Summary:
ZIP code 81423 contains one school, Norwood Public Schools, an alternative PK-12 school serving 191 students in the rural community of Norwood, Colorado. As the only school in the area, it functions as a true community school within Norwood School District No. R-2j, offering all grade levels under one roof and maintaining a favorable 11.4:1 student-teacher ratio.
Norwood Public Schools stands out most for its exceptional college readiness results, particularly in mathematics. On the 11th-grade SAT, 62% of students were proficient in math compared to just 32% statewide, while 10th-grade PSAT10 math proficiency reached 69% versus 36% statewide. SAT reading and writing proficiency also edged past the state average (62% vs. 60%). The school posted a perfect 100% graduation rate and 0% dropout rate in the 2021-2022 school year. However, CMAS state assessment results were mixed: 2024-2025 ELA proficiency was nearly identical to the state (44.6% vs. 44.8%), but math proficiency lagged (31.3% vs. 35.9%), and 2025-2026 results showed wider gaps in both subjects.
About 46.6% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, indicating substantial economic need, yet the school still achieves strong outcomes. Chronic absenteeism sits at 30.1%, slightly above the state's 28.4% — a meaningful concern for a small school where roughly 57 students may be affected. The sharp contrast between high SAT/PSAT math performance and below-average CMAS math scores may reflect different student cohorts or test alignment, but it remains an interesting split. Overall, Norwood Public Schools demonstrates that a small, alternative, all-grades model can successfully prepare students for postsecondary success, even while navigating challenges like absenteeism and state assessment performance.
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