Best Public Schools in Zip Code 80601

ZIP code 80601 in Brighton, Colorado, is home to 14 schools—8 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 4 high schools—serving roughly 8,886 students, with nearly all schools in School District 27J and one charter, Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Denver, under the State Charter School Institute. The area serves a largely high-poverty population—the average free/reduced lunch rate is about 60%—and overall proficiency trails both district and state averages.

For parents, the clearest standouts are Foundations Academy and Eagle Ridge Academy. Foundations Academy is the top-rated school in the ZIP, earning 3 stars with 41.5% ELA and 36.7% math proficiency, low chronic absenteeism of 20.1%, and the lowest poverty rate at 36.2%. Eagle Ridge Academy is the strongest traditional high school, with 61% SAT Reading/Writing proficiency—matching the state and well above Brighton High School's 42%—plus the ZIP's lowest chronic absenteeism at 17.1% and a 97.2% graduation rate. Brighton High School posts a solid 93.1% graduation rate and a very low 0.7% dropout rate, but academic proficiency is below state averages. On the other end, Overland Trail Middle School ranks in the 8th percentile with 0 stars, and South, Northeast, and Southeast Elementary Schools all sit in the bottom 16th percentile with chronic absenteeism above 34%.

Alternative programs 27J Online Academy and Innovations & Options serve at-risk students and show very different metrics—graduation rates of 66.9% and 64.4%, with chronic absenteeism above 65%—so they should be evaluated separately from the comprehensive high schools. ZIP-wide chronic absenteeism averages 34.7%, above the state's 28.4%, and math proficiency is a particular weakness at 23.8% versus 37.3% statewide. Still, grade-level bright spots exist: Mary E Pennock Elementary School's 4th-grade ELA hits 52.6%, and Ascent Classical's 5th-grade math reaches 40%. The middle schools are the weakest link, but improving attendance and focusing on middle-school math and ELA recovery would likely produce the largest gains for the community.