The Colorado Department of Education has released its preliminary 2025 school and district performance frameworks, reflecting data from the 2024-25 academic year. These frameworks are a central part of the state’s accountability system and determine accreditation for school districts as well as ratings for individual schools based on factors 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.”
Preliminary ratings for 2025-26 can be found on the Performance Frameworks Results webpage or through the school and district dashboard.
This year’s preliminary results show that 55% of districts received an Accredited or higher rating, up from 52% in the previous year. Among schools, 66% achieved a Performance plan type or higher compared to 64% last year. The number of districts identified as being on the Accountability Clock—meaning they received one of the two lowest performance ratings—increased to 14 from 11 last year. However, there was a decrease in schools on the Accountability Clock: this figure dropped to 176 from last year’s count of 190.
The performance frameworks use a combination of student academic growth data, achievement scores, and postsecondary/workforce readiness metrics—including graduation rates—to calculate overall ratings. School districts have until September 26 to submit additional information through a “request to reconsider” process. This could result in changes before final ratings are presented to the State Board of Education later in the fall.
The distribution of accreditation among Colorado’s school districts remains similar to last year’s pattern. Of 182 districts (one pending), nine percent earned “Accredited with Distinction,” while nearly half were rated simply “Accredited.” Four percent received an “Accredited with Priority Improvement” rating and two percent were rated “Accredited with Turnaround.” About thirteen percent had insufficient state data for a full rating.
For individual schools (excluding Alternative Education Campuses whose ratings will be released later), sixty-six percent received a Performance plan designation—the highest level—while eighteen percent were marked as needing improvement. Seven percent were given Priority Improvement status; two percent were designated as Turnaround; six percent lacked sufficient state data; less than one percent represented new schools; about one percent were closed.
Schools or districts placed on the Accountability Clock for five consecutive years must follow an improvement course set by the State Board of Education. Finalized framework results will be published by the end of calendar year 2025.
The department states its ongoing vision is “to create equitable educational environments where all students and staff in Colorado thrive,” focusing on improving outcomes for students across its more than 170 school districts.
