Otero County Schools & Education
Otero County, Colorado
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
28/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Lower Signal
Graduation Rate
85.7%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
85.7%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 83.1%
Per-Pupil Spending
$6,624
National avg $13,239
State avg $7,447
School Score
28/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 36/100
State Score Position
#42
of 63 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Otero County
Measured School Summary
Otero County faces educational challenges with a school score of 28/100 and a graduation rate of 85.7%, falling below typical benchmarks.
Funding Context
At $6,624 per pupil, Otero County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 24% below the Colorado average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 2.6 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 11% lower than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Otero 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
15 public schools and 6 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
28/100
Lower measured signal. Ranks #42 of 63 Colorado counties with school score data.
Completion
85.7%
2.6 pts above the state average
Funding context
$6,624
$823 below the state average
School coverage
15
6 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
Otero County has 15 public schools across 6 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.
What Otero 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.
Review-carefully county
Otero County has a lower measured county-level school signal. Use the school table to look for specific districts or grade bands that may differ from the county average.
State position
#42
of 63 Colorado counties with school score data. The county score is 8 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.
East Otero School District No. R1
Elementary and high visible
1,355 students
4 listed schools in this county slice.
Rocky Ford School District No. R2
Elementary and high visible
632 students
3 listed schools in this county slice.
Fowler School District No. R4J
Elementary to high school visible
347 students
3 listed schools in this county slice.
Swink School District No. 33 in the county of Otero and St
Elementary and high visible
314 students
2 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
East Otero School District No. R1 is the largest listed district slice, with 4 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 Otero County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Otero County district systems?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Otero County Educational Landscape Distributed Across Six School Districts
Education data brief for Otero County, Colorado.
Otero County maintains a highly fragmented district structure, with six independent school districts serving a total student population of only 3,038. This results in an average school size of 203 students across 15 public schools. The largest district, East Otero School District No. R1, serves 1,355 students across four schools, with La Junta Jr/Sr High School as the largest campus at 539 students. The graduation rate in Otero County is 85.7%, which exceeds the Colorado state average of 83.1% but is lower than the national average of 87.0%. The county's composite school score is 27.5, which is lower than the state average of 35.6. Per-pupil expenditure is recorded at $6,624, compared to the state average of $7,447 and the national average of $13,000. All schools in the county are classified as either town or rural. Compare individual district boundaries and enrollment levels via the NCES Common Core of Data.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
15
in Otero County
Reported Enrollment
3,038
15 schools reporting
School Districts
6
districts
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
6 School Districts in Otero County
East Otero School District No. R1
Rocky Ford School District No. R2
Fowler School District No. R4J
Swink School District No. 33 in the county of Otero and St
Cheraw School District No. 31 in the county of Otero and S
Manzanola Joint District No. 3J of the counties of Otero a
15 Public Schools in Otero County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 15 of 15 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Junta Jr/Sr High School | Record | East Otero School District No. R1 | LA JUNTA, 81050Town: Remote | 7–12 | High | 539 |
| La Junta Intermediate School | Record | East Otero School District No. R1 | LA JUNTA, 81050Town: Remote | 3–6 | Primary | 407 |
| La Junta Primary School | Record | East Otero School District No. R1 | LA JUNTA, 81050Town: Remote | KG–2 | Primary | 291 |
| Rocky Ford Junior/Senior High School | Record | Rocky Ford School District No. R2 | ROCKY FORD, 81067Town: Remote | 7–12 | High | 285 |
| Cheraw School | Record | Cheraw School District No. 31 in the county of Otero and S | CHERAW, 81030Rural: Distant | PK–12 | Other | 227 |
| Jefferson Intermediate School | Record | Rocky Ford School District No. R2 | ROCKY FORD, 81067Town: Remote | 3–6 | Primary | 199 |
| Fowler Elementary School | Record | Fowler School District No. R4J | FOWLER, 81093Rural: Remote | KG–6 | Primary | 180 |
| Swink Elementary School | Record | Swink School District No. 33 in the county of Otero and St | SWINK, 81077Town: Remote | KG–6 | Primary | 180 |
| Washington Primary School | Record | Rocky Ford School District No. R2 | ROCKY FORD, 81067Town: Remote | PK–2 | Primary | 148 |
| Swink Junior-Senior High School | Record | Swink School District No. 33 in the county of Otero and St | SWINK, 81077Town: Remote | 7–12 | High | 134 |
| Tiger Trades Academy | Record | East Otero School District No. R1 | LA JUNTA, 81050Town: Remote | 5–12 | Alternative | 118 |
| Manzanola Junior-Senior High School | Record | Manzanola Joint District No. 3J of the counties of Otero a | MANZANOLA, 80158Rural: Distant | 6–12 | High | 108 |
| Fowler High School | Record | Fowler School District No. R4J | FOWLER, 81039Rural: Remote | 9–12 | High | 104 |
| Fowler Junior High School | Record | Fowler School District No. R4J | FOWLER, 81039Rural: Remote | 7–8 | Middle | 63 |
| Manzanola Elementary School | Record | Manzanola Joint District No. 3J of the counties of Otero a | MANZANOLA, 80158Rural: Distant | PK–5 | Primary | 55 |
La Junta Jr/Sr High School
East Otero School District No. R1
LA JUNTA, 81050 / Town: Remote
La Junta Intermediate School
East Otero School District No. R1
LA JUNTA, 81050 / Town: Remote
La Junta Primary School
East Otero School District No. R1
LA JUNTA, 81050 / Town: Remote
Rocky Ford Junior/Senior High School
Rocky Ford School District No. R2
ROCKY FORD, 81067 / Town: Remote
Cheraw School
Cheraw School District No. 31 in the county of Otero and S
CHERAW, 81030 / Rural: Distant
Jefferson Intermediate School
Rocky Ford School District No. R2
ROCKY FORD, 81067 / Town: Remote
Fowler Elementary School
Fowler School District No. R4J
FOWLER, 81093 / Rural: Remote
Swink Elementary School
Swink School District No. 33 in the county of Otero and St
SWINK, 81077 / Town: Remote
Washington Primary School
Rocky Ford School District No. R2
ROCKY FORD, 81067 / Town: Remote
Swink Junior-Senior High School
Swink School District No. 33 in the county of Otero and St
SWINK, 81077 / Town: Remote
Tiger Trades Academy
East Otero School District No. R1
LA JUNTA, 81050 / Town: Remote
Manzanola Junior-Senior High School
Manzanola Joint District No. 3J of the counties of Otero a
MANZANOLA, 80158 / Rural: Distant
Fowler High School
Fowler School District No. R4J
FOWLER, 81039 / Rural: Remote
Fowler Junior High School
Fowler School District No. R4J
FOWLER, 81039 / Rural: Remote
Manzanola Elementary School
Manzanola Joint District No. 3J of the counties of Otero a
MANZANOLA, 80158 / Rural: Distant
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$6,624
State avg $7,447
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Otero County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
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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.