Best Public Schools in Zip Code 80105

Zip code 80105 covers the small rural community of Deer Trail, Colorado, where just two schools serve a combined 327 students. Both schools belong to the Deer Trail School District No. 26J, a district currently ranked 94th out of 115 Colorado districts with a 1-star rating. Deer Trail Elementary School serves grades PK-5 with 174 students, while Deer Trail Junior-Senior High School covers grades 6-12 with 153 students. Both schools have relatively small class sizes, with student-teacher ratios of 15.1 and 12.4 respectively, which can allow for more individualized attention.

The junior-senior high school is the relative standout. It graduates students at a strong 88.9% rate, above the state average, and keeps its dropout rate at just 1.4%. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 18.6% is well below the state average of 28.4% and far better than the elementary school's 34.0%. In English language arts, the high school's 29.5% proficiency is more than double the elementary school's 12.5%, with 7th grade ELA reaching 48% — essentially at the state average. The elementary school, by contrast, has seen its ranking collapse from the 49th percentile in 2022-2023 to the 10th percentile in 2024-2025, alongside very low proficiency in both ELA (12.5%) and math (11.1%).

Math is a consistent weakness across both schools, with proficiency rates of just 11.1% at the elementary level, 12% in 7th grade, and 14% in 9th grade PSAT math — all roughly 20 to 26 points below state averages. About half of all students in both schools qualify for free or reduced lunch, reflecting a moderate-to-high level of economic need. Despite the low test scores, the high school's above-average graduation rate and below-average dropout rate suggest students are being retained and supported through to completion. The most urgent area of focus should be the elementary grades, where high chronic absenteeism and early literacy gaps appear to be driving a sharp recent decline. Early intervention at that level could help reverse the trend and better prepare students for the transition to secondary school.