The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in Science. The lowest is 22% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Edith Teter Elementary School
Edith Teter Elementary serves the town of Fairplay, the county seat of Park County, from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The school is one of the elementary options within Park County School District No. Re-2 and operates as a regular public school. Fairplay itself is a small, quiet mountain town situated at a high elevation, where historic 19th-century buildings on Front Street sit alongside modern highway retail. Most residences occupy the hillside near the schools and the county courthouse, and the town’s compact size means the elementary school sits within or adjacent to the civic and downtown core. Street life is modest and seasonal, driven by tourism and annual events such as Burro Days and the Park County Fair, rather than dense urban activity.
Enrollment at Edith Teter is moderate for an elementary school serving these grade levels, with a student body that is predominantly white. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a notable level of economic diversity within the school. The remaining student population includes a smaller share of Hispanic students and very small numbers of students who are Asian, Black, or of two or more races. Information on the share of students with disabilities or those classified as English learners was not available in the data reviewed, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about how it supports these populations.
State assessment results are available for the most recent testing year in math, English language arts, and science. On the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, the school’s proficiency rates across these subjects fell below the midpoint among the small number of districts in Park County, landing in the bottom quartile within that comparison set. In math and English language arts, roughly one in five students scored at the proficient or advanced level. In fifth-grade science, the share reached about three in ten. Participation rates on all three assessments were strong. The school does not serve grades beyond fifth, so there is no graduation rate to report; for families moving through the system, the district’s secondary schools would provide that picture.
The school is not a charter school, and its Title I status was not reported in the available data. No information on discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, or staffing ratios was provided, which limits a full picture of the school environment. A parent considering the school may want to inquire about class sizes, student support resources, and any enrichment or intervention programs offered.
Housing in the Fairplay area, measured by typical home values, sits above the state benchmark for Colorado and well above the national figure. The local housing market has seen a modest recent decline in values, but affordability remains a challenge relative to national income levels. This suggests that families moving into the area to attend the school will encounter a relatively expensive housing market, even by Colorado standards. The town has experienced modest population growth since the last census, and infrastructure improvements such as street paving have occurred, but no major new housing developments or large-scale construction projects were identified. Growth appears incremental, consistent with the town’s remote mountain setting.
Park County School District No. Re-2, which oversees Edith Teter, did not show evidence of recent major changes or strategic initiatives in publicly available material, so the narrative of the elementary school is largely the product of its own state testing results, student demographics, and the town’s character. The school’s test performance on core subjects is an area where families may want to understand the instructional approach and any efforts underway to improve outcomes. For a family that values a small-town mountain setting, historic downtown character, and a school that draws from a predominantly white and economically mixed local population, Edith Teter offers that anchored experience. Those prioritizing strong academic metrics on state assessments will find that proficiency rates are lower than many peers in the county, and they may want to explore further with the school what specific supports or academic programs are in place.
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