Best Public Schools in Zip Code 80916

ZIP code 80916 in Colorado Springs contains 15 schools serving grades K-12: 8 elementary, 4 middle, and 3 high schools. Almost all belong to Harrison School District No. 2, with Jack Swigert Middle School as the lone member of Colorado Springs School District No. 11. The area is high-poverty, with a median free/reduced lunch rate of 76.5%, and most schools rank below the statewide median.

The standout is James Irwin Charter High School, ranked in the 79th percentile with 4 stars, the lowest chronic absenteeism (7.4%), and the lowest poverty rate in the ZIP code. Its cluster — James Irwin Charter Middle School and James Irwin Elementary School - Astrozon — also posts the best attendance in the area. Soaring Eagles Community School matches state averages in both ELA and math, and Turman Elementary School improved dramatically from the 24th to 46th percentile. Atlas Preparatory High School posts a strong 94.2% graduation rate despite an 82.6% poverty rate. At the other extreme, Jack Swigert Middle School ranks in the 5th percentile with 63.8% chronic absenteeism, Sierra High School sits in the 9th percentile with very low proficiency, and Atlas Preparatory Elementary School has the highest poverty rate at 87.4%.

The biggest red flag is chronic absenteeism, which closely tracks performance: the strongest schools have rates below 10% while the weakest exceed 49%. Math is the most significant academic weakness, as no K-8 school reaches the state average of 37.3%. However, poverty does not automatically doom schools — Atlas Preparatory High School, Soaring Eagles Community School, and Turman Elementary School beat the odds. Families face three very different high school tiers: the high-performing James Irwin Charter High School, the solid Atlas Preparatory High School, and the struggling Sierra High School.