Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 80908

Zip code 80908 is home to four elementary-level schools serving 1,863 students across grades PK–8, and the area draws from three highly rated districts: El Paso County Colorado School District 49, Academy School District No. 20, and Lewis-Palmer Consolidated School District No. 38.

This is a strong academic area overall. Edith Wolford Elementary School is the standout, holding the highest state ranking (85th percentile) and the top proficiency rates in ELA (69.2%) and Math (65.8%), along with the largest year-over-year improvement in the zip code. Ray E Kilmer Elementary School stands out for its efficiency and climate, with the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (9.5%), the smallest class sizes (13.0:1 student-teacher ratio), and strong scores of 62.4% in ELA and 61.6% in Math, including exceptional 6th-grade results. Encompass Heights Elementary School is the most consistent improver, climbing steadily in state rank over three years (314th to 232nd) while posting the lowest poverty rate in the group (11.2%). Grand Peak Academy is the outlier: the only school below state averages in all tested subjects — 34.2% ELA and 36.8% Math — and the only one with a 2-star rating. Because Grand Peak serves grades K–8, its aggregate scores are pulled down significantly by weak middle school performance, especially a 6th-grade ELA proficiency rate of just 14.5%.

Several patterns stand out. First, there is a wide performance gap within the same zip code: Edith Wolford exceeds Grand Peak by 35 points in ELA and 29 points in Math. Second, science is a relative weakness even for top schools — Edith Wolford's 5th-grade Science score (35.7%) sits just below the state average, and only Encompass Heights (41.3%) and Kilmer (37.8%) exceed it. Third, chronic absenteeism is low everywhere, ranging from 9.5% at Kilmer to 20.6% at Edith Wolford, all far below the state rate of 28.4%. Finally, poverty is connected to performance but not deterministic: Grand Peak has the highest free/reduced lunch rate (33.1%) and the lowest scores, while Edith Wolford posts top results despite a moderate rate (20.4%). Overall, three of the four schools are comfortably above state averages, making 80908 a high-performing zip code with one school in clear need of support.