Can I use La Plata County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the La Plata County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in La Plata County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in La Plata County?

Start with the 23 listed public schools and 4 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

La Plata County Schools & Education

Name: La Plata County, Colorado Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

La Plata County, Colorado

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

School Score

6/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

80.5%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

80.5%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 83.1%

Per-Pupil Spending

$4,966

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,447

School Score

6/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 36/100

State Score Position

#62

of 63 counties by score

Education Data Brief: La Plata County

Measured School Summary

La Plata County faces educational challenges with a school score of 6/100 and a graduation rate of 80.5%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $4,966 per pupil, La Plata County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 83% below the Colorado average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 2.6 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 33% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read La Plata County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

23 public schools and 4 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

6/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #62 of 63 Colorado counties with school score data.

Completion

80.5%

2.6 pts below the state average

Funding context

$4,966

$2,481 below the state average

School coverage

4 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

La Plata County has 23 public schools across 4 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What La Plata County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Choice-program county

La Plata County has a visible charter, magnet, or virtual-school layer in NCES records. The practical question is eligibility, lottery timing, and transportation, not just whether a school appears nearby.

State position

#62

of 63 Colorado counties with school score data. The county score is 30 points below the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

Durango School District No. 9-R

Elementary to high school visible

5,452 students

Elementary 8Middle 2High 2Other 1

13 listed schools in this county slice.

Bayfield School District No. 10Jt-R

Elementary to high school visible

1,279 students

Elementary 2Middle 1High 1Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

Ignacio School District No. 11Jt

Elementary to high school visible

641 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 1Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

San Juan boces

High school only in this slice

40 students

Elementary 0Middle 0High 1Other 0

1 listed school in this county slice.

District reality check

Durango School District No. 9-R is the largest listed district slice, with 13 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in La Plata County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different La Plata County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Education Overview

About Schools in La Plata County, Colorado

This context is screened for neutral school-data wording and should be read alongside the current metrics on this page. It is not school advice.

A Four-District Education Network

La Plata County maintains 23 public schools serving a total enrollment of 7,919 students across four distinct districts. The infrastructure includes 11 elementary, 5 middle, and 6 high schools, providing a comprehensive pipeline for local families.

Durango Leads Local Districts

Durango School District No. 9-R is the county's largest provider, managing 13 schools and 5,452 students. Charter schools represent 13% of the total school landscape, offering alternative options like the Colorado Connections Academy at Durango.

Town and Rural Classrooms

The county's 23 schools are split between 13 town-based campuses and 10 rural settings. While the average school size is 344 students, Durango High School serves as a major hub with an enrollment of 1,369.

School Overview

Total Schools

in La Plata County

Reported Enrollment

7,919

23 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

13% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary11

Middle5

High6

Other1

4 School Districts in La Plata County

Durango School District No. 9-R

Bayfield School District No. 10Jt-R

4 schools

1,279 students

Ignacio School District No. 11Jt

3 schools

641 students

San Juan boces

1 school

40 students

23 Public Schools in La Plata County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 2 high-enrollment schools; every NCES public school remains listed here.

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

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 20 of 23 matching schools

Public schools in La Plata County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Durango High School	Profile	Durango School District No. 9-R	DURANGO, 81301Town: Distant	9–12	High	1,369
Colorado Connections Academy @ Durango	Profile	Durango School District No. 9-R	ENGLEWOOD, 80112Town: Distant	KG–12	Virtual	964
Escalante Middle School	Record	Durango School District No. 9-R	DURANGO, 81303Rural: Fringe	6–8	Middle	534
Riverview Elementary School	Record	Durango School District No. 9-R	DURANGO, 81301Town: Distant	PK–5	Primary	439
Park Elementary School	Record	Durango School District No. 9-R	DURANGO, 81301Town: Distant	PK–5	Primary	425
Bayfield High School	Record	Bayfield School District No. 10Jt-R	BAYFIELD, 81122Town: Remote	9–12	High	423
Miller Middle School	Record	Durango School District No. 9-R	DURANGO, 81301Town: Distant	6–8	Middle	415
Needham Elementary School	Record	Durango School District No. 9-R	DURANGO, 81301Town: Distant	PK–5	Primary	388
Mountain Middle School	Record	State Charter School Institute	DURANGO, 81301Town: Distant	4–8	Charter	301
Bayfield Intermediate School	Record	Bayfield School District No. 10Jt-R	BAYFIELD, 81122Rural: Fringe	3–5	Primary	295
Bayfield Middle School	Record	Bayfield School District No. 10Jt-R	BAYFIELD, 81122Town: Remote	6–8	Middle	294
Ignacio Elementary School	Record	Ignacio School District No. 11Jt	IGNACIO, 81137Rural: Distant	KG–5	Primary	290
Florida Mesa Elementary School	Record	Durango School District No. 9-R	DURANGO, 81303Rural: Distant	PK–5	Primary	278
Bayfield Primary School	Record	Bayfield School District No. 10Jt-R	BAYFIELD, 81122Town: Remote	PK–2	Primary	267
Animas High School	Record	State Charter School Institute	DURANGO, 81302Rural: Fringe	9–12	Charter	206
Ignacio High School	Record	Ignacio School District No. 11Jt	IGNACIO, 81137Rural: Distant	9–12	High	201
Animas Valley Elementary School	Record	Durango School District No. 9-R	DURANGO, 81301Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	188
The Juniper School	Record	Durango School District No. 9-R	DURANGO, 81302Town: Distant	KG–6	Charter	162
Ignacio Middle School	Record	Ignacio School District No. 11Jt	IGNACIO, 81137Rural: Distant	6–8	Middle	150
Sunnyside Elementary School	Record	Durango School District No. 9-R	DURANGO, 81303Rural: Distant	PK–5	Primary	106

Durango High School

Durango School District No. 9-R

DURANGO, 81301 / Town: Distant

Profile9–12High1,369 students

Colorado Connections Academy @ Durango

Durango School District No. 9-R

ENGLEWOOD, 80112 / Town: Distant

ProfileKG–12Virtual964 students

Escalante Middle School

Durango School District No. 9-R

DURANGO, 81303 / Rural: Fringe

Record6–8Middle534 students

Riverview Elementary School

Durango School District No. 9-R

DURANGO, 81301 / Town: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary439 students

Park Elementary School

Durango School District No. 9-R

DURANGO, 81301 / Town: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary425 students

Bayfield High School

Bayfield School District No. 10Jt-R

BAYFIELD, 81122 / Town: Remote

Record9–12High423 students

Miller Middle School

Durango School District No. 9-R

DURANGO, 81301 / Town: Distant

Record6–8Middle415 students

Needham Elementary School

Durango School District No. 9-R

DURANGO, 81301 / Town: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary388 students

Mountain Middle School

State Charter School Institute

DURANGO, 81301 / Town: Distant

Record4–8Charter301 students

Bayfield Intermediate School

Bayfield School District No. 10Jt-R

BAYFIELD, 81122 / Rural: Fringe

Record3–5Primary295 students

Bayfield Middle School

Bayfield School District No. 10Jt-R

BAYFIELD, 81122 / Town: Remote

Record6–8Middle294 students

Ignacio Elementary School

Ignacio School District No. 11Jt

IGNACIO, 81137 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary290 students

Florida Mesa Elementary School

Durango School District No. 9-R

DURANGO, 81303 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary278 students

Bayfield Primary School

Bayfield School District No. 10Jt-R

BAYFIELD, 81122 / Town: Remote

RecordPK–2Primary267 students

Animas High School

State Charter School Institute

DURANGO, 81302 / Rural: Fringe

Record9–12Charter206 students

Ignacio High School

Ignacio School District No. 11Jt

IGNACIO, 81137 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High201 students

Animas Valley Elementary School

Durango School District No. 9-R

DURANGO, 81301 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary188 students

The Juniper School

Durango School District No. 9-R

DURANGO, 81302 / Town: Distant

RecordKG–6Charter162 students

Ignacio Middle School

Ignacio School District No. 11Jt

IGNACIO, 81137 / Rural: Distant

Record6–8Middle150 students

Sunnyside Elementary School

Durango School District No. 9-R

DURANGO, 81303 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary106 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$4,966

State avg $7,447

Compare Nearby Counties

Review La Plata County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

How should I read the school score in La Plata County?

La Plata County has a school score of 6/100, which is a lower measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in La Plata County?

The high school graduation rate in La Plata County is 80.5%, which is below the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does La Plata County spend per student?

La Plata County spends $4,966 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools in La Plata County, Colorado — FAQ

What does the school system look like in La Plata County, Colorado?

What are the major school districts in La Plata County, Colorado?

What is the school experience like in La Plata County?

Counties with Similar School Profile

El Paso County

Colorado

+0 pts

7/100

School score

Mesa County

Colorado

+1 pts

7/100

School score

Rio Grande County

Colorado

+1 pts

7/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated May 13, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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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