Summary:
Zip code 80205 in Denver is home to School District No. 1's seven high schools — serving roughly 1,552 students in grade configurations ranging from 5th through 12th grade — in a high-poverty area where about 83% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and every school exceeds the district's chronic absenteeism average.
For families focused on academics, Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy stands out as the top performer: it ranks 111th in the state (67th percentile), graduates 95.7% of its students, and posts PSAT9 scores above state averages in both reading/writing (76% vs. 66%) and math (44% vs. 40%) — though with just 89 students and a 5.7-to-1 student-teacher ratio, results should be viewed with some caution. Among larger schools, DSST: Cole High School is the strongest, with SAT math proficiency (29%) nearly matching the state and steady upward ranking momentum. Bruce Randolph School tells a different story: it graduates students at an impressive 95.9% rate, but its test scores rank near the bottom of Colorado, including just 6% proficiency in SAT math.
The biggest challenges in the zip code are attendance and the alternative schools. Weighted chronic absenteeism runs about 53% — nearly double the state rate — and even the best school in the area, Robert F. Smith, has a 50.6% rate. RiseUp Community School and Prep Academy face crisis-level conditions, with graduation rates of 48.1% and 58.3%, respectively, and chronic absenteeism above 72%. Gilliam Youth Services Center, a 21-student juvenile justice facility, doesn't report standard outcomes. Manual High School has the lowest chronic absenteeism in the zip (43.3%) but still struggles academically, ranking in the 6th percentile statewide.
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