Summary:
Zip code 80223 is served by 10 schools in School District No. 1 — 5 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 4 high schools — enrolling roughly 3,182 students in a high-poverty Denver area where about 78% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and the district ranks 71st of 115 Colorado districts. The clear academic standout is Denver Center for International Studies at Fairmont, the only school in the zip code with a state percentile above 40 and the only elementary school whose ELA proficiency (47%) beats the state average (44.7%). At the high school level, KIPP Denver Collegiate High School excels at getting students to graduation, with an 88% rate that beats both district (81.9%) and state (85.6%) averages. On the other end, Florence Crittenton High School faces extreme challenges: a 20% graduation rate, 28.5% dropout rate, and 99.3% chronic absenteeism. Among elementary schools, Valverde Elementary and Godsman Elementary rank in the 4th and 8th percentiles statewide.
Chronic absenteeism is the defining issue across the area — every school exceeds the state average of 28.4%, and nine of ten exceed the district average of 38.1%; only Schmitt Elementary (32.3%) comes in below the district rate. KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy, the sole middle school, ranks in the 4th percentile academically but keeps its dropout rate below the state average. Smaller classes don't necessarily mean better outcomes: 5280 High School has the lowest student-teacher ratio (8.5:1) yet still struggles with a 47.6% graduation rate and 81.3% absenteeism. Because test scores fluctuate significantly from year to year, families should examine multi-year trends. Overall, improving attendance and supporting high-poverty schools would have the greatest impact in zip code 80223.
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