Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 80650

Zip code 80650, serving the Pierce, Colorado area, is home to a single elementary school—Highland Elementary School—which serves grades K-5 with an enrollment of 443 students, making this analysis a focused profile of one school within the Weld County School District No. Re-9.

For parents considering this school, the most important takeaway is that Highland Elementary is struggling academically compared to the rest of Colorado. The school consistently ranks in the bottom quarter of the state, slipping to 763rd out of 943 schools (19th percentile) in 2025-2026, and has earned a 1-star rating for three consecutive years. On the 2025-2026 CMAS tests, proficiency rates were far below state averages in every subject: only 24.4% of students were proficient in ELA versus 44.7% statewide, 25.0% in math versus 37.3% statewide, and just 14.3% in 5th grade science compared to 36.1% statewide. The most alarming figure is 3rd grade ELA, where only 10% of students are proficient—a 30.8-point gap from the state average. The school does have a few relative bright spots: all-grades ELA proficiency improved from 20.8% to 24.4% year-over-year, and the school generally matches or slightly exceeds its district's proficiency rates. However, the district itself ranks in the 13th percentile statewide, so this is not high praise.

A major red flag for parents is attendance. More than 3 in 10 students at Highland (30.2%) are chronically absent, a rate higher than both the district (28.0%) and state (28.4%), which likely contributes to the low test scores. Over a third of students (36.57%) qualify for free/reduced lunch, indicating a moderate poverty rate, and the student-teacher ratio sits at 17:1. Since Highland is the only elementary school in the zip code, it is the sole educational anchor for Pierce's families. While the improvement in ELA is encouraging, the declining science scores, slipping state percentile, and high absenteeism suggest the school needs sustained support to move from the bottom quarter toward the state average.