New report finds low performance pervasive in southwest Denver schools

Few of southwest Denver’s high school graduates go on to college and even fewer have the preparation they need for college courses, according to a new report.

The report was compiled by local education advocacy and research organization A+ Denver in partnership with Padres y Jóvenes Unidos, Stand for Children and others. It looks at school ranking, student test scores and college success in the region.

Only 15 percent of southwest Denver scored high enough on the ACT to be deemed “college-ready,” according the testing organization’s metrics. Slightly fewer than that go on to receive a college degree.

Of the 42 schools in the Southwest, only three received the district’s highest school ranking. All three were charter schools.

And only one of the region’s four high schools scored in the top two district rankings. Another, Lincoln High School, saw an estimated 150 of its seniors on track to go to college in 2011, less than a quarter of the starting freshman class.

For more details, see the full report in English and Spanish.