Is Fossil Ridge High School a good school?

Yes. Fossil Ridge High School ranks in the top 5.2% of Colorado high schools.

How many students attend Fossil Ridge High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 2,053 students attended Fossil Ridge High School.

What is the racial makeup of Fossil Ridge High School?

Students at Fossil Ridge High School are 79% White, 10% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 4% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Fossil Ridge High School?

Fossil Ridge High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Bacon Elementary School Elementary : Werner Elementary School Elementary : Zach Elementary School Middle : Preston Middle School

Fossil Ridge High School

Summary:

Fossil Ridge High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in Fort Collins, Colorado, with a diverse student population of 2,053. As part of the highly-ranked Poudre School District R-1, Fossil Ridge consistently performs among the top high schools in the state, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Fossil Ridge High School's academic excellence is evident across various metrics. The school ranks 18th out of 349 Colorado high schools and outperforms state and district averages on standardized tests, including CMAS Science, SAT, and PSAT. Notably, Fossil Ridge excels in the performance of diverse student subgroups, ranking highly for female, male, Asian, Hispanic, multi-racial, special education, and low socioeconomic status students. In contrast, nearby Poudre High School has lower academic performance and a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

Fossil Ridge High School's consistent high ranking and exceptional student outcomes suggest the school is providing a robust educational experience. While the data does not fully explain the school's success, factors such as its resources, teaching quality, curriculum, and student support programs may contribute to its exceptional performance. Fossil Ridge's ability to support the academic success of diverse student populations is a particular strength, setting it apart from some nearby schools within the Poudre School District R-1.

Detail:

Public 9-12

5400 Ziegler Road
Fort Collins, CO 80528-9524

(970) 488-6260

District: Poudre School District R-1

SchoolDigger Rank:
18^th of 349 Colorado High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $14,243

Feeder schools for Fossil Ridge High School:

Elementary:	Bacon Elementary School
	Werner Elementary School
	Zach Elementary School
Middle:	Preston Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 20.3

Number of students: 2,053

Racial breakdown:

White:

78.6%

Hispanic:

10.1%

Asian:

6.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 8.8%

See top rated Colorado high schools

Compare Fossil Ridge High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Fossil Ridge High School ranks better than 94.8% of high schools in Colorado. It also ranks first among 5 ranked high schools in the Poudre School District R-1! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 92.81. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Fossil Ridge High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Fossil Ridge High School has the largest high school student body size in the Poudre School District R-1. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Fossil Ridge High School is $14,243. 5 high schools in the Poudre School District R-1 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Fossil Ridge High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Fossil Ridge High School 18^th of 349 Colorado public high schools. (See Fossil Ridge High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Poudre School District R-1:

SchoolDigger ranks Poudre School District R-1 11^th of 116 Colorado school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

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Rank History for Fossil Ridge High School

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Rank History for all students at Fossil Ridge High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2007	90.49	16^th	298	94.6%
2008	87.26	29^th	301	90.4%
2009	84.73	36^th	310	88.4%
2010	82.98	42^nd	327	87.2%
2011	89.16	24^th	337	92.9%
2012	88.69	20^th	334	94.0%
2013	86.89	31^st	349	91.1%
2014	91.05	19^th	369	94.9%
2015	70.71	42^nd	292	85.6%
2016	53.93	75^th	255	70.6%
2017	68.77	33^rd	256	87.1%
2018	94.61	15^th	388	96.1%
2019	94.84	19^th	411	95.4%
2021	87.13	19^th	210	91.0%
2022	89.73	16^th	221	92.8%
2023	92.13	20^th	349	94.3%
2024	92.81	18^th	349	94.8%

See the entire list of Colorado High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Fossil Ridge High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	88.94	4^th	61	93.4%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Fossil Ridge High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	80.78	6^th	77	92.2%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Fossil Ridge High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	62.83	53^rd	188	71.8%
2022	90.44	12^th	203	94.1%
2023	82.32	26^th	200	87.0%
2024	93.83	8^th	211	96.2%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Fossil Ridge High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	89.08	20^th	239	91.6%
2022	92.26	15^th	257	94.2%
2023	89.17	21^st	254	91.7%
2024	89.73	21^st	257	91.8%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Fossil Ridge High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	80.49	7^th	74	90.5%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Fossil Ridge High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	76.42	7^th	118	94.1%
2022	71.13	22^nd	108	79.6%
2023	71.50	25^th	135	81.5%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for Male students at Fossil Ridge High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	90.63	19^th	240	92.1%
2022	92.45	17^th	253	93.3%
2023	91.58	14^th	252	94.4%
2024	92.30	17^th	256	93.4%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Fossil Ridge High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	74.15	10^th	41	75.6%
2022	80.87	4^th	45	91.1%
2023	77.06	6^th	43	86.0%
2024	82.98	6^th	43	86.0%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Fossil Ridge High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	91.00	13^th	181	92.8%
2022	94.09	12^th	205	94.1%
2023	89.01	19^th	198	90.4%
2024	93.56	10^th	199	95.0%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Fossil Ridge High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	83.45	29^th	225	87.1%
2022	87.53	20^th	228	91.2%
2023	84.35	27^th	234	88.5%
2024	83.79	27^th	229	88.2%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Colorado Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Colorado Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)

100%

by a student
Monday, December 13, 2021

This school was a terrible experience for me. While I attended this school I was horrendously bullied. I could not walk down a hall without being harassed because of the way that I looked. The forms of harassment I faced were horrible. Every day I was called transphobic slurs, people would threaten to hurt me, people would take photos of me without my consent, and I was constantly laughed at and yelled at. When I attempted to report them to the deans, the only punishment they would face was a small talking to. Because of the way the deans handled it, many students found it fun to harass and bully me. It was so bad that I was forced to leave the school after my first quarter there. I could not attend any after-school event because of how concerned I was for my safety. The teachers would do nothing to help me, and most ignored me when I asked for help. I couldn't sit at the door by any of my classes because people would stand by it and take pictures of me. When it came to the point where I couldn't go a class period without having to make a report of being harassed, my family and I decided to withdraw from the school. Only when I left the school did the school decide to have an assembly about bullying. I would not recommend this school to anyone who is looking for an inclusive environment for their children. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Fossil Ridge High School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2005	421	5	18	24	4	n/a	n/a	472
2006	686	3	17	35	9	n/a	n/a	750
2007	895	5	24	50	11	n/a	n/a	985
2008	963	5	23	62	9	n/a	n/a	1062
2009	1064	12	33	84	9	n/a	n/a	1202
2010	1536	19	51	129	12	n/a	n/a	1747
2011	1620	17	44	158	10	5	63	1917
2012	1686	19	44	131	10	4	66	1960
2013	1758	22	77	142	8	2	67	2076
2014	1787	23	80	134	4	3	63	2094
2015	1634	20	81	130	6	3	66	1940
2016	1633	22	100	135	8	1	80	1979
2017	1605	28	91	141	8	1	83	1957
2018	1644	26	96	145	5	3	84	2003
2019	1661	22	109	172	6	2	83	2055
2020	1702	22	109	189	7	2	87	2118
2021	1751	16	116	193	7	3	89	2175
2022	1803	11	127	224	5	2	91	2263
2023	1613	10	129	208	3	1	89	2053

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Fossil Ridge High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2005	472	32.0	14.8	6.4
2006	750	45.2	16.6	6
2007	985	50.9	19.4	6.4
2008	1062	51.9	20.5	5.5
2009	1202	63.0	19.1	6.9
2010	1747	89.1	19.6	8.6
2011	1917	92.0	20.8	9.9
2012	1960	97.5	20.0	10.5
2013	2076	106.6	19.4	8.9
2014	2094	107.3	19.5	8.7
2015	1940	104.0	18.6	9.4
2016	1979	102.0	19.4	10
2017	1957	98.4	19.8	9.8
2018	2003	101.5	19.7	9
2019	2055	107.0	19.2	8.1
2020	2118	107.1	19.7	8.9
2021	2175	107.0	20.3	6.2
2022	2263	110.1	20.5	8.5
2023	2053	100.8	20.3	8.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Fossil Ridge High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2005	472	32.0	14.8	6.4
2006	750	45.2	16.6	6
2007	985	50.9	19.4	6.4
2008	1062	51.9	20.5	5.5
2009	1202	63.0	19.1	6.9
2010	1747	89.1	19.6	8.6
2011	1917	92.0	20.8	9.9
2012	1960	97.5	20.0	10.5
2013	2076	106.6	19.4	8.9
2014	2094	107.3	19.5	8.7
2015	1940	104.0	18.6	9.4
2016	1979	102.0	19.4	10
2017	1957	98.4	19.8	9.8
2018	2003	101.5	19.7	9
2019	2055	107.0	19.2	8.1
2020	2118	107.1	19.7	8.9
2021	2175	107.0	20.3	6.2
2022	2263	110.1	20.5	8.5
2023	2053	100.8	20.3	8.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Fossil Ridge High School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$11,834
2020	$11,542
2021	$11,896
2022	$12,734
2023	$14,243

Data source: Colorado Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Fossil Ridge High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 19^th of 411 High schools	Ranks 20^th of 349 High schools	1.1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	2055	2053	0.1%
African American	22	10	54.5%
American Indian	6	3	50%
Asian	109	129	18.3%
Hispanic	172	208	20.9%
Pacific Islander	2	1	50%
White	1661	1613	2.9%
Two or More Races	83	89	7.2%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	8.1%	8.8%	0.7%

Schools Near Fossil Ridge High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				PSAT10 Reading and Writing (2024)	PSAT10 Mathematics (2024)	PSAT9 Reading and Writing (2024)	PSAT9 Mathematics (2024)	SAT Reading and Writing (2024)	SAT Mathematics (2024)	CMAS English Language Arts (2024)				CMAS Math (2024)				CMAS Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT10 Reading and Writing 10th Grade	PSAT10 Mathematics 10th Grade	PSAT9 Reading and Writing 9th Grade	PSAT9 Mathematics 9th Grade	SAT Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 8th Grade	CMAS Science 11th Grade	Total
Fossil Ridge High School	Public	9-12	5400 Ziegler Road	Fort Collins	80528	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-6260	2,053	101	20.3	8.8%	1,613 (78.6%)	10 (0.5%)	208 (10.1%)	129 (6.3%)	3 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	89 (4.3%)	92.8	18^th of 349 public high schools	94.8%		92.1	20^th of 349 public high schools	94.3%	2	94.0	71.0	88.0	71.0	81.0	58.0										54.8	$14,243
Colorado Early Colleges Fort Collins	Public, Charter	6-12	4424 Innovation Drive	Fort Collins	80525	Larimer County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	No	No	No	(970) 377-0044	1,036	54	19.0	17.9%	777 (75.0%)	17 (1.6%)	161 (15.5%)	32 (3.1%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	46 (4.4%)	83.8	49^th of 349 public high schools	86.0%		87.2	38^th of 349 public high schools	89.1%	11	82.0	70.0	80.0	66.0	70.0	50.0	42.9	40.4	38.5	40.6	28.1	28.8	35.3	30.6	34.0	44.0	$10,683
Colorado Early Colleges Online Campus	Public, Virtual, Charter	6-12	321 Inverness Drive South	Englewood	80112	Arapahoe County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(303) 872-3391	255	9	28.3		175 (68.6%)	11 (4.3%)	39 (15.3%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	24 (9.4%)	75.1	77^th of 349 public high schools	77.9%					(n/a)	86.0	54.0			84.0	28.0				64.0				44.0			$7,700
Fort Collins High School	Public	9-12	3400 Lambkin Way	Fort Collins	80525	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-8021	1,903	112	17.0	32.2%	1,255 (65.9%)	24 (1.3%)	473 (24.9%)	49 (2.6%)	10 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	91 (4.8%)	81.4	56^th of 349 public high schools	84.0%		78.6	71^st of 349 public high schools	79.7%	15	82.0	55.0	82.0	56.0	74.0	44.0										37.3	$15,395
Colorado Early Colleges Windsor	Public, Charter	6-12	7640 Westgate Dr	Windsor	80528	Larimer County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	No	No	No	(970) 657-2860	143	19	7.5	16.8%	119 (83.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (8.4%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (7.0%)	74.2	81^st of 349 public high schools	76.8%		73.3	86^th of 349 public high schools	75.4%	5			73.0	54.0			37.5	53.8	40.7	44.9	28.1	33.3	40.7	33.7	30.8		$5,050
Compass Community Collaborative School	Public, Charter	6-12	2105 South College Avenue	Fort Collins	80525	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	Yes	No	No	No	(970) 372-4242	174	10	17.3		151 (86.8%)	1 (0.6%)	17 (9.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.9%)	91.7	24^th of 349 public high schools	93.1%		87.4	35^th of 349 public high schools	90.0%	11	94.0	76.0			76.0	52.0	77.3	70.8	72.4	73.3	65.2	41.7	55.2	53.9	60.0	66.7	$10,819
Rocky Mountain High School	Public	9-12	1300 West Swallow Road	Fort Collins	80526	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-7023	2,069	105	19.7	26.9%	1,548 (74.8%)	51 (2.5%)	352 (17.0%)	26 (1.3%)	8 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	82 (4.0%)	81.5	55^th of 349 public high schools	84.2%		82	55^th of 349 public high schools	84.2%		83.0	50.0	82.0	57.0	73.0	46.0										44.7	$14,520
Centennial High School	Public	9-12	330 East Laurel Street	Fort Collins	80524	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-4940	141	11	12.2	61.0%	83 (58.9%)	3 (2.1%)	46 (32.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.4%)								(n/a)					25.0												$22,113
Windsor High School	Public	9-12	1100 West Main Street	Windsor	80550	Weld County	Weld County Reorganized School District No. Re-4	No	No	No	No	(970) 686-8100	1,130	59	19.2	13.9%	883 (78.1%)	11 (1.0%)	192 (17.0%)	12 (1.1%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (2.6%)	58.1	126^th of 349 public high schools	63.9%		61.9	125^th of 349 public high schools	64.2%	1	68.0	32.0	71.0	41.0	71.0	34.0										27.3	$12,646
Windsor Charter Academy Early College High School	Public, Charter	9-12	810 Automation Drive	Windsor	80550	Weld County	Weld County Reorganized School District No. Re-4	Yes	No	No	No	(970) 833-5190	375	21	17.6	5.9%	289 (77.1%)	5 (1.3%)	58 (15.5%)	10 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.5%)	95.2	9^th of 349 public high schools	97.4%		90.1	26^th of 349 public high schools	92.6%	17	93.0	81.0	92.0	74.0	88.0	67.0										56.1	$20,373

Fossil Ridge High School

Fossil Ridge High School:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Poudre School District R-1:

Average Rating:

What do you think?

Rank History for Fossil Ridge High School

Rank History for all students at Fossil Ridge High School

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Fossil Ridge High School

Rank History for Special Education students at Fossil Ridge High School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Fossil Ridge High School

Rank History for Female students at Fossil Ridge High School

Rank History for Disabled students at Fossil Ridge High School

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Fossil Ridge High School

Rank History for Male students at Fossil Ridge High School

Rank History for Asian students at Fossil Ridge High School

Rank History for Hispanic students at Fossil Ridge High School

Rank History for White students at Fossil Ridge High School

Review counts

Enrollment information for Fossil Ridge High School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Fossil Ridge High School

Student/Teacher Ratio Fossil Ridge High School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Fossil Ridge High School

Impact of COVID-19 on Fossil Ridge High School

Rankings

Student Body

Schools Near Fossil Ridge High School

Frequently Asked Questions about Fossil Ridge High School

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