Summary:
ZIP code 80304 in Boulder, Colorado, is served by 5 schools in the Boulder Valley School District No. Re2 — 3 elementary schools and 2 middle schools, with no high schools in the immediate area, so families must look outside the ZIP code for grades 9–12. The school mix includes Foothill Elementary School, Crest View Elementary School, Columbine Elementary School, Centennial Middle School, and Casey Middle School, together enrolling about 2,139 students.
There is a striking divide in academic performance across these five schools. Foothill Elementary is the clear academic leader, ranking in the top 7% of Colorado elementary schools with 72.4% ELA and 67.8% math proficiency, while also having the lowest free/reduced lunch rate (12.65%) and lowest chronic absenteeism (13.4%). Centennial Middle School is the top middle school, ranking 85th of 469 statewide, with 8th grade scores well above district averages. At the other end, Columbine Elementary and Casey Middle School post the lowest proficiency rates — Columbine’s math proficiency is just 21.2% versus Foothill’s 67.8%, a 46.6-point gap that closely tracks a 73.17% free/reduced lunch rate at Columbine versus 12.65% at Foothill.
Chronic absenteeism is widespread, with four of the five schools exceeding the district rate of 17.5%; only Foothill stays below. Notably, smaller class sizes do not guarantee better results — Casey Middle has the lowest student-teacher ratio (12.6:1) but scores near the bottom, while Centennial has the highest ratio (19.3:1) and performs far better. Rank trends show improvement for Centennial, Casey, and Columbine, while Foothill and Crest View have slipped. Science results vary widely, with Foothill and Centennial strong, but Crest View’s 5th grade science fell sharply and Columbine remains very low. For parents, this ZIP code is not one uniform school market — it offers some of Colorado’s best schools and some facing significant socioeconomic and academic challenges, all within a few miles of each other.
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