Beta You're viewing our redesigned school list. Prefer the classic layout?

Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 80521

New rankings! Colorado test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings TODAY.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

At a glance

Schools

1,377

Students

Top rankedDunn Elementary School180^th of 943 Colorado elementary schools

▲

Biggest riser

Bennett Elementary School up 33 spots statewide this year

See the top-ranked Colorado schools →

Summary:

Elementary schools in Fort Collins zip code 80521 include four schools — Dunn Elementary School, Irish Elementary School, Bennett Elementary School, and Putnam Elementary School — all part of the highly rated Poudre School District R-1, serving roughly 1,377 students in grades PK–5 (Dunn serves K–5).

Dunn Elementary School is the clear standout performer in the zip code, ranking in the 81st percentile statewide with the highest test scores in every subject: 65.4% in ELA, 51.9% in math, and 60.0% in science. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (15.3%) and the lowest free/reduced lunch rate (30.6%) in the group. Bennett Elementary School is the second-strongest school and the most improved, climbing to the 70th percentile with strong ELA (57.0%) and math (49.3%) proficiency, along with the zip code's best single grade-level score of 69.0% in 5th-grade ELA.

Putnam Elementary School and Irish Elementary School face the greatest challenges. Putnam has the highest chronic absenteeism (44.3%) and lowest math proficiency (26.5%), while Irish ranks lowest overall at the 39th percentile with the weakest science scores (22.0%). Interestingly, Putnam has by far the smallest class sizes at 9.3 students per teacher, yet this does not translate into higher scores — a reminder that small classes alone don't drive achievement. Attendance and poverty levels track closely with performance across these four schools. While the zip code as a whole beats state averages in all subjects, it trails the district average, and the gaps are wide: Dunn outperforms Irish by 27.1 points in ELA and 38.0 points in science. Grade-level data also suggests strong cohort effects, particularly at Putnam, where 5th-grade ELA (61.3%) is more than double the 3rd-grade rate (28.6%).

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CMAS English Language Arts (2026)				CMAS Math (2026)				CMAS Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CMAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	Total
Bennett Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1125 Bennett Road	Fort Collins	80521	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-4750	362	25	14.7	48.6%	236 (65.2%)	11 (3.0%)	84 (23.2%)	10 (2.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.5%)	68	282^nd of 943 public elementary schools	70.1%		65.4	315^th of 950 public elementary schools	66.8%	33	40.7	65.2	69.0	57.0	45.3	48.9	54.8	49.3	45.0	$19,459
Dunn Elementary School	Public	K-5	501 South Washington	Fort Collins	80521	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-4825	392	27	14.4	30.6%	287 (73.2%)	18 (4.6%)	38 (9.7%)	27 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.6%)	79.2	180^th of 943 public elementary schools	80.9%		85.4	122^nd of 950 public elementary schools	87.2%	58	63.1	65.6	67.8	65.4	52.3	50.0	53.3	51.9	60.0	$20,272
Irish Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	515 Irish Drive	Fort Collins	80521	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 488-6900	365	29	12.5	71.2%	101 (27.7%)	3 (0.8%)	247 (67.7%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.0%)	35.1	572^nd of 943 public elementary schools	39.3%		33.1	588^th of 950 public elementary schools	38.1%	16	25.0	51.2	35.8	38.3	28.9	42.0	31.5	34.5	22.0	$21,031
Putnam Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1400 Maple Street	Fort Collins	80521	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 488-7700	258	28	9.3	77.1%	99 (38.4%)	8 (3.1%)	131 (50.8%)	3 (1.2%)	7 (2.7%)	3 (1.2%)	7 (2.7%)	40.7	509^th of 943 public elementary schools	46.0%		61.1	349^th of 950 public elementary schools	63.3%	160	28.6	41.7	61.3	44.6	17.9	25.0	35.5	26.5	41.9	$23,337

Cities Near Zip Code 80521

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Fort Collins	0.4 mi	49	46^th
Laporte	3.25 mi	2	65^th
Timnath	6.92 mi	3	29^th
Wellington	9.14 mi	3	76^th
Windsor	9.93 mi	14	59^th

See the top CO Colorado cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Colorado Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.