The top reported proficiency rate is 24% in English language arts. The lowest is 13% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Penrose Elementary School
Penrose Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through sixth grade and is part of the Fremont Re-2 district, which also includes Florence Junior/Senior High School for grades seven through twelve. The school is a regular public, non-charter elementary in the unincorporated community of Penrose, a small, rural census-designated place in Fremont County. The setting is agricultural, spread out along US 50, with a single traffic light, a volunteer fire station, a small grocery store, a post office, a few restaurants, and the Estes Industries model rocket factory as a notable local employer. Many residents commute to Colorado Springs or to prisons in Florence and Cañon City for work. There is no traditional downtown; commercial and civic life clusters along the highway corridor. The school itself functions as a community anchor.
Enrollment is in the several hundreds, spanning preschool through sixth grade. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population making up a modest share, and small numbers of students identifying as two or more races or American Indian or Alaska Native. The school does not have any students reported in the Asian or Black demographic categories. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a substantial share of families have lower household incomes. Data on students with Individualized Education Programs or English learner status was missing from the available records.
On state assessments administered in the most recent year, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades falls in the bottom quartile relative to the three other districts within Fremont County. In both math and English language arts, about a fifth of students scored at the proficient or above level as measured by the Colorado Measures of Academic Success. In science, only about an eighth of fifth-grade students reached the proficient or above threshold. While the school had full participation rates in math and English language arts, these proficiency rates are lower than those seen in other schools in the county. A parent or guardian looking into this may want to ask the school about its approach to core instruction, intervention strategies, and what supports are in place for students who are not yet meeting benchmarks.
Because this is a prekindergarten through sixth-grade school, there is no high school graduation rate to report. The school provides education only through the elementary years, and after sixth grade, students would move to the district’s joint junior and senior high school in nearby Florence.
The built environment in Penrose is car-oriented, with low population density and no walkable downtown core. Housing in the area’s zip code is moderately priced compared to statewide benchmarks, with an estimated home value that is lower than the Colorado average, though a cost-of-living comparison across the full county was not available. The Penrose community has been growing notably in recent years, with population increasing since the 2020 census, and median household income has risen as well. No major new housing developments were identified in available sources, but the growth suggests the area is attracting new residents, many of whom likely commute elsewhere for employment.
Fremont Re-2 operates both Penrose Elementary and the secondary school in Florence. The district appears stable, with no recent major changes or initiatives surfaced in the available research. The library district serving Penrose and the Brush Hollow Reservoir recreation area offer some civic amenities, but families looking for a dense array of after-school options or cultural institutions will find Penrose to be a quiet, rural setting where the school is the primary daytime hub. For a family weighing this school, the core academic picture is the most significant factor: the proficiency rates are notably below county peers, and the school is one of the smaller elementary options in a rural district where most older students will end up at Florence Junior/Senior High School.
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