Schools in Zip Code 80022

Zip code 80022 in Commerce City, Colorado, contains 20 schools serving approximately 10,471 students across 12 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 4 high schools, spread among School District N. 14 (Adams 14), School District 27J, and the State Charter School Institute. This is an economically challenged area overall, with roughly two-thirds of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, and wide performance gaps between schools and districts within the same zip code.

Reunion Elementary School is the strongest elementary school, with ELA proficiency of 54% and math proficiency of 40.5%, both above state averages. Landmark Academy at Reunion posts the highest math proficiency in the zip code at 45.3% and the lowest chronic absenteeism at 11.7%. At the high school level, The STEAD School leads with a 94% graduation rate and a dropout rate of just 0.6%. Victory Preparatory Academy Middle State Charter School and Victory Preparatory Academy High State Charter School serve very high-poverty populations — over 80% free/reduced lunch eligibility — yet outperform comparable Adams 14 schools by wide margins in both ELA and math.

The most pressing concerns are math proficiency and chronic absenteeism. Adams City Middle School has just 5.5% math proficiency, while Adams City High School sits at 9%. Chronic absenteeism averages about 36.3% across the zip code versus 28.4% statewide, and reaches crisis levels at Lester R Arnold High School, where 83% of students are chronically absent and the dropout rate is 12.4%. The divide between School District 27J and School District N. 14 is stark: 27J schools in the Reunion area have lower poverty, better attendance, and stronger test scores, while nearly all Adams 14 schools rank in the bottom quarter of Colorado schools. Still, graduation rates are less dire than test scores — Adams City High School graduates 87.9% of students, above the state average.