Best Public Schools in Boulder, CO

Summary:

The city of Boulder, Colorado is home to 30 schools, including 17 elementary schools, 6 middle schools, 6 high schools, and 1 alternative school, all part of the Boulder Valley School District No. Re2. This highly-ranked district, 4th out of 116 in Colorado, boasts exceptional academic performance, with several standout schools leading the way.

At the high school level, Fairview High School stands out as the 5th best high school in Colorado, with over 90% of students proficient or better in reading/writing and math. The middle school tier is led by Southern Hills Middle School, ranked 9th in the state and with impressive proficiency rates of 84.3% in English Language Arts and 71.9% in Math. Among elementary schools, High Peaks Elementary and Bear Creek Elementary stand out, ranking 4th and 6th in Colorado respectively, with over 86% proficiency in both English and Math.

However, the data also reveals significant disparities within the district, with high-poverty schools like Arapahoe Ridge High School and University Hill Elementary struggling to match the exceptional performance of the top-tier schools. This suggests the need for greater equity and support to ensure all students in the Boulder Valley School District have access to a high-quality education.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				PSAT10 Reading and Writing (2024)	PSAT10 Mathematics (2024)	PSAT9 Reading and Writing (2024)	PSAT9 Mathematics (2024)	SAT Reading and Writing (2024)	SAT Mathematics (2024)	CMAS English Language Arts (2024)							CMAS Math (2024)							CMAS Science (2024)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT10 Reading and Writing 10th Grade	PSAT10 Mathematics 10th Grade	PSAT9 Reading and Writing 9th Grade	PSAT9 Mathematics 9th Grade	SAT Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	CMAS Science 8th Grade	CMAS Science 11th Grade	Total
Williamsburg Academy of Colorado	Public, Virtual	6-12	1942 Broadway Street Ste 314c	Boulder	80302	Boulder County	Education Reenvisioned BOCES	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(303) 345-4145	223	16	14.1		145 (65.0%)	9 (4.0%)	51 (22.9%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	14 (6.3%)								(n/a)													26.9							24.0				$7,943
Bear Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2500 Table Mesa Drive	Boulder	80305	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-3500	315	19	16.7	8.9%	231 (73.3%)	2 (0.6%)	27 (8.6%)	20 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (11.1%)	98.8	6^th of 943 public elementary schools	99.4%		98.5	7^th of 933 public elementary schools	99.2%	1							86.4	84.6	89.5				86.9	82.2	83.0	94.8				87.2	87.9			$18,044
Boulder High School	Public	9-12	1604 Arapahoe Avenue	Boulder	80302	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-2200	2,022	99	20.4	30.3%	1,323 (65.4%)	21 (1.0%)	504 (24.9%)	62 (3.1%)	4 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	102 (5.0%)	86	44^th of 349 public high schools	87.4%		88.9	29^th of 349 public high schools	91.7%	15	85.0	53.0	83.0	59.0	77.0	56.0																	47.4	$16,921
Manhattan Middle School of the Arts and Academics	Public	6-8	290 Manhattan Drive	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-6300	418	24	17.4	29.4%	260 (62.2%)	4 (1.0%)	99 (23.7%)	15 (3.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (9.1%)	69.4	127^th of 485 public middle schools	73.8%		77.2	89^th of 480 public middle schools	81.5%	38										61.8	63.0	44.9	57.7				45.5	41.1	42.9	43.1		34.1		$19,829
Casey Middle School	Public	6-8	1301 High Street	Boulder	80304	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-2700	393	33	12.0	56.5%	156 (39.7%)	3 (0.8%)	196 (49.9%)	15 (3.8%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	18 (4.6%)	34.2	285^th of 485 public middle schools	41.2%		37.2	273^rd of 480 public middle schools	43.1%	12										40.2	41.4	38.2	39.8				25.5	19.4	23.2	22.6		22.8		$21,070
Centennial Middle School	Public	6-8	2205 Norwood Avenue	Boulder	80304	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-5441	619	32	19.0	34.1%	402 (64.9%)	8 (1.3%)	159 (25.7%)	16 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.8%)	73	110^th of 485 public middle schools	77.3%		61.6	147^th of 480 public middle schools	69.4%	37										60.5	55.2	48.3	54.4				47.3	42.3	50.5	47.0		46.8		$17,791
Columbine Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3130 Repplier Drive	Boulder	80304	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 561-2500	394	25	15.9	68.0%	113 (28.7%)	7 (1.8%)	243 (61.7%)	15 (3.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.6%)	26	660^th of 943 public elementary schools	30.0%		42.7	494^th of 933 public elementary schools	47.1%	166							57.9	44.4	32.8				40.4	23.6	15.3	23.4				20.8	21.3			$22,680
Crest View Elementary School	Public	K-5	1897 Sumac Avenue	Boulder	80304	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-5461	410	27	15.3	31.2%	245 (59.8%)	12 (2.9%)	103 (25.1%)	21 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	26 (6.3%)	77.7	190^th of 943 public elementary schools	79.9%		74.7	212^th of 933 public elementary schools	77.3%	22							50.8	62.7	67.7				60.6	51.6	47.6	53.2				50.5	62.3			$20,255
Eisenhower Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1220 Eisenhower Drive	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-6700	338	21	16.2	18.9%	250 (74.0%)	4 (1.2%)	33 (9.8%)	15 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (10.4%)	93.4	39^th of 943 public elementary schools	95.9%		92.5	53^rd of 933 public elementary schools	94.3%	14							83.9	82.5	62.5				75.7	89.3	69.0	72.9				77.7	64.4			$20,228
Fairview High School	Public	9-12	1515 Greenbriar Boulevard	Boulder	80305	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-3100	1,847	84	22.0	12.8%	1,282 (69.4%)	21 (1.1%)	201 (10.9%)	181 (9.8%)	7 (0.4%)	7 (0.4%)	144 (7.8%)	96.2	5^th of 349 public high schools	98.6%		95.8	7^th of 349 public high schools	98.0%	2	94.0	73.0	93.0	75.0	91.0	75.0																	90.0	$16,592
Flatirons Elementary School	Public	K-5	1150 7th Street	Boulder	80302	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-4600	164	10	17.2	14.6%	132 (80.5%)	1 (0.6%)	16 (9.8%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (7.9%)	86	113^th of 943 public elementary schools	88.0%		88	91^st of 933 public elementary schools	90.2%	22							72.0	58.6	68.2				65.8	64.0	55.2	62.5				60.3	59.1			$21,499
Foothill Elementary School	Public	K-5	1001 Hawthorne Avenue	Boulder	80304	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-2600	437	25	17.4	12.6%	342 (78.3%)	2 (0.5%)	43 (9.8%)	10 (2.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (8.5%)	93	43^rd of 943 public elementary schools	95.4%		95.1	27^th of 933 public elementary schools	97.1%	16							83.3	66.2	85.9				78.8	74.2	50.0	76.3				67.1	76.0			$18,505
Southern Hills Middle School	Public	6-8	1500 Knox Drive	Boulder	80305	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-3400	493	25	19.8	7.5%	372 (75.5%)	3 (0.6%)	35 (7.1%)	32 (6.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (10.1%)	97.6	9^th of 485 public middle schools	98.1%		96.5	9^th of 480 public middle schools	98.1%											78.0	87.4	89.4	84.3				66.7	71.9	78.0	71.9		80.0		$18,824
University Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	956 16th Street	Boulder	80302	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 561-5416	408	27	15.2	58.6%	111 (27.2%)	2 (0.5%)	282 (69.1%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.5%)	54	413^th of 943 public elementary schools	56.2%		63.3	315^th of 933 public elementary schools	66.2%	98							69.0	65.7	42.2				56.0	42.4	40.0	33.3				38.4	31.8			$21,754
Whittier Elementary School	Public	K-5	2008 Pine Street	Boulder	80302	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-5431	293	21	13.8	45.7%	170 (58.0%)	3 (1.0%)	92 (31.4%)	14 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.8%)	49.6	454^th of 943 public elementary schools	51.9%		56.9	369^th of 933 public elementary schools	60.5%	85							37.8	38.2	53.4				43.7	37.5	29.1	44.1				37.0	42.1			$20,649
New Vista High School	Public	9-12	700 20th Street	Boulder	80302	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-8700	319	18	18.1	26.3%	234 (73.4%)	4 (1.3%)	50 (15.7%)	3 (0.9%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.4%)	70.6	94^th of 349 public high schools	73.1%		74	83^rd of 349 public high schools	76.2%	11	80.0	37.0	72.0	45.0	78.0	36.0																	53.3	$20,427
Community Montessori School	Public	PK, KG-6	805 Gillaspie Dr	Boulder	80305	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-3700	277	17	16.5	27.4%	196 (70.8%)	3 (1.1%)	42 (15.2%)	13 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	21 (7.6%)	73.5	229^th of 943 public elementary schools	75.7%		69.1	261^st of 933 public elementary schools	72.0%	32							46.3	55.9	63.3				54.3	53.7	48.5	50.0				51.0	63.3			$20,064
High Peaks Elementary School	Public	K-5	3995 East Aurora Avenue	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-6500	247	16	15.9	11.7%	118 (47.8%)	2 (0.8%)	20 (8.1%)	66 (26.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (16.6%)	98.9	4^th of 943 public elementary schools	99.6%		98.7	5^th of 933 public elementary schools	99.5%	1							77.8	87.8	98.0				88.1	84.4	87.8	91.8				88.1	89.8			$17,400
Summit Middle Charter School	Public, Charter	6-8	4655 Hanover Avenue	Boulder	80305	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	Yes	No	No	No	(720) 561-3900	361	22	16.5	8.6%	228 (63.2%)	1 (0.3%)	36 (10.0%)	51 (14.1%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (11.4%)	98.2	6^th of 485 public middle schools	98.8%		99.1	4^th of 480 public middle schools	99.2%	2										75.0	88.7	89.3	84.1				75.8	90.4	87.5	84.4		76.8		$11,853
Boulder Community School/Integrated Studies	Public	K-5	3995 East Aurora Avenue	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-6500	265	15	17.2		216 (81.5%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (10.9%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.4%)	93.7	35^th of 943 public elementary schools	96.3%		93.4	42^nd of 933 public elementary schools	95.5%	7							61.9	93.2	82.0				79.4	66.7	86.4	78.8				77.5	61.4			$17,998
Boulder Prep Charter High School	Public, Charter	9-12	5075 Chaparral Court #1	Boulder	80301	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 545-6186	115	11	10.5		64 (55.7%)	3 (2.6%)	40 (34.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.7%)	1 (0.9%)	4 (3.5%)								(n/a)																								$11,351
Horizons K-8 School	Public, Charter	K-8	4545 Sioux Drive	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	Yes	No	No	No	(720) 561-5580	361	25	14.6	13.0%	295 (81.7%)	3 (0.8%)	20 (5.5%)	12 (3.3%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	27 (7.5%)	77.2	194^th of 943 public elementary schools	79.4%		81.7	150^th of 933 public elementary schools	83.9%	44							60.5	65.0	57.1	73.0	71.0	76.3	66.8	61.5	50.0	35.7	64.9	41.4	62.2	52.7	47.6	53.8		$12,692
Creekside Elementary School at Martin Park	Public	PK, KG-5	3740 Martin Drive	Boulder	80305	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-3800	368	23	15.7	29.1%	250 (67.9%)	6 (1.6%)	54 (14.7%)	29 (7.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (7.3%)	94.2	31^st of 943 public elementary schools	96.7%		92.2	55^th of 933 public elementary schools	94.1%	24							66.0	80.0	79.6				75.2	81.1	66.0	71.7				73.0	65.4			$19,415
Mesa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1575 Lehigh Street	Boulder	80305	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-3000	246	16	15.2	16.7%	192 (78.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (8.5%)	8 (3.3%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	22 (8.9%)	88.8	88^th of 943 public elementary schools	90.7%		94.2	37^th of 933 public elementary schools	96.0%	51							63.2	75.0	65.2				68.0	55.3	72.7	70.2				66.7	64.6			$21,824
Mapleton Early Childhood Center	Public	PK	840 Mapleton Avenue	Boulder	80304	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-6200	63	4	15.7	25.4%	41 (65.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (19.0%)	6 (9.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (6.3%)								(n/a)																								$21,387
Heatherwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7750 Concord Drive	Boulder	80301	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-5586	255	17	14.5	14.5%	205 (80.4%)	3 (1.2%)	18 (7.1%)	10 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.5%)	89.8	79^th of 943 public elementary schools	91.6%		84.3	125^th of 933 public elementary schools	86.6%	46							73.7	56.1	83.3				69.7	76.9	53.7	71.0				66.7	66.7			$21,508
Boulder Universal	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	6500 East Arapahoe Road	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	Yes	No	(720) 561-6253	226	17	13.6		142 (62.8%)	11 (4.9%)	45 (19.9%)	15 (6.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.5%)								(n/a)																								$25,226
Arapahoe Ridge High School	Public	9-12	6600 Arapahoe Avenue	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 561-5220	245	31	7.9	68.2%	89 (36.3%)	3 (1.2%)	140 (57.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.1%)								(n/a)					27.0																			$22,323
Douglass Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	840 75th Street	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-5541	319	19	17.1	11.0%	262 (82.1%)	4 (1.3%)	22 (6.9%)	9 (2.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.6%)	89.8	78^th of 943 public elementary schools	91.7%		73.1	221^st of 933 public elementary schools	76.3%	143							69.4	75.0	64.8				69.7	72.7	59.6	80.9				70.9	56.6			$18,817
Nevin Platt Middle School	Public	6-8	6096 Baseline Road	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-5536	503	31	16.1	14.3%	415 (82.5%)	9 (1.8%)	42 (8.3%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.4%)	74.9	99^th of 485 public middle schools	79.6%		71.4	115^th of 480 public middle schools	76.0%	16										59.0	58.0	61.3	59.4				46.9	39.1	45.3	44.2		48.6		$19,033
Gold Hill Elementary School	Public	K-5	890 Main Street	Boulder	80302	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-5940	12	2	5.0		8 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (16.7%)	1 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (8.3%)								(n/a)																								$32,567

Cities Near Boulder

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Niwot	5.1 mi	2
Louisville	5.24 mi	6	12^th
Lafayette	6.72 mi	8	42^nd
Erie	6.93 mi	9	20^th
Longmont	7.15 mi	30	85^th

See the top CO Colorado cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Colorado Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.