Best Public Schools in Zip Code 80835

Zip code 80835 in Simla, Colorado is home to three small public schools in the Big Sandy School District No. 100J — Simla Elementary School (PK-5), Simla Junior High School (6-8), and Simla High School (9-12) — which together serve just 329 students on a single shared campus. The district is highly rated, ranking 14th out of 115 districts in Colorado (88th percentile) with a 4-star rating, and all three schools benefit from small class sizes and student-teacher ratios around 10:1. This is a tight-knit rural community where elementary, middle, and high school students learn on the same campus.

Simla Elementary School is the clear standout in this district. Despite having the highest economic need at 64.85% free/reduced lunch, it posted 2025-2026 proficiency rates well above state averages: 57.6% in ELA, 54.2% in math, and 65% in 5th grade science, while its state ranking jumped from 392nd to 221st. It also had the lowest chronic absenteeism at 11.2%. Simla Junior High School shines brightest in 8th grade, with 60.9% proficiency in both math and ELA versus roughly 38-42% statewide. Simla High School is strongest in early high school reading and writing, with 82% proficiency on PSAT 9 and 78% on PSAT 10, well above state averages. However, math is a consistent weak point across the junior high's 6th and 7th grades (28% and 27.8%) and the high school's SAT math (21%).

Attendance and student success metrics are strong districtwide: chronic absenteeism ranges from 11% to 15%, less than half the state average of 28.4%, and Simla High School boasts a 92.9% graduation rate and a 0.9% dropout rate. The district ranking is impressive, but it masks uneven school-level performance — no individual school currently earns a 4-star rating in its own history. Year-over-year test scores can swing dramatically in a district this small, so a single cohort of students can significantly shift results. Overall, families in 80835 find a cohesive, high-performing rural district with excellent reading outcomes and attendance, with math in the middle grades and high school being the primary areas to watch for improvement.