Centennial State Education Coverage, Driven by Data
Colorado Springs District 11 saw chronic absenteeism surge 16.6 percentage points in one year, the largest swing among any large Colorado district, with more than half of Black and Hispanic students now chronically absent.
After two years of accelerating improvement, Colorado's chronic absenteeism rate ticked back up to 28.5% in 2025, putting the state's goal of 15% by 2027-28 out of reach.
Native American students in Colorado public schools dropped from 6,420 to 4,974 over 11 years, declining nearly twice as fast as white enrollment.
Colorado's charter schools doubled their market share in a decade, but growth has collapsed to 0.3%, raising questions about the sector's ceiling.
Only 49 of 184 Colorado districts have returned to pre-COVID enrollment. The state is 72,839 students below its pre-pandemic trajectory.
District 27J in Brighton grew 42% since 2015, making it Colorado's fastest-growing traditional district even as the state lost nearly 18,000 students.
Colorado lost 7,400 white kindergartners since 2016 while Hispanic K enrollment barely moved, collapsing a 13,000-student gap to 6,174.
81 of 186 Colorado school districts recorded their lowest enrollment in 12 years in 2025-26, including Jefferson County, Douglas County, and Cherry Creek.
Three virtual operators now enroll more students than Colorado Springs 11, reshaping state enrollment data and raising oversight questions.
Colorado's second-largest district has declined every year since 2016, closing 21 schools and facing a $49 million deficit.
Colorado public schools lost 10,272 students in 2025-26, the largest non-COVID drop on record, pushing enrollment to its lowest point in more than a decade.
White students fell below 50% of Colorado public school enrollment for the first time in 2024-25, as the state's demographic transformation reshapes classrooms from Denver suburbs to the Western Slope.
CDE releases 2025-26 enrollment data showing 870,793 students statewide — down 10,272, the largest non-COVID loss on record.