Best Public Schools in Zip Code 80236

Zip code 80236 contains five schools—two elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school—serving roughly 2,119 students in a high-poverty, high-need area where about 79% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Four of the five schools belong to School District No. 1, while Fort Logan Northgate belongs to Sheridan School District No. 2. Enrollment ranges from 243 students at Kaiser Elementary School to 559 at Sabin World School, and free/reduced lunch rates range from 65.1% to 86.3% across the five schools.

Sabin World School stands out as the clear academic leader in the zip code. It ranks in the 56th percentile statewide with a 3-star rating, and it is the only school in 80236 to beat both district and state averages in ELA and math—posting 50.9% and 42.4% proficiency, respectively, in 2025-26. By contrast, Kaiser Elementary School ranks in the 19th percentile, DSST: College View Middle School sits in the 26th percentile, and DSST: College View High School lands in the 33rd percentile despite a strong 89.8% graduation rate and a low 1.4% dropout rate. Fort Logan Northgate is the most challenged school, ranking in the 5th percentile with just 10.4% ELA and 4.9% math proficiency in 2024-25.

Attendance and poverty tell a complicated story. Chronic absenteeism in the zip code averages about 38.7%, well above the state's 28.4%. Kaiser Elementary School has the highest rate at 56.7%, exceeding half of its students. DSST: College View High School (44.7%) and DSST: College View Middle School (41.6%) also struggle with attendance. Yet Fort Logan Northgate has the lowest absenteeism in the group at 24.6%—below the state average—while still posting the lowest test scores, which suggests its academic struggles are driven by factors beyond attendance. Meanwhile, Sabin World School proves that strong results are achievable despite high poverty, with a 65.1% free/reduced lunch rate and top-half state ranking. For parents, the zip code presents a clear divide: Sabin World School is the strongest choice academically, while the remaining schools face significant challenges in proficiency, attendance, or both.