Summary:
Zip code 80840 is home to two schools in Academy School District No. 20, a top-rated Colorado district: Air Academy High School (grades 9–12) and Douglass Valley Elementary School (grades K–5). Located near the U.S. Air Force Academy, the area is a relatively low-poverty, military-connected community. Air Academy High stands out as one of the strongest high schools in the state, with a 95.5% graduation rate and a 0.3% dropout rate. Douglass Valley is on the rise, improving from a 3-star to a 4-star rating and moving from the 59th to 72nd percentile in state rankings over the past year.
Academically, both schools outpace state averages in most subjects, though the high school leads. At Air Academy, 82% of 11th graders are proficient in SAT reading/writing and 48% in SAT math, compared with state averages of 60% and 32%. At Douglass Valley, 56.8% of students are proficient in ELA and 58.5% in math, exceeding state averages (44.7% and 37.3%) and the district average in math. However, gaps exist: Air Academy's math scores are well below its reading scores, while Douglass Valley's 5th grade science proficiency dropped to 25%, below both the state (36.1%) and district (45.1%).
Chronic absenteeism is a concern at the high school, where 26.5% of students miss significant school time, exceeding the district's 19.7% rate. The elementary school, by contrast, is below the district average at 16.7%. The zip code has no middle school, so families likely travel to neighboring Academy District 20 schools for grades 6–8. Free/reduced lunch eligibility is low—18.33% at the high school and 22.88% at the elementary school—reflecting an advantaged community. Overall, these schools offer strong outcomes, with Air Academy excelling in reading and graduation and Douglass Valley showing rapid improvement, but math, elementary science, and high school absenteeism remain areas to watch.
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