Best High Schools in Zip Code 81323

Zip code 81323 contains exactly one high school, Dolores High School, serving grades 9 through 12 in the town of Dolores, Colorado, as part of Dolores School District No. Re-4A. With 186 students, the school is small, offering a favorable 11.5-to-1 student-teacher ratio, and nearly half of the student body (48.39%) qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. Because it is the only high school in the zip code and appears to be the district’s only high school, all district-level metrics directly reflect this single school’s performance.

Academically, the school shows a clear pattern of strengths and weaknesses. Math proficiency is a consistent concern across all grades: in the 2025-2026 school year, only 12% of 11th graders were proficient in SAT Math versus 32% statewide, and 28% of 9th graders and 36% of 10th graders met state benchmarks, both below state averages. Reading and writing results are more mixed by grade. The 10th grade class stands out with a 77% proficiency rate on the PSAT10 Reading/Writing exam, 12 points above the state average, while 9th graders (52%) and 11th graders (53%) lag behind state averages. Science is a relative bright spot, with Dolores outpacing Colorado in both reported years—37.8% versus 25% in 2024-2025 and 26.5% versus 24.8% in 2025-2026.

Attendance and graduation data raise additional concerns. Chronic absenteeism sits at 38.2%, nearly 10 points above the state rate of 28.4%, which likely hampers consistent academic progress. The graduation rate of 82.8% trails the state’s 85.6%, though the dropout rate of 0.9% is better than the state average. Year-to-year test scores swing dramatically—9th grade reading dropped 20 points and 11th grade math fell 15 points between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026—a common pattern in small schools. The school has held a 2-star rating for three consecutive years, with its state percentile dropping from 49 to 36. Despite these challenges, the low dropout rate, strong science results, and 10th grade reading performance show that success is possible at Dolores High School, though consistency—especially in math and attendance—remains the key area for improvement.