Introduction
Northern Colorado is home to some of the most gorgeous scenery in the country as well as some of the best school districts in the state. As you consider your options, take these school districts into account during your property search.
Poudre School District
Located in Larimer County and serving the communities of Fort Collins, La Porte, Timnath, Wellington, Red Feather, Livermore, Stove Prairie, and some areas of Windsor, Poudre School District is rated #1 on Niche.com as the best in the county. It has fifty schools and five charter schools. The district received an overall Niche grade of A. The school district received an A- for Academics, an A- for Teachers, and A for Clubs and Activities, a B for Diversity, an A for College Prep, and an A- for Health and Safety. The district has about 28,700 students from pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade with an overall student to teacher ratio of 17 to one. On the state’s standardized test scores, 48 percent of students are proficient or higher in math, and 56 percent of them scored at least proficient in reading. Poudre School District is ranked eighth for Best School Districts in Colorado, and #23 for Best School Districts for Athletes in Colorado. The district’s average graduation rate is 79 percent, and the average SAT score, according to responses from users of Niche is 1270, while the average ACT score is 28. The district spends $10,647 per student, and the average teacher salary is $55,230. Teachers in their first or second year comprise 5.1 of teachers in the district.
Thompson School District
Thompson School District is also located in Larimer County, and it serves the city of Loveland. It is ranked third in the county for best school on Niche.com. Niche’s overall grade is a B for the district, and it breaks down to a B in Academics, an A- for Teachers ,a B for Clubs and Activities, a B for Diversity, a B+ for College Prep, and a C+ for health and safety. The district serves 16,280 students from pre-K through twelfth grade, and the ratio of students to teachers is 18 to one. The state’s standardized test scores for the district show that 34 percent of students are at least proficient in math and 42 are at least proficient in reading. Thompson is rated #24 for Best School Districts for Athletes in Colorado, and it is rated #41 for Districts with the Best Teachers in Colorado. It is ranked 60th on the list of Best School Districts in Colorado. The average graduation rate is 79 percent, and of the responses recorded on Niche.com, the average SAT score is 1180, while 26 is the average ACT score. The district’s average teacher salary is $58,410, and 12 percent of teachers in the district are first- or second-year teachers. The District’s expenditure per student is $9,324.
Weld RE-4
Weld County Reorganized School District Number 4 (Weld RE-4) is located in Windsor, Colorado (although part of Windsor is served by Poudre School District), and it is rated #2 in Best School Districts in Weld County on Niche.com. The district received an overall Niche grade of A-, which broken down, includes: A- for Academics, A- for Teachers, B+ for Clubs and Activities, C+ for Diversity, A- for College Prep, and A- for Health and Safety. The district serves about 6,000 students, and, according to state standardized test scores, 43 percent of students are at least proficient in math, and 51 percent are at least proficient in reading. The district is ranked #4 for Best School Districts for Athletes in Colorado, #19 for Best School Districts in Colorado, and #25 for Districts with the Best Teachers in Colorado. The district’s average graduation rate is 91 percent, and the average SAT score, based on Niche.com users’ responses is 1220, and 26 for ACT. The student to teacher ratio in Weld RE-4 is 18. Teachers in the district earn an average of $47,582, and six percent of teachers are in their first or second years of teaching. The district’s expenditure per student is $8,345.
Steamboat Springs School District Number RE-2
Steamboat Springs School District RE-2 is located in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and it is ranked #7 on the Niche.com list for Best School Districts in Colorado. It received an overall grade of A from Niche, and it received an A in Academics, an A for teachers a B- for Clubs and Activities, a C for Diversity, an A for College Prep, and a B+ for Health and Safety. The district also ranks 7th for Districts with the Best Teachers in Colorado. The district serves nearly 2,600 students from pre-K through twelfth grade, and the student to teacher ratio is 16 to one. The state’s standardized test scores show that 59 percent of students are at least proficient in math, and 68 percent of them are at least proficient in reading. Niche.com reports that the average SAT score is 1220, based on user responses, and 27 for the ACT. The average teacher salary is $53,542 per year, and nearly 12 percent of teacher are first- or second year teachers.
St. Vrain Valley School District
St. Vrain Valley Schools covers a wide area, and it is headquartered in Longmont, Colorado. Niche.com gives the district an overall grade of B+, and it received at B+ in Academics, a B+ for Teachers, a B in Clubs and Activities, a B+ for Diversity, an A- for College Prep, and a B+ for Health and Safety. The district serves about 32,200 students from pre-K through twelfth grade, and the student to teacher ratio is 18 to one. Thirty-six percent of the district’s students are at least proficient in math, and 48 percent of them are at least proficient in reading. The district ranks 10th for Best School Districts for Athletes in Colorado, and 26th for Best School Districts in Colorado. It also ranks 51st for Most Diverse School Districts in Colorado. The average graduation rate is 84 percent, and the average SAT score is 120, and the average ACT score is 27, based on users’ reported scores on Niche.com. The average teacher salary is $53,913, and nearly 6 percent of teachers are in their first or second year of teaching. Expenses per student total $10,113.
Merino Re-4J
Merino RE-4J School District is located in Merino, Colorado. It is rated as the top school district in Logan County by Niche.com and has an overall grade of B+. It earned an A- in academics, a B+ for teachers, a C+ for Clubs and Activities, a C for Diversity, a C for College Prep, and a B+ for Health and Safety. This school district is very small with just over 300 students from pre-K through twelfth grade, but the student to teacher ratio is 14 to one. Standardized test scores in the district show that 62 percent of students are at least proficient in math, and 72 percent are at least proficient in reading. It ranks 29th on Niche’s Best School Districts in Colorado list, and it is 45th for Districts with the Best Teachers in Colorado. The average SAT score is 1040, and the average ACT score is 25, according to Niche.com users. The average teacher salary is $48,831, and 9 percent of teachers are in their first or second years of teaching. The total amount of money spent per student is $11,235.
References
- Niche.com
- https://www.psdschools.org/your-district/about-psd