Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 80465

Zip code 80465, centered on Morrison, Colorado, is home to two public elementary schools (Kendallvue Elementary School and Red Rocks Elementary School), both serving grades PK through 5 in the Jefferson County School District R-1. Despite sharing the same zip code and district, these two schools offer very different learning environments and academic outcomes. Red Rocks Elementary School is the clear academic standout, ranking 125th out of 943 Colorado elementary schools (87th percentile) for 2025–2026, while Kendallvue Elementary School, though improving, sits at the 60th percentile.

In reading and math, Red Rocks far outperforms Kendallvue: 73.1% of Red Rocks students are proficient in ELA versus 50.0% at Kendallvue, and 65.7% are proficient in math versus 39.9%. Red Rocks also has very low economic disadvantage, with just 8.56% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, compared to 34.86% at Kendallvue. Chronic absenteeism is more than double at Kendallvue (16.0%) versus Red Rocks (7.8%). Interestingly, Kendallvue actually has a better student–teacher ratio (14.9:1) than Red Rocks (18.3:1), yet scores much lower, suggesting that demographics and attendance matter more than class size alone. Kendallvue is nonetheless an improving school, with ELA proficiency jumping from 42.1% to 50.0% in one year and its state rank climbing from 479th to 374th over three years.

Grade-level patterns differ too: Kendallvue’s ELA gets stronger in 5th grade (55.6%), while Red Rocks’ 4th grade is exceptional (83.9% ELA, 73.2% math) but 5th grade math drops to 57.9%. One of the most striking findings is the science score reversal: in 2024–2025, Red Rocks’ 5th-grade science was 73.1% versus 37.8% at Kendallvue, but in 2025–2026, Kendallvue jumped to 54.9% while Red Rocks fell to 42.1%. For parents, the takeaway is that Red Rocks offers high achievement and low poverty, while Kendallvue serves a more diverse population and is on a clear upward trajectory, making both schools viable options depending on your priorities.