Melissa York Commissioner | Colorado Department of Education
The Colorado Department of Education has released preliminary 2025 school and district performance frameworks, using data from the 2024-25 academic year. The frameworks are designed to accredit school districts and assign ratings to schools based on measures such as graduation rates, academic achievement, and student growth.
“The steady progress in the school and district frameworks is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our students, staff, and communities over the past few years," said Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova. "These frameworks provide valuable insight into how our schools are performing, while also highlighting the areas where we need to continue strengthening support for schools and districts still navigating significant challenges."
The preliminary ratings for 2025-26 can be found on the Performance Frameworks Results webpage or through the school and district dashboard.
Performance frameworks are part of Colorado’s accountability system. They combine several factors including student academic growth, achievement levels, as well as postsecondary readiness indicators like graduation rates, dropout rates, and college matriculation data.
This release includes initial information that will be finalized later in the year. School districts have until September 26 to submit additional data through a “request to reconsider” process. This could lead to changes in ratings before final results are presented to the State Board of Education in the fall.
Key findings from this preliminary release show that 55% of districts received an Accredited or higher rating—an increase from 52% last year. Among schools, 66% earned a Performance plan type or higher compared with 64% previously. Fourteen districts were identified as being on the Accountability Clock (having received one of two lowest performance ratings: Priority Improvement or Turnaround), up from eleven last year. For schools, there were 176 on the Accountability Clock compared with 190 last year.
Schools or districts remain on the Accountability Clock if they receive low performance ratings for five consecutive years; at that point, state officials direct improvement actions.
District-level results indicate that out of 182 rated districts this cycle (excluding Alternative Education Campuses), nine percent achieved “Accredited with Distinction,” while forty-six percent were “Accredited.” Twenty-six percent earned “Accredited with Improvement,” four percent had “Priority Improvement,” two percent had “Turnaround” status, and thirteen percent lacked sufficient state data for a rating.
At the school level (excluding alternative campuses whose ratings will be published later), sixty-six percent achieved a Performance plan type rating; eighteen percent had an Improvement plan; seven percent fell under Priority Improvement; two percent received Turnaround status; six percent lacked sufficient state data; less than one percent were new schools; and one percent were closed.
The department plans to finalize all framework results by year-end.
For more details about these frameworks or information about Colorado’s accountability system visit https://www.cde.state.co.us/accountability/performanceframeworksresults.
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