Best High Schools in Zip Code 80504

Zip code 80504 in Longmont, Colorado, is served by two public high schools—Mead High School and Skyline High School—both educating grades 9–12 within the St. Vrain Valley School District No. Re1J, a district ranked in the top 20% of Colorado districts. Despite sharing a district and zip code, the two schools deliver dramatically different outcomes. Mead ranks 121st of 338 Colorado high schools (64th percentile, 3 stars), while Skyline ranks 272nd of 338 (20th percentile, 1 star).

Mead outperforms Skyline in nearly every academic measure. Mead's graduation rate is 97.3%, compared with Skyline's 89.6%—both above the state average of 85.6%. On the SAT, 63% of Mead juniors are proficient in Reading/Writing versus 41% at Skyline, and 31% are proficient in Math versus 19%. PSAT gaps are even wider, reaching 34 percentage points on PSAT 10 Reading/Writing (74% vs. 40%). Chronic absenteeism is the starkest difference: 48.4% of Skyline students are chronically absent, more than double Mead's 21.3%. Economic disadvantage follows the same pattern, with 64.1% of Skyline students qualifying for free/reduced lunch versus 26.1% at Mead. Notably, Skyline has a lower student-teacher ratio (18.4) than Mead (21.1), yet still trails significantly, showing class size alone is not the determining factor.

For families, Mead is the stronger college-preparatory option, with reading scores at or above state averages and manageable absenteeism. Skyline still graduates 89.6% of its students—above the state average—which is a genuine bright spot given its challenges, but only 19% of its students are proficient in SAT Math, and both schools trail the state's 24.8% on CMAS Science. Math is a universal weakness in this zip code: even at Mead, just 31% of juniors are proficient in SAT Math. Ultimately, the divide between Mead and Skyline shows that St. Vrain Valley's strong district reputation masks real internal inequities, and Skyline will need targeted support around attendance, math instruction, and services for its higher-need student population.