Best High Schools in Zip Code 81601

Zip code 81601 in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, is served by two high schools—Glenwood Springs High School and Yampah Mountain School—both covering typical high school grades. Glenwood Springs, part of Roaring Fork School District No. Re-1, is the larger and stronger performing school, with 1,032 students, a student-teacher ratio of 18.5, and a current state ranking in the 38th percentile (2 stars). Yampah Mountain, overseen by Colorado River BOCES, is much smaller (181 students) with a better student-teacher ratio of 15.8, but it lags significantly on nearly every academic outcome.

The most striking differences are in graduation and dropout rates. Glenwood Springs graduates 89.2% of its students, above the state average of 85.6%, and has a dropout rate of just 1.6%—matching the state. Yampah Mountain, by contrast, graduates only 67.1% and has a dropout rate of 7.2%, more than four times higher. On state tests, Glenwood Springs consistently outperforms the state in reading/writing on the SAT (51% vs. 60% proficient in 2025-26) but lags in math (28% vs. 32%). Yampah Mountain reported only one recent test score: 34% proficient in SAT reading/writing, far below both the state (62%) and Glenwood Springs. Chronic absenteeism also diverges sharply—Glenwood Springs is at 28.0%, close to the state average, while Yampah Mountain reported an excellent 12.4% in 2023-24, though no newer figure is available.

Notably, Glenwood Springs serves a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students (46.6% free/reduced lunch) than Yampah Mountain (31.5%), yet still achieves far better outcomes, suggesting poverty alone does not explain the gap. Glenwood Springs has also shown a downward trend in its state ranking, falling from the 53rd percentile (3 stars) in 2023-24 to the 38th percentile (2 stars) in 2025-26, with mixed test score movements. Yampah Mountain, likely serving a more alternative or at-risk population, has very limited recent data, making direct comparisons difficult. For parents, these two schools represent very different educational environments—one large and academically solid, the other smaller and more personalized but with serious challenges in graduation and college readiness.