Summary:
Zip code 80521 in Fort Collins, Colorado is home to two high schools — Poudre High School and Poudre Community Academy — both part of the highly rated Poudre School District R-1 (ranked 12th out of 115 districts in Colorado with a 5-star rating), serving grades 9–12 at the comprehensive high school and grades 6–12 at the alternative academy.
Poudre High School is the clear academic standout, ranking 77th out of 338 Colorado high schools with a 4-star rating and exceeding state averages in every tested subject. Its enrollment of 1,409 students and 45.3% free/reduced lunch rate contrast sharply with Poudre Community Academy's 212 students and 76.4% free/reduced lunch rate. The outcome gaps are significant: Poudre High School's graduation rate is 79.3%, compared to just 55.4% at Poudre Community Academy — a difference of nearly 24 percentage points. Dropout rates tell a similar story, with Poudre High School at 2.1% versus 7.8% at Poudre Community Academy, which is nearly nine times the district dropout rate of 0.9%.
Perhaps the most striking finding is chronic absenteeism, which affects both campuses at crisis levels. Poudre High School has a 64% chronic absenteeism rate and Poudre Community Academy is at 66.5% — both more than double the state average of 28.4%. This is particularly notable at Poudre High School, where strong test scores (72% proficient in SAT reading/writing versus 42% in math) coexist with a graduation rate below the state average of 85.6%. Reading and writing proficiency outpaces math by 23–30 percentage points, suggesting math intervention may be a priority. Poudre Community Academy has no recent test scores or state ranking, but its historical rankings were at the bottom of the state, reflecting the severe challenges facing its high-poverty population. Despite belonging to a top-ranked district, both schools in 80521 face significant student engagement issues that parents should carefully weigh when evaluating their options.
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