Five Star Online Academy

Five Star Online Academy is a fully virtual public school in Westminster, Colorado, serving 506 students in grades 1–12 as part of the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district. As an alternative online program, it offers families a flexible learning option outside the traditional classroom, but recent data reveals significant challenges that parents should understand before enrolling.

Academically, the school trails its district and the state by wide margins. In 2025–2026, just 23% of students met or exceeded expectations in English language arts on CMAS, compared with 42.3% districtwide, while math proficiency was only 9.7% versus 35.5% districtwide. That math figure sits below other online alternatives like Mapleton Online (15.4%) and Destinations Career Academy of Colorado (10.1%); the only nearby school with similarly low math proficiency is The Pinnacle Charter School (6.7%). Reading and writing scores on PSAT/SAT are somewhat stronger—45–48% of students scored proficient—but still trail district averages by 15–20 points.

The most striking issue is chronic absenteeism. During 2024–2025, 62.2% of students were chronically absent, nearly double the district rate of 32.2% and far above Mapleton Online (39.4%) and Destinations Career Academy of Colorado (43.8%). This disengagement helps explain the weak academic results, even though the school maintains a favorable 15.4-to-1 student-teacher ratio. On a more positive note, the graduation rate rebounded to 76.2% in 2024–2025 after dipping to 55.1% the year before, and the dropout rate fell to 2.4%. Parents comparing options should note how differently nearby schools perform—Stargate Charter School and Prospect Ridge Academy, for example, have chronic absenteeism around 11% and far higher proficiency rates.