The top reported proficiency rate is 32% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Pagosa Peak Open School
Pagosa Peak Open School is a small charter school in Pagosa Springs serving kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the Archuleta County School District No. 50 Jt but operates independently as a charter, which means families choose into the school. The enrollment is small for a K-8 school, and the grade-by-grade numbers vary, with some single-grade classes having very few students. Just over half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a typical rate for the area. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic minority and small numbers of students identifying as two or more races or as American Indian or Alaska Native.
Pagosa Springs itself is a small mountain town built around its namesake hot springs. Tourism, outdoor recreation in the surrounding San Juan National Forest, and healthcare are the main economic drivers. The town has a modest, seasonal street life along its riverfront downtown, but residential areas spread out into hillsides and valleys, and there is no public transit. The school sits on a separate campus area on the south side of town, apart from the downtown core. Housing in the area is expensive relative to the national median, and the market shows a slight recent decline in values. The school district has been stable; publicly reported information shows no major recent changes such as a boundary redraw or a leadership turnover.
On state assessments, the picture is mixed and a parent would want to look into this further with the school. Proficiency in math was low in the most recent testing year, and proficiency in English language arts was at a moderate level. Science results for fifth grade were suppressed due to a small tested group. Because the school serves only through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The school’s charter status and small size mean that academic performance can fluctuate year to year, and a single year’s snapshot may not capture the trend.
The school does not offer high school courses, so there are no AP, dual-credit, or career-tech programs to evaluate. Data on discipline, chronic absenteeism, staffing, and special education were not available in the record. A parent considering this school would want to ask directly about how the school supports students with learning differences and about classroom climate, since those pieces are missing from the public data. The school website would be the next stop for details on its academic approach and daily operations. For a family drawn to a small, choice-based school in a mountain town setting, Pagosa Peak Open School offers a distinct environment, but the academic results and limited public information suggest that a close look at how the school measures and supports student progress is warranted.
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