Summary:
ZIP code 80026 in Lafayette, CO is served by 8 schools in the Boulder Valley School District No. Re2 — a top-5 rated district in Colorado — enrolling roughly 5,424 students across grades PK–12, with a wide mix of school types and performance levels. The area includes a highly competitive charter school, several solid neighborhood elementary and middle schools, and two schools facing significant challenges, making this a community of stark contrasts rather than uniform quality.
Peak to Peak Charter School is the clear standout, posting 70.6% ELA proficiency, 64.9% math proficiency, a 97.9% graduation rate, and just 6.6% chronic absenteeism — far better than district and state averages across every grade level. Centaurus High School is the area's strong traditional high school, with a 95.7% graduation rate and SAT reading/writing proficiency of 81%, though its state rank has slipped from the 92nd to the 87th percentile over three years. On the other end, Alicia Sanchez International School (16.9% math proficiency, 78.5% free/reduced lunch) and Justice High Charter School (61.3% graduation rate, 52.9% chronic absenteeism) illustrate severe equity gaps within the same ZIP code and district.
Chronic absenteeism tracks closely with outcomes: Lafayette Elementary School and Peak to Peak both keep absenteeism well below the 17.5% district rate, while Alicia Sanchez and Justice High exceed the 28.4% state average. Math is the weakest subject nearly everywhere, including at high performers like Centaurus (56% SAT math vs. 81% reading/writing). Notably, Angevine Middle School is improving (52nd to 66th percentile in three years), while Ryan Elementary School's 5th grade science proficiency dropped sharply from 54.1% to 28.0% — a trend worth watching. For parents, the strongest predictors of success here are a school's poverty and attendance profile, not its charter or alternative label.
Thank you for your feedback!