Best High Schools in Zip Code 81401

There are 3 high schools in zip code 81401 (Montrose, CO) serving grades 9–12, all part of the Montrose County School District Re-1J.

Montrose High School is the largest and strongest performer, with 1,279 students, a 92.1% graduation rate (well above the district’s 81.8% and state’s 85.6%), and a low 1.2% dropout rate. It outpaces the district on every reported test and beats the state in 11th-grade math and science, but trails the state in reading/writing at all grade levels. Vista Charter School (188 students) and Black Canyon High School (100 students) serve much higher-poverty populations (72.87% and 81% free/reduced lunch, respectively) and show severe struggles. Vista’s graduation rate is just 37.0%, with a 9.8% dropout rate and 66.7% chronic absenteeism. Black Canyon is the most challenged: an 88.1% chronic absenteeism rate, 16.6% dropout rate, and only a 48.9% graduation rate. No test scores are reported for Black Canyon, and Vista has just one very low PSAT9 reading/writing score (29% proficient vs. 66% statewide).

These schools highlight how poverty and at-risk factors, not just school resources, drive outcomes. Interestingly, Black Canyon has the smallest class sizes (14.2 student-teacher ratio) yet the worst attendance and dropout rates, while Montrose High achieves the best results with a moderate 19.3 ratio and Vista’s very high 31.7 ratio still does not produce the worst outcomes. Montrose High also has a contradictory profile: it graduates students well above state averages but has 32.6% chronic absenteeism, above the state’s 28.4%. Its statewide ranking has declined over three years, from the 62nd to the 47th percentile, suggesting a slipping comparative performance. Missing data for the two smaller schools limits a full academic comparison, but the available numbers paint a clear picture of two very different educational realities within the same zip code.