CMAS tests are given each spring to students in grades three through eight. Students who score at least 750 are considered to have “met or exceeded expectations,” meaning they are on track for college or career readiness.
When math and language arts scores are combined, DSD is ranked 11th in school districts in Colorado among those with more than 1,500 students tested. The 10 districts ahead of Durango are all located in suburban or urban areas along the Front Range. DSD is the only rural district to reach this level of performance. DSD also serves the highest percentage of low-income students, multilingual learners, and students with special education needs compared to any of those districts.
“Our successful schools are something our whole community can be proud of,” said Superintendent Dr. Karen Cheser. “We are proving that students in a rural district can achieve at the same high levels as those in Colorado’s largest and most affluent communities.”
For context, the highest-performing district in the state – Cheyenne Mountain 12 in Colorado Springs – posted approximately 66.2% of students meeting or exceeding CMAS benchmarks in English Language Arts. Durango’s percentage in ELA is 50.6%. That means more than half of our students are already on track for college and career readiness — a benchmark that is out of reach for the majority of districts across Colorado.
This is a strong showing, especially given that Cheyenne Mountain and other top scorers benefit from concentrated resources and socioeconomic advantages not present in Durango. In fact, reaching the 50.6% mark places our students far above the state average and makes Durango one of the top-performing districts statewide. This underscores that CMAS, while useful, may not fully capture the breadth of what makes an educational environment effective. Comparative metrics, which include contextualizing factors like district size, income, and student need, are essential for a fair understanding.
“These results reflect the dedication of our educators and the hard work of our students,” Cheser added. “They also show the strength of our community in supporting public schools.”