Summary:
The 80906 zip code in Colorado Springs is home to six elementary schools serving nearly 2,000 students, split between the top-ranked Cheyenne Mountain School District No. 12 (K–6 schools) and the lower-ranked Harrison School District No. 2 (PK–5 schools).
Among the four Cheyenne Mountain schools, all rank in the top 14% of Colorado elementary schools. Cheyenne Mountain Elementary School takes the top spot in the zip at #82 statewide, posting the highest math (70.6%) and 5th-grade science (76.5%) proficiency, along with the lowest free/reduced lunch rate at just 10.2%. However, Gold Camp Elementary School leads in English Language Arts with 72.3% proficiency and has the lowest chronic absenteeism in the zip at 7.6%. Broadmoor Elementary School is the strongest in upper grades, with the highest 6th-grade ELA (84.8%) and 4th-grade math (76.9%) scores in the zip, while Pinon Valley Elementary School is solid across ELA (71.4%) and math (67.6%) but posts a surprisingly weak 5th-grade science score of 35.4%. All four schools have chronic absenteeism below 10.5% and free/reduced lunch rates ranging from roughly 10% to 23%.
The two Harrison schools face a much different reality. Oak Creek Elementary School has been trending downward, slipping from #490 to #670 in state rank over three years, with a free/reduced lunch rate near 75% and 34.3% chronic absenteeism. Otero Elementary School has the zip's lowest math proficiency (20.1%) and highest chronic absenteeism (39.5%). Notably, both Harrison schools actually have smaller class sizes (student-teacher ratios of 10.8 and 12.3) than the Cheyenne Mountain schools (13.9–15.4), yet proficiency scores are far lower—averaging about 30% ELA and 21% math versus 70% ELA and 68% math. This suggests poverty and absenteeism are far more influential than class size alone. Parents researching this area will find two very different school experiences within the same zip code.
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