strength beyond test scores. Chronic absenteeism improved dramatically from 25.5% in 2023–2024 to 16.7% in 2024–2025, far better than the state's 28.4% and its own district's 33.9%. Peetz serves a relatively lower share of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (23.7%) compared to Caliche (48.9%). Interestingly, Peetz achieves stronger results despite a slightly higher student-teacher ratio (14.6 vs. 13.3 at Caliche), suggesting school culture and district leadership play significant roles. Peetz's long-term trajectory is remarkable: after ranking 510th in 2013–2014, it climbed to 57th, reflecting sustained improvement that makes it an effective small elementary school.