Best Public Schools in Zip Code 80524

ZIP code 80524 is home to six schools within the highly rated Poudre School District R-1, serving elementary, middle, and high school students in the Fort Collins area. The district ranks 12th out of 115 districts in Colorado with a 5-star rating, yet the six schools in this area vary dramatically in size, demographics, and performance. Enrollment ranges from just 118 students at Centennial High School to 1,456 at Timnath Middle-High School, and poverty levels—measured by free/reduced lunch eligibility—range from 19.37% at Timnath to 75.42% at Centennial.

Three schools in this ZIP code are genuine standouts. Timnath Middle-High School ranks 47th among Colorado high schools with a 95.3% graduation rate and SAT reading/writing proficiency at 78%—double the state average. Lesher Middle School is the top-ranked middle school in the area at #44 in the state, with a 5-star rating and three consecutive years of rank improvement. Among elementary schools, Tavelli Elementary School ranks 90th in Colorado with ELA proficiency of 71.1% and math proficiency of 62.2%, outperforming state averages by roughly 25 points even though over a third of its students qualify for free/reduced lunch. These three schools demonstrate that strong outcomes are achievable across different grade levels.

The other three schools face more significant challenges. Centennial High School is the most concerning, with a 57.1% graduation rate, 77.9% chronic absenteeism, and only 23% SAT reading/writing proficiency. Laurel Elementary School and Harris Bilingual Elementary School perform below district averages in ELA and math, though Harris has the best attendance rate in the ZIP code at 16.8% chronic absenteeism. Across the area, poverty and attendance are the clearest predictors of performance—schools with lower free/reduced lunch rates and better attendance consistently outpace state averages. Notably, smaller class sizes at Centennial, Laurel, and Harris have not translated into stronger academic results, highlighting that targeted support for students in poverty and chronically absent students remains the most urgent priority in 80524.