We are fortunate in Colorado Springs to have excellent schools. Nearly all of our public school districts claim high-ranking and often award-winning schools on GreatSchools.org.
Beyond relying on sites like GrestSchools.org, which use several objective criteria to grade education institutions, identifying the best schools in Colorado Springs is a tricky business.
The real reason it’s hard is that the best school is always going to be the one that’s best for your child, which might not have anything to do with test scores, student-to-teacher-ratios or funding. It could just be the school with the right culture for your child.
The good news is that Colorado Springs is a choice community. If your neighborhood school isn’t serving your child, you can hunt for one that’s a better fit and choice into it.
Buying a house for the best schools in Colorado Springs
Even though we’re a choice community, the ideal for many parents is still to send the kiddos off on foot or to help them onto the bus in the morning – to have them attend a quality neighborhood school where they will get good educations and meet friends who live nearby. That makes finding the best schools in Colorado Springs a big part of the house hunt for many.
Researching the best schools starts online. But even if you’re moving from out of town, it’s a good idea to contact schools directly and get a little more information about them. If you have the time on the ground, go in and visit so you can get a sense of the school culture.
Don’t rely solely on rumor and reputation
We have certain school districts in Colorado Springs with very good reputations. Many homebuyers assume then that the other school districts are bad. But each individual school has its own strengths and weaknesses and there are many instances where schools in less popular districts outrank schools in the more popular ones on GreatSchools.
Likewise, average home price (see below) isn’t always an indicator of the best schools either. There are some very highly rated schools in some of the lowest-cost areas of the city.
Colorado Springs School Districts
I have collected some information and resources here to make is easier for you to find the best schools in Colorado Springs when you’re ready to start your house hunt.
I’m also happy to help you look for homes within the service areas of specific schools you like. Please feel free to reach out to me for help or with any questions as you do your research. As a Realtor, I won’t make value judgments on schools or school districts, but I will help you find the answers and resources you need to make your own choices.
See the number of homes sold and average home prices in Colorado Springs school districts below. I also included links to the district websites and GreatSchools.org rankings.
• Harrison School District 2
Southeast Colorado Springs
No. of homes sold Jan. 1, 2015 – Dec. 15, 2015: 785
Average single family homes sales price: $174,409
• Widefield School District 3
Unincorporated area southeast of Colorado Springs
No. of homes sold Jan. 1, 2015 – Dec. 15, 2015: 1,274
Average single-family homes sales price: $209,951
• Fountain School District 8
Near Fort Carson Army Base, Southeast
No. of homes sold Jan. 1, 2015 – Dec. 15, 2015: 484
Average single-family homes sales price: $208,430
• Colorado Springs School District 11
Central, largest district in the city
No. of homes sold Jan. 1, 2015 – Dec. 15, 2015: 3,140
Average single-family homes sales price: $230,805
• Cheyenne Mountain School District 12
Southwest, Broadmoor area
No. of homes sold Jan. 1, 2015 – Dec. 15, 2015: 304
Average single-family homes sales price: $506,323
• Manitou Springs District 14
Southwest, Manitou and mountain towns
No. of homes sold Jan. 1, 2015 – Dec. 15, 2015: 124
Average single-family homes sales price: $304,633
• Air Academy District 20
North central, Briargate
No. of homes sold Jan. 1, 2015 – Dec. 15, 2015: 1,739
Average single-family homes sales price: $358,235
• Lewis-Palmer District 38
Monument and north
No. of homes sold Jan. 1, 2015 – Dec. 15, 2015: 676
Average single-family homes sales price: $436,710
District websiteGreatSchools.org ratings
• Falcon District 49
Powers Blvd and east
No. of homes sold Jan. 1, 2015 – Dec. 15, 2015: 2,358
Average single-family homes sales price: $260,672
• City-wide average home sales price
$267,134 in November, 2015
