The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in Science. The lowest is 30% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on High Plains Elementary School
High Plains Elementary School is a regular public school in Colorado Springs serving prekindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of Academy District 20, one of the major school systems in the Pikes Peak region. The school sits in a part of Colorado Springs that is part of the city’s broader northern suburban expanse, an area shaped by the region’s heavy military and aerospace presence, steady population growth, and car-dependent development patterns.
The student body is mixed in its makeup. Roughly half of the students are white, and a substantial share are Hispanic, with smaller numbers of students who are Asian, Black, or of two or more races. A significant portion of the student population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a meaningful share of families face economic pressure. The enrollment is small for an elementary school, and the grades are well distributed across the PK-5 span with no single grade dominating. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a family wanting to understand the school’s support for those groups would need to ask the school directly.
The school’s academic results on the Colorado Measures of Academic Success tests are mixed and generally modest. In math, fewer than a third of students scored at proficient or advanced levels, a figure that falls substantially below what many families would hope to see for a school in this district. In English language arts, roughly a third of students reached proficiency. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects places it above the midpoint when compared to other schools in El Paso County, a reminder that the county includes a wide range of performance levels. In fifth-grade science, where the state uses a different scoring standard, a larger share of students met the bar, though still short of a majority. These are average numbers at best, and a family considering the school would be wise to look into how the school works with students who are not yet at grade level and whether the school has particular strengths in certain grades or subjects.
The broader housing context matters for families choosing this area. Home values in the school’s ZIP code are essentially flat, having ticked down slightly over the past year, and rents are similarly stable. Monthly mortgage costs on a typical home are high relative to rents, meaning buying a home here is notably more expensive than renting, which could shape a family’s housing decision. The economic backdrop in Colorado Springs is defined by a strong military and defense sector, a growing population, and a low unemployment rate, but the cost of housing has been a longstanding pressure point.
A publicly reported recent development in Academy District 20 is a bond passed in 2024 to rebuild schools located on the U.S. Air Force Academy, with an additional matching contribution from the Department of Defense. While High Plains Elementary is not on the Academy grounds, these district-level investments point to a system that has been able to secure funding for capital improvements, which can matter for facilities and learning environments over time.
This is a school where the academic numbers are not strong overall, and the economic need among families is real. The school serves a diverse, modest-sized elementary population in a growing suburban part of a large military-anchored city. For a parent weighing options, the key question is what academic supports are in place for the many students who are not yet meeting state proficiency benchmarks, and whether the school’s particular program or community fit outweighs those results.
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