Best High Schools in Zip Code 80817

In ZIP code 80817, which serves the Fountain, Colorado area, there are two high schools—Fountain-Fort Carson High School and Welte Education Center—both part of Fountain School District No. 8, offering grades 9-12 but with vastly different sizes, missions, and outcomes.

Fountain-Fort Carson High School is the large, traditional option with about 1,974 students and the stronger overall performance. It ranks #204 out of 349 Colorado high schools (42nd percentile) and posts a 93.1% graduation rate, well above the state's 85.6%, with a dropout rate of just 0.6%. Its 11th-grade SAT reading/writing proficiency is 53%, and 10th-grade PSAT10 proficiency is 51%. Chronic absenteeism is a concern at 31.7%, though that is far better than its counterpart. Welte Education Center, by contrast, is a small alternative school with only 84 students and a 7.6:1 student-teacher ratio. It ranks #283 (19th percentile) and faces serious challenges: a 63.2% graduation rate, a 4.8% dropout rate, and a 70.7% chronic absenteeism rate. Its 10th-grade PSAT10 proficiency is just 27%, while 66.7% of students receive free/reduced lunch compared to 43% at Fountain-Fort Carson.

Two findings stand out. First, despite Welte's low overall performance, its 11th-grade SAT reading/writing proficiency (54%) is actually slightly higher than Fountain-Fort Carson's (53%) and the district's 53%—likely because the small senior cohort represents persisting students, while the broader 10th-grade group lags far behind. Second, both schools trail the state in reading/writing: Colorado's SAT proficiency is 60%, and its PSAT10 proficiency is 64%, leaving Fountain-Fort Carson about 6-7 points behind on each, and Welte a dramatic 37 points behind on the PSAT10. Historically, Fountain-Fort Carson has slipped from the 59th percentile in 2018-19 to the 42nd percentile in 2023-24, while Welte has improved from the 4th to the 19th percentile. For parents, the choice is clear: Fountain-Fort Carson is the more stable, higher-performing school, while Welte serves a higher-need population where attendance and graduation remain critical concerns.