While some school districts in the Pikes Peak Region have reason to cheer this fall, others face new concerns to address.

The Colorado Department of Education released its preliminary school and district accountability frameworks based on 2024-25 data, showing trends largely consistent across the state with last year’s.

The frameworks are used to accredit school districts and assign school ratings by measures such as graduation rates, academic achievement and growth.

Using percentages of the total points earned, the department assigns ratings to determine levels of accreditation for districts and which specific schools require greater support. The levels of accreditation from lowest to highest are “turnaround,” “priority improvement,” “improvement,” “performance” and “distinction.”

Schools and districts that receive “priority improvement” or “turnaround” ratings are placed on the state’s “accountability clock” and have roughly five years to improve their performance and distinction before receiving intervention from the Colorado State Board of Education.

While ratings statewide improved and total schools on the accountability clock decreased this year, districts throughout El Paso County experienced more fluctuation.

After halving its watchlist schools in 2023 and increasing its number of “performance schools” in 2024, Colorado Springs D-11 saw its growth flatten this year.

Colorado schools post steady progress, Pikes Peak region results mixed

Along with Adams Elementary, which was a “turnaround” school last year, Carver Elementary, James Irwin Elementary – Howard, Orton Academy and Wilson Elementary School joined the list of “turnaround” schools in the Pikes Peak region.

Additionally, D-11 schools that are now ranked as “priority improvement” include Columbia Elementary, Mann Middle, Jack Swigert Middle and Rogers Elementary schools.

At the same time, other D-11 schools on the state’s watchlist showed signs of improvement. Galileo Middle School increased its percentage by nearly five points, while Mitchell High School improved its rating from a “turnaround” school to a “priority improvement” school.

“While some schools have stepped back in preliminary ratings, progress is not always straightforward. As a district built on small neighborhood schools, we know the strength of our model lies in knowing every student and supporting their growth,” D-11 Executive Director of Engagement Jessica Wise told The Gazette.

“Where we have focused resources and supports — such as at Adams, Galileo and Mitchell — we are already seeing positive results. These examples show that our strategy is working, and we are committed to amplifying what works — student agency in the classroom and robust instructional support for educators — across the district.”

The preliminary information will be finalized in the coming months and school districts have until Sept. 26 to provide additional data through the “request to reconsider” process, which may result in rating changes before frameworks are presented to the State Board of Education.

Wise said that D-11 plans to pursue this process for many of its schools to consider additional factors and metrics beyond what’s currently represented.

Another district with a history of pursuing this process is the region’s largest, D-49. Superintendent Peter Hilts explained that every year’s preliminary data doesn’t account for its alternative education campus, Goal High School, which accounts for over 7,000 of the district’s population of more than 26,000 students, and isn’t reflective of the district’s overall performance.

Alternative education campuses are schools that serve student populations prone to a higher risk of dropping out, stemming from unique circumstances, and are subject to a separate accountability process that is finalized later in the fall.

In the case of D-49, the district-wide rating based on preliminary results in 2024 was “improvement.” Following adjustments to account for Goal High School’s performance this year, the district’s overall ranking improved to “accredited.”

Other alternative education campuses in the region include the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind, Eastlake High School and The Bijou School in D-11, Welte Big Picture High School in Fountain-Fort Carson D-8, the Career Readiness Academy in Harrison D-2 and Discovery High School in Widefield D-3.

At the time of publishing this story, each school’s preliminary rating was listed by CDE as “Pending AEC Framework.” D-49’s overall rating for this year is 47.6% for “improvement.” Like last year, Hilts anticipates this to improve once Goal’s performance is taken into consideration.

In Harrison D-2, Giberson improved from “turnaround” to a “priority improvement” school while Harrison High School’s rating increased to “improvement” this year. Stratton Meadows Elementary, Otero Elementary and Truman Elementary retained their “priority improvement” rankings while Carmel Community School and Panorama Middle School dropped to “priority improvement” rankings from last year.

For the first time since the frameworks were established in the 2008-2009 school year, Lewis-Palmer D-38 didn’t achieve the “accredited with distinction” rating. The school district saw its percentage points dip slightly from 74.5% in 2024 to 72.7% in 2025.

While one district lost its distinction ranking this year, another one gained it in Manitou Springs D-14. While performances remained mostly consistent across three of its four schools, Manitou Springs Elementary School’s percentage points leaped from 58.9% in 2024 to 72.4% in 2025.

D-14 joins El Paso County districts Academy D-20 and Cheyenne Mountain D-12, which have continued their streaks of earning “Accredited with Distinction” ratings every year since the framework has been in place.

According to a media release, D-20’s learning services team will collaborate with schools to distribute their frameworks and conduct deeper data analysis. The findings will be integrated into the district’s Professional Learning Communities (PLC).

“We don’t just look at the numbers; we dive deep into what they tell us about each student’s journey,” D-20 Superintendent Jinger Haberer said in the release. “Together, we will use this data to shape and inform our PLC initiatives, ensuring our teachers, school leaders and district leadership can continue to best serve our students.”