“We went up in every single subject area. It was a huge year of growth across the system,” said Dr. Laurie Rossback, executive director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. “There is a payoff when we stay focused on our students.”
Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) assessments measure how well students are learning the knowledge and skills outlined in Colorado’s academic standards. Students in grades 3-8 take CMAS English language arts and math assessments each spring. Science is assessed in grades 5, 8 and 11, and social studies in grade 7. High school students also take Colorado's PSAT and SAT assessments. Results help families and schools understand student achievement and identify strengths and areas for improvement.
DSD is moving up statewide
State assessments are one measure of student learning, and comparing results with other Colorado districts can help put local scores in context.
DSD analyzed publicly available 2026 Colorado Department of Education assessment data to see how Durango students compare with students in other districts statewide. The analysis shows gains in several grade spans and subjects.
Among DSD's 2026 highlights:
- Elementary math made a big leap: Grades 3-5 moved from #29 to #19 statewide in DSD’s analysis of CDE data – a 10-place gain in one year.
- Elementary literacy also climbed: Grades 3-5 English language arts moved from #21 to #16 statewide.
- Every assessment area included in DSD’s rankings improved its statewide position compared with 2025, including elementary and middle school English language arts and math and high school PSAT/SAT reading/writing and math.
- DSD also compares strongly with larger Colorado districts: Among districts serving 3,000 or more students, only eight had higher results than DSD in both English language arts and math across the grades 3-11 assessment measures.
Dig deeper: Explore CDE’s District Dashboard and School Dashboard.
Nine of 10 traditionally rated schools earn state's highest rating
More good news comes from Colorado's preliminary 2026 School and District Performance Frameworks, the state's annual accountability system incorporating academic achievement, student growth and other measures of school and district performance. CDE released preliminary school and district ratings on Aug. 31; final ratings are issued later in the accountability process.
- Nine of DSD's 10 traditionally rated schools received a Performance Plan, the state's highest school plan category.
- DSD's preliminary district rating remains Accredited, increasing from 63.3% of possible framework points in 2025 to 66.7% in 2026.
- Florida Mesa Elementary improved from Priority Improvement to Improvement and is no longer on the state's accountability clock.
- Needham Elementary earned 90.4% of possible framework points and has improved for three consecutive years.
- Park Elementary gained 8.1 percentage points and posted DSD's highest state assessment achievement results.
- Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary maintained a strong rating while demonstrating exceptional math growth.
- Durango High School's most recently reported four-year graduation rate is 96.8%.
The results also help DSD identify where more support is needed, particularly around student growth at the middle-school level. The district continues to invest in instructional coaching, high-quality curriculum and targeted student support.
* Durango Big Picture High School is evaluated under Colorado's separate Alternative Education Campus framework. CDE is scheduled to release preliminary 2026 AEC ratings on Sept. 16.
Dig deeper: Explore CDE’s District and School Performance Frameworks
Explore how DSD compares statewide
Want to take a closer look at how Durango School District compares with other Colorado school districts?
DSD has created a new Colorado State Assessment Rankings dashboard using publicly available data from the Colorado Department of Education. The interactive tool allows families, staff and community members to compare DSD’s performance in English language arts and math with districts across the state, or narrow the comparison to districts of a similar size.
Users can explore results by year, assessment and grade level. Durango School District is highlighted in each view, making it easy to see where DSD falls among other Colorado districts.
The dashboard is one way to understand academic performance, but test scores tell only part of the story. State assessments provide a snapshot of student achievement at a particular point in time; they do not measure individual student growth or capture everything that contributes to a strong school experience.
Dig deeper: Explore DSD’s Colorado State Assessment Rankings dashboard
Why testing matters
State assessments give Colorado schools a consistent way to understand how students are doing academically and how districts compare across the state. Results help families understand student achievement, help educators identify strengths and areas for improvement, and help schools and policymakers make decisions about instruction, programs and resources.
Strong participation matters, too. When students across our district take part in state assessments, the results give DSD a more complete and accurate picture of how our schools and students are doing.