One of the most frequently asked questions by people looking to relocation to Colorado Springs is “how are the schools?” Performance can vary widely by district (or even schools within each district) and there are many differing opinions.
Today, I’m starting a series of posts with the raw data for each district, and each school within the district. [I’ll also do my best to cover the private and homeschool scene.] Let’s get started with Lewis-Palmer District 38, which covers the general area of Monument and Palmer Lake. A follow-up post will contain more information on individual schools within the district.
General Opinion of the Community: Good to great, one of the better districts in the metro area
Open Enrollment: Yes, for students that live both inside and outside the district. Dates for open enrollment next year are January 1-20.
Total Enrollment: 5,800 students
Elementary Schools: Grace Best, Ray E. Kilmer, Palmer Lake, Prairie Winds, Lewis Palmer
Middle Schools: Creekside, Lewis-Palmer
High Schools: Lewis-Palmer, Palmer Ridge
Charter Schools: Monument Academy (preschool through middle school)
Number of Full-Time Teachers: 376 Part-time Teachers: 22
Average Years of Teaching Experience: 11
Average Teacher Salary: $42,236 (state average is $45,831)
Average Administrator Salary: $87,309 (state average is $77,704)
Follow the link for much more information.
Use of Funds (2006)
Teachers: $20,817,563 (48%)
Administration: $2,706,633 (6%)
Building and Facilities: $5,240,199 (12%)
Operational Expenses: $11,658,092 (27%)
Textbooks and Materials: $3,067,100 (7%)
Total: $43,489,587
Recent School Finance Issues:
In November of this year, the district asked voters to approve a mill-levy override that would have increased taxes by $2.7 million annually ($4.15 per $100,000 of assessed home value, or $14.53 per month for the average home in District 38). Voters rejected the measure 56 percent to 44 percent. The revenue would have been used to maintain class sizes, preserve elementary reading teachers and student support, and increase teacher compensation to more competitive levels. Read the District’s response to the rejection of the mill levy and their plans for reallocation.
View the entire Colorado District and School Diagnostic Growth Summary (PDF) for District 38 and its schools.
Also, from the Colorado School Accountability Report:
For grades 3-5, percentage of district students scoring Proficient or Advanced in the following subjects:
Reading: 87%
Writing: 77%
Math: 68%
For grades 6-8, percentage of district students scoring Proficient or Advanced in the following subjects:
Reading: 87%
Writing: 78%
Math: 80%
For grades 9-10, percentage of district students scoring Proficient or Advanced in the following subjects:
Reading: 85%
Writing: 73%
Math: 54%
***A separate post will contain individual schools’ scores.
See the 2008 Parent Survey Results (PDF), covering topics such as homework, grading practices, parent-school interactions, school and district leadership, and more. Here are a few overall highlights:
- 1300 total survey participants
- Parents gave the district an overall rating of B-
- 13% said district is significantly improving, 47% said district is slightly improving, 30% said district is slightly declining, 10% said district is slightly declining
.
