Schools in Zip Code 80650

Zip code 80650, serving the Pierce, CO area, contains exactly one school: Highland Elementary School, a K–5 elementary school with 443 students, meaning there are no middle or high schools in this area and students must leave the zip code after 5th grade. The school belongs to Weld County School District No. Re-9, a district ranked 100 out of 115 districts in Colorado. With a 1-star rating and a school ranking of 763rd out of 943 Colorado elementary schools (19th percentile), Highland Elementary faces significant academic challenges.

Across all grades, Highland's English Language Arts proficiency is 24.4% compared to the state's 44.7%, while math proficiency is 25.0% versus the state's 37.3%. The most alarming data point is 3rd-grade ELA proficiency at just 10%, which is 30.8 points below the state average. Fourth graders perform notably better at 36.1% ELA proficiency, suggesting a possible cohort difference or early-literacy intervention issue in 3rd grade. In 5th grade, only 14.3% of students are proficient in science, compared to 36.1% statewide. Chronic absenteeism is another major concern, affecting 30.2% of students, slightly above both the district (28.0%) and state (28.4%) rates.

Despite a slight improvement in all-grade ELA proficiency from 20.8% to 24.4% year over year, the school's statewide ranking has actually slipped from 703rd (2023–2024) to 763rd (2025–2026), indicating other schools are improving faster. The district's grade-level data mirrors the school's figures exactly, which may be a reporting artifact given the district's All-Grades ELA (22.1%) differs from the school's (24.4%). With 36.57% of students on free or reduced lunch, the poverty level is moderate, yet proficiency gaps exceed what economic factors alone would suggest. The combination of low early literacy, high absenteeism, and a 1-star district rating paints a concerning picture for families considering this area.