Summary:
Zip code 80023 contains six schools serving grades PK-12 within Adams 12 Five Star Schools, a mid-tier district where these schools consistently outperform district and state averages. Stargate Charter School is the academic powerhouse, with 77.4% CMAS ELA proficiency, 76.6% math proficiency, and 98% SAT Reading & Writing proficiency—far above the district and state. Legacy High School is the flagship traditional high school, posting a 95% graduation rate and 0.8% dropout rate, while Meridian Elementary School is the highest-ranked elementary school at 93rd percentile statewide with a 5-star rating. Meanwhile, Thunder Vista P-8 and Coyote Ridge Elementary School also exceed district averages, though both show a dip in middle-grade performance.
All six schools share an excellent attendance culture, with chronic absenteeism ranging from 7.8% at Coyote Ridge to 22.7% at Legacy High—versus 32.2% for the district and 28.4% for the state. Prospect Ridge Academy has the lowest free/reduced lunch rate (5.9%) but trails Stargate on every academic measure, suggesting Stargate's success is not simply poverty-driven. Enrollment is concentrated: the two K-12 charter schools, Stargate and Prospect Ridge, enroll about 45% of the zip's students, and with Legacy High, the three largest schools serve over three-quarters of the 6,744 students in the area.
Parents should note there is no standalone middle school; middle-grade students attend Thunder Vista P-8 or the K-12 charters. Stargate offers the strongest middle-level math, with 83% of 10th graders proficient on PSAT 10 math, while Legacy High's SAT math proficiency (57%) trails its reading score (78%)—a common gap but worth watching. Legacy's 22.7% chronic absenteeism is the highest in the zip, but it has not yet impacted its strong outcomes. Overall, 80023 is a high-performing pocket inside a mid-tier district, with Stargate leading academically, Legacy anchoring traditional high school education, and Meridian topping the elementary schools.
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