Colorado Schools & Education

Public school metrics and education data for all 64 counties.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Avg Graduation Rate

83.1%

Avg Per-Pupil Spending

$7,447

Avg School Score

36/100

Total Schools

1,928

186 districts

State Overview

About Schools in Colorado

This summary is generated from the NCES metrics shown on this page and reviewed against the source data by the Data Editor. It is not school advice.

A Divided Landscape Across 61 Reporting Counties

Education quality fluctuates wildly across the state, with graduation rates ranging from a high of 97.0% in Pitkin County to a low of 57.9% in Bent County. This 39-point gap in graduation rates reflects significant disparities across the 61 counties with available data. School scores also show a broad spread, peaking at 66.4 while the lowest-performing districts drop to 32.6.

State Score Context

How Colorado Counties Are Distributed

63 of 64 counties have enough NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data to receive a county school score. Use this distribution to understand whether the state has a concentrated cluster of high, midrange, or lower measured signals.

Scored county coverage

Counties with complete enough data for the composite score

98%

Higher measured signal

Score range 70-100

Midrange measured signal

Score range 40-69

Lower measured signal

Score range 0-39

Scores are comparative signals from available federal data, not ratings of individual schools.

Best school counties

Best Counties for Public School Research in Colorado

For a first-pass answer to parent searches about where the best schools are in Colorado, start with county-level evidence, then open individual school and district records. SchoolsByCounty ranks counties by public education signals, not by private opinions or paid school ratings.

Short answer for Colorado

San Juan County is the strongest county-level starting point in Colorado by the current SchoolsByCounty score, with a measured school signal of 97/100. This is a county comparison signal, not a promise that every school in the county is the best fit for every family.

Ranking methodology

63 of 64 counties have enough federal education data for a county school score. The ranking favors counties with stronger available graduation-rate and school-finance signals, then asks parents to verify individual school fit locally. The table below should help parents choose what to compare next; it should not replace attendance-boundary checks, program eligibility, commute, services, or direct district confirmation.

State average per-pupil spending in this dataset: $7,447.

Top measured county school signals

Ranked by the county school score where enough federal data is available.

1San Juan CountyGraduation not reported · Spending $13,63997/100 2Hinsdale CountyGraduation not reported · Spending $13,44697/100 3Pitkin CountyGraduation 97.0% · Spending $11,23695/100 4San Miguel CountyGraduation 89.0% · Spending $10,55667/100 5Routt CountyGraduation 93.2% · Spending $7,64867/100 6Rio Blanco CountyGraduation 93.2% · Spending $7,60166/100 7Huerfano CountyGraduation 90.0% · Spending $8,00857/100

Graduation-focused starting point

Pitkin County

97.0%

Pitkin County has the strongest reported county graduation-rate signal in Colorado. Use this as a broad county context, then review individual high-school records.

Funding context to inspect

Mineral County

$13,728

Mineral County reports the highest per-pupil spending among counties with available data. Higher spending is context, not a guarantee of student fit.

Counties to research carefully

Bent County

1/100

Bent County has one of the lowest measured county school signals in Colorado. Review missing data, district context, and individual school records before drawing conclusions.

District research

Compare Colorado public school districts before narrowing by address

Colorado has 186 public school district records and 1,928 school records in the NCES file. Use the district hub to sort large district systems by enrollment, school count, county context, and generated district-guide coverage.

View District Rankings

Regional comparison guides

Compare Colorado Counties in Real Relocation Shortlists

These static guides connect Colorado county profiles to common metro-area school decisions. Each guide gives a direct answer, side-by-side NCES metrics, and links back into county profiles for deeper school and district research.

Denver Front Range

How do Denver-area county choices compare for public school outcomes?

Compare Denver Front Range county school outcomes across Denver, Arapahoe, and Jefferson counties.

Open guide

Custom comparison

Build a three-county school comparison

Compare any Colorado county with other county profiles using the same school score, graduation-rate, and spending fields.

Open compare tool

All Colorado Counties

County-level school score, graduation rate, and per-pupil spending for Colorado.
County	School Score	Graduation Rate	Per-Pupil Spending
San Juan County Graduation — Per pupil $13,639	97/100	—	$13,639
Hinsdale County Graduation — Per pupil $13,446	97/100	—	$13,446
Pitkin County Graduation 97.0% Per pupil $11,236	95/100	97.0%	$11,236
San Miguel County Graduation 89.0% Per pupil $10,556	67/100	89.0%	$10,556
Routt County Graduation 93.2% Per pupil $7,648	67/100	93.2%	$7,648
Rio Blanco County Graduation 93.2% Per pupil $7,601	66/100	93.2%	$7,601
Huerfano County Graduation 90.0% Per pupil $8,008	57/100	90.0%	$8,008
Gunnison County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $7,208	56/100	92.0%	$7,208
Ouray County Graduation 85.0% Per pupil $10,008	56/100	85.0%	$10,008
Summit County Graduation 90.0% Per pupil $7,657	53/100	90.0%	$7,657
Custer County Graduation 90.0% Per pupil $7,606	53/100	90.0%	$7,606
Lake County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $6,949	52/100	92.0%	$6,949
Mineral County Graduation 75.0% Per pupil $13,728	51/100	75.0%	$13,728
Cheyenne County Graduation 75.0% Per pupil $11,741	49/100	75.0%	$11,741
Archuleta County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $6,578	47/100	92.0%	$6,578
Prowers County Graduation 92.9% Per pupil $6,158	46/100	92.9%	$6,158
Boulder County Graduation 89.6% Per pupil $7,165	45/100	89.6%	$7,165
Phillips County Graduation 82.0% Per pupil $8,639	44/100	82.0%	$8,639
Jackson County Graduation 75.0% Per pupil $9,373	43/100	75.0%	$9,373
Grand County Graduation 86.0% Per pupil $7,705	42/100	86.0%	$7,705
Arapahoe County Graduation 83.7% Per pupil $7,976	41/100	83.7%	$7,976
Douglas County Graduation 91.0% Per pupil $6,205	38/100	91.0%	$6,205
Eagle County Graduation 85.0% Per pupil $7,511	38/100	85.0%	$7,511
Washington County Graduation 72.3% Per pupil $8,656	38/100	72.3%	$8,656
Garfield County Graduation 86.7% Per pupil $7,244	38/100	86.7%	$7,244
Dolores County Graduation 75.0% Per pupil $8,437	38/100	75.0%	$8,437
Chaffee County Graduation 82.7% Per pupil $7,720	37/100	82.7%	$7,720
Lincoln County Graduation 85.5% Per pupil $7,252	36/100	85.5%	$7,252
Kit Carson County Graduation 86.8% Per pupil $6,967	34/100	86.8%	$6,967
Saguache County Graduation 70.8% Per pupil $8,211	34/100	70.8%	$8,211
Clear Creek County Graduation 84.0% Per pupil $7,287	33/100	84.0%	$7,287
Costilla County Graduation 71.1% Per pupil $8,004	33/100	71.1%	$8,004
Crowley County Graduation 90.0% Per pupil $5,911	32/100	90.0%	$5,911
Gilpin County Graduation 84.0% Per pupil $7,133	31/100	84.0%	$7,133
Elbert County Graduation 86.9% Per pupil $6,668	31/100	86.9%	$6,668
Kiowa County Graduation 75.0% Per pupil $7,687	30/100	75.0%	$7,687
Baca County Graduation 75.0% Per pupil $7,654	30/100	75.0%	$7,654
Park County Graduation 78.9% Per pupil $7,380	29/100	78.9%	$7,380
Teller County Graduation 81.5% Per pupil $7,252	29/100	81.5%	$7,252
Conejos County Graduation 86.1% Per pupil $6,623	29/100	86.1%	$6,623
Fremont County Graduation 87.5% Per pupil $6,189	28/100	87.5%	$6,189
Otero County Graduation 85.7% Per pupil $6,624	28/100	85.7%	$6,624
Sedgwick County Graduation 86.0% Per pupil $6,407	26/100	86.0%	$6,407
Larimer County Graduation 83.3% Per pupil $6,824	26/100	83.3%	$6,824
Alamosa County Graduation 87.3% Per pupil $5,887	24/100	87.3%	$5,887
Logan County Graduation 82.0% Per pupil $6,718	23/100	82.0%	$6,718
Jefferson County Graduation 85.0% Per pupil $6,213	22/100	85.0%	$6,213
Las Animas County Graduation 84.9% Per pupil $6,183	21/100	84.9%	$6,183
Pueblo County Graduation 87.1% Per pupil $5,589	21/100	87.1%	$5,589
Yuma County Graduation 82.9% Per pupil $6,422	21/100	82.9%	$6,422
Adams County Graduation 81.2% Per pupil $6,571	20/100	81.2%	$6,571
Weld County Graduation 85.3% Per pupil $5,845	18/100	85.3%	$5,845
Delta County Graduation 83.0% Per pupil $6,167	18/100	83.0%	$6,167
Montezuma County Graduation 84.6% Per pupil $5,422	14/100	84.6%	$5,422
Morgan County Graduation 80.4% Per pupil $6,099	14/100	80.4%	$6,099
Montrose County Graduation 77.4% Per pupil $6,129	12/100	77.4%	$6,129
Denver County Graduation 73.3% Per pupil $6,100	10/100	73.3%	$6,100
Moffat County Graduation 72.0% Per pupil $6,091	9/100	72.0%	$6,091
Rio Grande County Graduation 77.5% Per pupil $5,643	7/100	77.5%	$5,643
Mesa County Graduation 76.5% Per pupil $5,677	7/100	76.5%	$5,677
El Paso County Graduation 73.9% Per pupil $5,813	7/100	73.9%	$5,813
La Plata County Graduation 80.5% Per pupil $4,966	6/100	80.5%	$4,966
Bent County Graduation 57.9% Per pupil $5,152	1/100	57.9%	$5,152
Broomfield County Graduation — Per pupil —	—	—	—

— = data not available for this county.

Compare county school profiles in Colorado

Use the comparison tool to review school scores, graduation rates, and spending side by side.

Compare Counties

Frequently Asked Questions About Colorado Schools

Which Colorado counties have the highest graduation rates?

Pitkin County (97.0%), Rio Blanco County (93.2%), and Routt County (93.2%) currently lead Colorado among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Colorado?

Across Colorado counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $7,447. The highest current county values are Mineral County ($13,728), San Juan County ($13,639), and Hinsdale County ($13,446). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

Which regional school comparisons include Colorado counties?

Denver Front Range include Colorado counties in curated regional school comparisons. Use these guides for broad county shortlists, then verify school assignment and district rules locally.

What are the best school counties in Colorado?

San Juan County, Hinsdale County, Pitkin County have the strongest measured county-level school signals in Colorado, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data. These are county context rankings, not individual school ratings.

Which Colorado county has the strongest measured school score?

San Juan County has the highest school score in Colorado with a score of 97/100, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data.

What is the average graduation rate in Colorado?

The average high school graduation rate across Colorado counties is 83.1%, based on NCES data.

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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