Rifle High School

Rifle High School serves 778 students in grades 9–12 in Rifle, Colorado, a western Colorado town. The school is part of Garfield School District No. Re-2, and while it currently ranks in the 26th percentile of Colorado high schools with a 1-star rating, it has been slowly climbing from the 13th percentile in 2020–2021. The school's graduation rate has risen to 85.6%, matching the state average, while its dropout rate has fallen to just 1.5% — below the state average of 1.6%.

For parents, the most encouraging news is the recent momentum. Between 2022–2023 and 2024–2025, Rifle's graduation rate jumped from 78.7% to 85.6%, and the dropout rate fell dramatically from 4.1% to 1.5%. The school also improved outcomes for Hispanic and White students, with both subgroups rising significantly in state percentile rankings. Notably, these gains came during a year when the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch jumped from 32.4% to 48.5%, suggesting real resilience. Rifle also outperforms Grand Valley High School, about 16 miles away, in SAT math (24% vs. 13%), PSAT 9 reading and math, and graduation rate, despite Grand Valley having a smaller student-to-teacher ratio of 14.6 compared to Rifle's 20.1.

The biggest challenges are math achievement, chronic absenteeism, and a 10th-grade slump. Math proficiency runs at roughly half the state average: only 24% of 11th graders score proficient on SAT math versus 32% statewide, and just 20% of 10th graders score proficient on PSAT 10 math versus 39% statewide. Chronic absenteeism affects 23.4% of students — far higher than the district rate of 18.1% and well above Coal Ridge High School's 14.2%. Coal Ridge, just 9.67 miles away in the same district, ranks at the 50th percentile with a 91.5% graduation rate and far stronger math scores, showing what's possible within the same district. Rifle's 10th-grade PSAT scores also drop sharply from its 9th-grade scores, suggesting that year deserves extra attention. With focused work on math and attendance, Rifle appears well positioned to continue its upward trajectory.