The top reported proficiency rate is 34% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Rangely Junior/senior High School
Rangely Junior/Senior High School is a regular public school serving grades six through twelve in the Rangely School District RE4. With a small enrollment, it is the only secondary school in this rural Colorado town, nestled in the Book Cliffs region of Rio Blanco County. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic minority and a small share of students identifying as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the modest economic conditions of the area.
State assessment results for the most recent school year show that proficiency rates on the Colorado Measures of Academic Success are modest. In math, roughly one in five students scored at proficient or above; in English language arts, about one in three met that threshold. Science proficiency, measured at the eighth-grade level, was lower. These numbers place the school above the midpoint among districts in Rio Blanco County on an overall proficiency index, meaning that compared to its few neighboring districts, it performs somewhat better than the middle of the pack. Still, a parent looking at state-level expectations may want to look into this further with the school, especially in math and science. No graduation rate data was available, nor was information on chronic absenteeism or discipline, so those dimensions of school life are not part of this picture.
The school sits in a town defined by the oil and gas industry. Chevron operates the Rangely Weber Sand Unit, the largest oil field in the Rocky Mountain region and a major local employer. Colorado Northwestern Community College has its main campus in Rangely, giving the town a college presence that adds a youthful dimension. Housing in the area is considerably more affordable than the state or national median, with typical home values well below Colorado’s average. That affordability, combined with reliable fiber-optic internet that has earned the town recognition as a work-from-home destination, may appeal to families looking for a lower-cost rural setting.
Rangely is a low-density, car-dependent community. The built environment includes residential neighborhoods, oilfield support infrastructure, and college facilities spread across a small area. There is a Main Street civic corridor, but daily errands beyond basics require a drive. Outdoor recreation—off-highway vehicle trails, fishing at Kenney Reservoir, rock-crawling parks, and golf—is central to local life. The town has invested in cultural anchors like the Tank Center for Sonic Arts and a dinosaur sculpture at the Outdoor Museum. The district itself did not turn up publicly reported recent changes or strategic priorities, so this account cannot speak to any current improvement efforts or program shifts.
For a family considering this school, the key takeaway is a small rural secondary school in an oil-and-college town, where academic proficiency is below state averages but sits around the middle of a small county pool. The peer environment is homogeneous by race, and the economic context is working-class. Housing is affordable compared to much of Colorado. The school offers no charter or magnet designation. With no data on special education or English learner populations, and no graduation rate available, some important questions about student outcomes and support remain unanswered. A parent would want to contact the school directly to fill those gaps before making a decision.
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