Original Research by School Decision on Atlas Preparatory High School
Atlas Preparatory High School is a charter high school in Colorado Springs, operating under Harrison School District 2. It serves grades nine through twelve and is classified as a regular public school. The school’s enrollment is small for a high school, with ninth grade being the largest entering class and each subsequent grade a bit smaller, which is a typical pattern for a school that may have some students transfer in and out.
The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with a very small share of white students, a similarly small share of Black students, and a tiny number of Asian and multiracial students. A very substantial share of students come from low-income households. We looked for data on students with disabilities and English learners, but those counts were not available.
State testing data was not available for this school, so there is no direct evidence on how its students perform on state assessments. The data on academic proficiency, chronic absenteeism, and the graduation rate were all missing, which means a clear picture of academic outcomes is not possible from the information currently on record. A parent may want to ask the school directly for its most recent school accountability report card from the Colorado Department of Education to see this information.
Because the school has no reported state testing results or graduation rate, the comparison to other districts in El Paso County could not be drawn. This is not unusual for a school whose data may not have been reported to the state in a given year, but it does mean that no external benchmarks are available.
The school is part of Harrison School District 2, which recently received notable community support. In November 2024, district voters approved a mill levy that provides significant annual funding for the D2 Promise Program, which covers tuition and fees at Pikes Peak State College for all qualifying district graduates. This is a major financial resource for families considering postsecondary education. For a student at Atlas Preparatory High School, this program offers a defined, funded pathway to a local community college.
Colorado Springs itself is a large, sprawling city with a military-driven economy. The city is home to multiple military bases and defense contractors, and the tourism and aerospace sectors are also large employers. The city is car-dependent, with residential neighborhoods spread across a broad high-desert plateau at the base of Pikes Peak. The school is located on South Murray Boulevard in a part of the city that is primarily auto-oriented. The city has grown substantially over recent decades, and its population continues to increase.
The housing market in the area around the school reflects a recent softening. Home values in the zip code have declined slightly year over year, and rents have held relatively flat. The estimated monthly cost to rent is lower than the estimated monthly mortgage for a comparable home, which makes renting a financially reasonable choice for many households right now. The typical home value in the zip code is well below the statewide average, and the mortgage-to-income ratio suggests that buying a home near the school requires a moderate portion of a typical household income. The unemployment rate in the area sits at a moderate level.
This school best fits a family who values a small high school setting and a predominantly Hispanic student body, and who is looking for a charter school option in the Harrison district. The D2 Promise Program is a concrete, direct benefit that can make college financially realistic for graduates. However, the absence of public academic data means a family cannot evaluate the school through the usual state-reported performance metrics. Anyone considering the school would need to ask the school office directly for its academic results, its graduation rate, and its college-going record to get a sense of student outcomes.
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