Best Public Schools in Zip Code 81212

In ZIP code 81212, Canon City, Colorado, there are 8 public schools serving approximately 3,191 students, all part of the Fremont Re-1 district, which ranks 52nd out of 115 Colorado districts with a 3-star rating. The area includes one high school (Canon City High School), one middle school (Canon City Middle School), and six elementary schools, several of which also serve middle-grade students: Harrison School, Canon Exploratory School, and Mount View Core Knowledge Charter School each span K–8. Schools vary widely in size, from 250 students at Mount View to 936 at Canon City High School, and in student-teacher ratios, which range from 12.0 at Lincoln School of Science and Technology to 19.9 at the high school.

For parents, the standout schools are Mount View Core Knowledge Charter School and Lincoln School of Science and Technology. Mount View posts the highest ELA proficiency in the area at 57.2%, well above the state's 44.7%, and has by far the lowest chronic absenteeism at 6.3%, with strong 8th-grade ELA (75%) and science (45%). Lincoln is the only school in the ZIP code to meet or exceed the state math average (38.9% vs. 37.3%). Canon City Middle School is on the upswing, improving from the 47th to the 52nd percentile, with 8th-grade ELA proficiency of 51.4%. Canon City High School earns recognition for its 88.3% graduation rate and 0.7% dropout rate, both better than state averages, though SAT math proficiency is just 17% versus 32% statewide.

On the other end, Washington Elementary School and Harrison School need the most support. Washington has the lowest state ranking (16th percentile), with just 28.3% ELA and 15.7% math proficiency, while Harrison faces the highest poverty rate (71% free/reduced lunch) and highest chronic absenteeism (29.7%) in the area. A systemic weakness across nearly every school is math, while science is a hidden strength at McKinley Elementary School, Lincoln School of Science and Technology, and Mount View Core Knowledge Charter School. Notably, choice and charter schools collectively outperform traditional neighborhood elementary schools by roughly 15 points in math, even when poverty levels are similar.