Education
Education plays a significant role in providing a community with the knowledge and skills needed to participate in society. Understanding the educational opportunities in a community is pivotal in assessing the quality of life.
Report Summary:
Education
According to The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), “Education plays a key role in providing individuals with the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to participate effectively in society and in the economy.”
Key Indicators
The Pikes Peak region provides a variety of educational experiences for students. The area is home to 17 public school districts along with several charter schools and private schools. The public schools provide open enrollment to any student but primarily serve their local students. Each district varies greatly from the largest serving 26,000 students to the smallest serving fewer than 50. In addition, the districts range in the number of culturally and linguistically diverse students, special education students, and gifted and talented students they serve. While each district is diverse, each works to meet the needs of their local community.
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Pre-Kindergarten & Kindergarten
A key indicator for student success measures is participation in early education, which is associated with increases in grade advancement and in high school graduation rates. Public support of early childhood education can help reduce the overall cost of education and promote child well-being.2
For the 2023-2024 academic year, kindergarten and pre-kindergarten enrollment in Colorado Springs MSA public schools was 9.5% of total enrollment. The level has been relatively consistent over the years but has dropped a bit following a bounce-back from a pandemic-related dip.
Colorado Springs’ early-education enrollment percentage is very close to that of Fort Collins (9.5%) and Boulder (9.8%). The earlier the investments and interventions (age/stage-wise), the better. It is important for Colorado Springs to continue to support early-childhood education, institutionally and especially in the home.
5 Colorado Department of Education
Throughout the 2020s, the area population is again expected to grow by 100,000, but most of the growth is expected in the over-75 age category as aging accelerates. The under-18 population should be stable, with growth anticipated at just 4%, but districts in mature neighborhoods should see significant declines.6
Maturing districts can expect to need to repurpose facilities as their school-age population drops. Budgets may also be affected as a significant number of property owners qualify for the senior property tax exemption. Collaboration across districts and among government structures is recommended, along with increasing public-private partnerships.
Elementary & Middle School
As students enter elementary years, the focus shifts from participation to proficiency. Test scores are compared to educational standards, which reflect expectations for students and teachers. In middle school, test scores remain important. Scores are not only measured against objective standards but also compared to results from earlier years—the level of progress that students make.
Research has shown that third grade reading skill affects long-term academic achievement, particularly students’ likelihood of graduating from high school.7 Colorado public school students’ scores on English/Language Arts and Math tests are grouped into five categories:
- Did not yet meet expectations
- Partially met expectations
- Approached expectations
- Met expectations
- Exceeded expectations
9 Colorado Department of Education
For Colorado Springs, three of four proportions were at or above the state average; all scores were somewhat lower than those of Colorado peer communities—each of which is centered around a large university.
Middle School Growth
Student Growth Percentile measures how a student, or group of students, has grown by comparing their scores over time. Growth data is important as it can reveal the quality of teaching and learning experiences. It reflects how far students have progressed, relative to other students.
At the district level, growth scores can be presented alongside achievement scores, to provide context. The following charts show absolute achievement levels from left to right, and relative growth levels from bottom to top. Districts are labeled by number; those on the right half earned higher test scores than the district average; those in the upper half showed better-than-average growth over time.
10 Colorado Department of Education
In both subject areas, a diagonal trend can be seen. It indicates that those who start well usually get further ahead over time, while those who fall behind early often lose further ground. This supports the importance of early childhood education, both at home and in the classroom.
Equity issues also emerge, as districts in wealthier parts of the community tend to have higher test scores and stronger growth. Still, some districts stand out for above-average growth rates, suggesting an effective learning environment. As in 2021, Woodland Park District RE-2 stood out for strong growth in Math. Also as in 2021, Manitou Springs District 14 had very high growth in English/Language Arts. On the other end of the spectrum, Miami/Yoder had the lowest growth rate in English; Fountain had the lowest growth in math.
High School
Colorado Springs’ graduation rate also compares unfavorably to peer communities, ranking 5th of 6 in 2022 and trailing three communities by 11 points or more.13
14 Colorado Department of Education
15 Colorado Department of Education, New Mexico Public Education Department, Idaho State
16 Colorado Department of Education
Higher Education
Higher education delivers many benefits beyond a brighter financial outlook—but the monetary value of post-secondary education is striking. A 2011 analysis by the Pew Research Center found the following median earnings for a 40-year work life:
| $770,000 |
| $1.0 million |
| $1.4 million |
Pew estimated that, after deducting the cost of college and foregone earnings, the difference between the first and last categories is still more than $500,000.17
Educators closely track the proportion of high school graduates who continue their education. In 2022, the proportion of Colorado Springs MSA graduates who enrolled in college or career education the following fall was 49%, which was two percent below the state average.18 COVID-19 led to a dip in four-year college enrollment, which was partially offset by a substantial increase in career/technical education enrollment, as students stayed closer to home. Being that virtual learning options are likely to expand and become a teaching specialty to their own, it would behoove Colorado Springs to invest in training for virtual education specialties. Career and technical education are also likely to continue expanding. Cooperation with local industry to meet its needs will enhance this for students and employers.
19 Colorado Department of Education
By comparison, 46% of Fort Collins 2022 graduates and 60% of Boulder-area graduates pursued post-secondary education. Due to a small degree of overlap due to a few students matriculating to more than one kind of institution, the totals of all three categories in the two prior graphs slightly exceed the total proportion of all matriculating students.
College Retention (first year)
The University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) tracks first-year retention and graduation rates within six years of initial enrollment. First-year retention has seen a slight upward trend over the past two decades; since 2011 it has varied between 65% and 70%. In 2022, first-year student retention was 67%.20 The state average for four-year public institutions with physical campuses was 73% in 2022. That year, UCCS ranked 8th of 12 in first-year retention.21
Many two-year colleges track a different statistic, called transfer-out rate, which is the percentage of the full-time, first-time students who transfer to another institution without completing at the current institution. The lower this statistic, the better. For Pikes Peak State College, the most recent transfer rate (for students beginning in 2017) was 25%, compared to the state average for similar institutions of 21%.22
College Graduation
UCCS tracks how many of its first-time, first-year, full-time students graduate from UCCS within six years of enrolling. In 2022 that proportion of students (out of those who began six years prior) was 45%.23 Statewide, the average among 12 similar public, four-year institutions was 50%. In 2022 UCCS ranked 7th of 12 institutions.24
Pikes Peak State College uses a similar measure for graduation with an Associates Degree or relevant certificate (within three years of initial enrollment). PPCC’s graduation rate was 23% in 2022, compared to the state average of 35% for similar institutions.25
Investment in Education
Local school boards determine how resources are allocated, including how many teachers to hire, how much teachers are paid, and how school budgets are structured. Investing more resources in public education does not guarantee successful education outcomes, but investment usually has a positive outcome.
Teacher Salary
In 2023-2024, base teacher salaries across the Colorado Springs MSA averaged $54,562, which was above the median wage for the community (111%). However, in terms of total base salary and as a percentage of the median wage, Colorado Springs ranked 5th of 5 peer communities (data for Albuquerque unavailable). Competition for quality teachers can be expected to increase, so districts will need to work to retain the best teachers in a tight labor market. It would be prudent to consider policies that provide incentives to teachers to delay retirement or return to the profession.
Increasing teacher pay, for example, has been found to reduce teacher turnover, which in turn leads to increased student achievement. Additionally, countries with higher starting salaries for teachers tends to attract more and better-qualified teachers into the profession.27
28 National Center for Education Statistics & U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Expenditures per pupil
31 National Center for Education Statistics
At the district level, spending per pupil in the highest-spending district more than doubled that in the lowest-spending district.
Student-Teacher Ratio
Due to teacher compensation being the largest portion of school budgets, boards, and administrators carefully consider how many teachers to hire. The more teachers, the lower the student-teacher ratio, which typically reduces average class size and increases teachers’ capacity to give students personal attention. Although the connection between class size and student performance is weak, research suggests that students with disadvantaged backgrounds benefit from smaller class sizes, and lower ratios are associated with greater teacher satisfaction.32
The 2023-2024 student-teacher ratio across all Colorado Springs MSA schools was 16.6 to 1, up from 16.3 in 2022-2023, but reflecting a decrease since 2021-2022.33 For peer-community comparisons, 2022-2023 data is used.
Colorado Springs ranked 4th of 6 peer communities, ahead of Boulder and Boise. While teacher shortages have decreased following the post-pandemic trend that some have called the “Great Resignation,” area schools still reported a shortage of 321 teachers on the 2023-2024 Colorado Educator Shortage Survey.34
35 National Center for Education Statistics
36 National Center for Education Statistics
Student-Counselor Ratio
Research shows that increased contact with school counselors is positively associated with college enrollment, even when controlling for differences in student intentions and background.37 The link is stronger among those from less-advantaged backgrounds.
Counseling also plays a key role in students’ mental health. Fewer than two-thirds of children with mental health issues obtain professional help,38 but of those who receive mental health services, at least 70% do so through school.39
The American School Counselor Association recommends that schools maintain a ratio of no more than 250 students per school counselor.40 In 2020-2021, schools in metro Colorado Springs did not quite meet that standard, with a ratio of 263.8 to 1. That ranked 3rd of 6 peer communities.41
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