Summary:
Zip code 80621, located in Fort Lupton, Colorado, is served by 5 schools spanning elementary through high school, including an alternative online academy, all part of the Weld re-8 schools district. The schools enroll about 2,035 students, with a predominantly low-income population (roughly 60% free/reduced lunch) and a mix of performance challenges that leave most schools below state averages.
A clear bright spot is Leo William Butler Elementary School, which ranks the highest in the area at the 31st percentile and is the only school with a 2-star ranking. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism at 19.7% and is the only school to exceed district averages in test scores, despite having the highest poverty rate at 66.5%. On the other end, Fort Lupton Middle School is the lowest-ranked at the 5th percentile, with just 9.6% ELA proficiency and 6.8% math proficiency among 6th graders. Fort Lupton High School struggles with a 53.2% chronic absenteeism rate and only 5.1% science proficiency. The Weld Re-8 Online Academy, with just 48 students, has a graduation rate of only 44.4%, far below the state's 85.6%. Twombly Elementary School sits in between with a 17th percentile ranking and a notable weakness in ELA.
Chronic absenteeism closely tracks academic performance across all schools. For example, Butler Elementary has the best attendance and results, while the high school and middle school have the worst. This pattern suggests that improving attendance could be a key lever for improvement. Additionally, science proficiency is a systemic issue, with the high school's score matching the district's 5.1% average. Encouragingly, some schools are improving, like Butler Elementary rising from the 18th to 31st percentile and the high school from the 1st to 10th percentile, but the overall picture remains challenging. Parents should consider the middle school transition especially critical, as students arrive already far behind state expectations.
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