Wondering what the worst schools in Colorado are? Well, Colorado has some pretty decent schools and holds the 30th spot in the country, according to Wallet Hub. These rankings are gathered by rating the school's quality and safety. Colorado ranks 23rd in quality and 48th in safety, making it the 30th state in the United States. But, even with Colorado being in the top 25 schools for quality, that doesn't mean that there aren't some bad apples.
There are a handful of things that impact how a school functions and how well-educated the students are. Today, we're going to take a look at the worst schools in Colorado by category: college, high school, middle school, and elementary school. These schools have been determined as the worst schools in the state based on ratings, test scores, graduation rates, and other important factors that can affect the success of a school, depending on what type of school it is. The four worst schools in Colorado are the Community College of Denver, New America School, Deer Trail Junior/Senior High School, and Centennial School District R-1.
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Community College of Denver
The Community College of Denver is the lowest-performing college, with a graduation rate of only 11.6%. It is a public two-year undergraduate college in Colorado's largest city. With approximately 7,000 students enrolled, it is considered a small college. Their admission policy permits any student with a GED or high school degree.
In-state tuition costs approximately $3,680 and $15,102 for out-of-state students. This makes tuition affordable for in-state students but not as much for out-of-state students, especially since the average salary for people who attend this school after 10 years is $35,000.
Unfortunately, there isn't any data on CollegeSimply that shows how many students went on to graduate with a Bachelor's degree. But, 43% of class graduates go on to be health professionals, 32% in liberal arts and humanities, 5% in business and education, and 4% legal professionals.
New America School
New America School is a public high school located in Lakewood, Colorado. It has an overall rating of D- with only Cs and Ds in the graded categories. Categories that contribute to this overall rating include academics, teachers, clubs and activities, diversity, college preparation, and administration. New America School received Cs in teachers, clubs and activities, diversity, and college preparation and Ds in academics and administration.
New America School is a small school with approximately 113 students and a student-to-teacher ratio of 16:1. Approximately 20% of their teachers are in their first or second year of teaching. Looking at state test scores, only 10% of students are proficient in reading and math, and they have a 12% graduation rate. Students who do graduate from New America School often attend the Community College of Denver, Colorado State University, or the Metropolitan State University of Denver.
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Deer Trail Junior/Senior High School
Deer Tail Junior/Senior High School is a middle and high school combined serving students from 6th to 12th grade. Located in Deer Trail, Colorado, they have an overall rating of C-. They received a D+ in academics, a C+ in teachers and college preparation, a C in clubs and activities, a B- in administration, and an A- in diversity. They are currently on the top 100 list of most diverse schools in the state and the 132nd most diverse public middle school.
Deer Trail has approximately 122 students enrolled and has a student-to-teacher ratio of 12:1. At this school, the majority of their teachers are experienced because 0% of their teachers are in their first or second year. Their state test scores also show severely low proficiencies. Only 8% of students are proficient in reading, and 5% are proficient in math.
Centennial School District R-1
Centennial School District R-1 is the lowest-rated school for the elementary category. Located in San Luis, Colorado, it received an overall rating of D. They received a D in academics, a D+ in college preparation, a C- in teachers, a C in administration, a C+ in clubs and activities, and a B- in diversity.
Centennial has approximately 203 enrolled students with a student-to-teacher ratio of 12:1. Approximately 36% of teachers at this school are in their first or second year. This is another school with low state test scores. Only 10% of students are proficient in reading and math.
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