The top reported proficiency rate is 59% in Science. The lowest is 32% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Colorado Early Colleges Colorado Springs
Colorado Early Colleges Colorado Springs is a public charter school serving grades six through twelve, operating under the State Charter School Institute rather than a local district. The school is located in Colorado Springs, a large, sprawling city shaped by military installations, aerospace and defense contractors, and tourism. The city’s economy is dominated by the military presence, including several Space Force bases and Fort Carson, and it has seen steady population growth over recent decades. The built environment is car-dependent, with neighborhoods spread across a high-desert plateau at the base of Pikes Peak. Housing values in the area are below the state average but above the national benchmark, and rents have been rising modestly. The school itself sits in the northern part of the city, though the data does not detail the immediate neighborhood beyond these broad context.
The student body is moderate in size for a secondary school, drawing a diverse mix of backgrounds. The largest group is white, followed by a substantial share of Hispanic students, smaller proportions of students who are Asian, Black, or of two or more races, and a very small number of Native American and Pacific Islander students. About two-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a meaningful presence of lower-income families. The school enrolls students from the early middle school years through high school, and the grade-level counts suggest that many students remain enrolled through graduation, with the upper grades notably larger than the entry grade.
State testing data is limited and comes with important caveats. The assessments reported are for grades three through eight, so they cover only the middle-school portion of the student body — roughly a sixth of the school’s total enrollment participated in the math and English language arts tests, and only a small share took the eighth-grade science test. Participation rates were low, which means the results represent a subset of students and should be interpreted cautiously. Among those tested, proficiency rates were moderate: around three in ten met the state standard in math, about four in ten in English language arts, and roughly six in ten in science. When the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects is compared to the averages of districts in El Paso County, it lands in the top quarter. That is a favorable position, but it is based on a narrow slice of the school’s actual curriculum and student population. No high school assessment data is present — for instance, results from state tests typically given in grades nine through eleven — and the graduation rate is not available in the data. For a school that serves high school grades, this is a notable gap that a family would want to investigate further with the school itself.
Civil rights data, including discipline incidents, staffing ratios, and attendance patterns, were not provided. Information on special education identification and English learner status is also missing. The school does have a charter status, which means it operates with some independence from standard district policies, but no recent changes to the authorizing institute or school-specific initiatives were found in the available record.
The housing and economic context of Colorado Springs offers a mix of opportunities and constraints. The median household income in the area is moderate, and the unemployment rate is relatively low. Mortgage rates in the broader economy have been just above six percent, and the regional housing market shows home values holding steady. Colorado Springs has seen population growth that outpaces many Colorado communities, driven largely by military and aerospace employment. The city’s geography and layout mean that families typically rely on cars for commuting and school travel.
This is a charter school with an enrollment that grows significantly from middle to high school, suggesting that many families choose to stay. Academically, the picture is incomplete: the school posts decent proficiency scores in the grades and subjects tested, but the low participation and absence of high school results make it difficult to gauge overall performance. A parent considering this school would likely want to ask about high school coursework, college readiness supports, and graduation outcomes directly. The peer environment is diverse in income and race, and the school’s moderate size may appeal to families looking for an alternative to larger traditional high schools within the city’s several districts.
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