Best High Schools in Zip Code 80903

Zip code 80903 in Colorado Springs, CO, is served by two high schools—Palmer High School (grades 9-12, 1,265 students) and Community Prep Charter School (grades 9-12, 158 students)—both part of Colorado Springs School District No. 11, which ranks in the 43rd percentile statewide.

Palmer High School is the stronger performer by nearly every measure. Its graduation rate is 82.2% versus 38.6% at Community Prep Charter School, and its dropout rate is just 1.5% compared to 14.5% at Community Prep. Palmer also outperforms Community Prep on all shared test scores—for example, 51% of Palmer 10th graders are proficient in PSAT10 Reading & Writing, while Community Prep’s rate is 24%. Despite this, Palmer faces serious challenges of its own: chronic absenteeism stands at 65.4% and math proficiency is strikingly low, with only 13% of 11th graders proficient in SAT Math versus 32% statewide. The school’s SAT Reading & Writing and Math scores both dropped year over year, even as 9th-grade PSAT scores improved, suggesting a troubling trend for older students.

Community Prep Charter School shows extremely concerning indicators across the board: a 94.7% chronic absenteeism rate, a 14.5% dropout rate, and no recent state ranking. The only recent test score available—PSAT10 Reading & Writing at 24% proficiency—is far below district and state averages. While Palmer serves a high-need population (61.42% free/reduced lunch) and still outperforms its district on graduation and dropout rates, Community Prep appears to serve an even more vulnerable student body. The dramatic gaps between these two schools in the same zip code and district show that school model and supports matter deeply, but both schools need urgent work on attendance and math achievement to improve outcomes for all students.