Summary:
Zip code 81054 in Colorado contains a single middle school: Las Animas Junior High School, serving grades 7–8 within the Las Animas School District No. Re-1. This small school enrolls just 64 students and serves a student body with substantial economic need, as 81.25% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. A favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.1:1 allows for more individual attention despite the challenges the school faces.
Academically, the school trails district and state averages in both assessed subjects. On CMAS assessments, only 30.8% of students are proficient in English Language Arts, compared to 43.2% for the district and 44.7% statewide. Math proficiency is even more concerning, with just 16% of students proficient versus 30.4% for the district and 37.3% across Colorado. Chronic absenteeism affects 29.9% of students, slightly above the state rate of 28.4% but below the district's 36.5%. Historical state rankings show a downward trend, from the 70th percentile in 2015–2016 to the 57th percentile in 2018–2019, and the school has dropped from 4 stars to 3 stars.
The most striking finding is the math proficiency gap, where only 1 in 6 students is proficient—less than half of the state rate. High poverty concentration and elevated absenteeism are likely contributing factors. While the school reported a 0.0% dropout rate in 2021–2022, the district's 2024–2025 dropout rate of 5.4% is more than three times the state average of 1.6%, hinting at broader systemic challenges. With just 64 students, year-to-year percentages can be volatile; a swing of six students scoring proficient would shift the math rate by roughly 10 percentage points. On a positive note, the low student-teacher ratio positions the school to potentially deliver targeted interventions in math and literacy that could help reverse its declining trajectory.
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