Newsweek Magazine unveiled its annual Top High Schools ranking today and ranked Colorado Early Colleges Fort Collins (CECFC) as the top high school in the state of Colorado and 66th in the nation. According to the ranking website, the Newsweek High School Rankings assess schools based on a broad range of data to determine which institutions do the best job of preparing students for college.
Among the statistics reviewed by Newsweek, CECFC scored 100 percent in the college bound category, 97.9 percent in its graduation rate and 85.7 percent for college readiness. It maintains a 1:106 counselor to student ratio, has a 95.3 percent dual enrollment participation, a 23 average ACT score, a 54.6 SAT/ACT composite score and an 82.5 AP/IB/Dual Enrollment Composite. In addition, this year Newsweek aimed to identify schools that achieve success while helping students living in poverty. CECFC has 26.2 percent of its students meeting that criteria.
CECFC was founded in 2012 as a tuition-free, open enrollment public charter school. It’s mission is to ensure that each student, regardless of background or skill level, will have the opportunity to pursue a growth mindset that will allow them to achieve mastery and to demonstrate they can succeed in school, in college, and in their chosen career. No exceptions. No excuses. CECFC is the only high school in northern Colorado that allows students grades 9-12 to earn an associate degree at no cost to families. This fall, CECFC added its middle school with 6-8 grades to extend its personalized education model to more students and give them an earlier start to college and workforce readiness preparation.
“The education landscape has been changing and we value the opportunity to help students achieve success no matter their background or skill level. Our school’s Newsweek Top Schools ranking validates our model and the great work that our team is doing to better prepare our students for a successful future – both in college and in life,” said Sandi Brown, head of schools for CECFC.
Since opening, enrollment has more than doubled with 610 high school students and 156 middle school students from all across northern Colorado choosing CECFC over public school districts, home schooling or other charter schools. In addition, the number of students graduating from CECFC with college credits and certifications has doubled in the last year and CECFC is on track to become a school of distinction for the third consecutive year.
CECFC Facts and Numbers:
- 2014 Enrollment included:
- 224 students from Fort Collins
- 136 students from Loveland
- 42 students from Windsor
- 19 students from Greeley
- 16 students from Westminster
- 68 students from other northern Colorado areas
- In 2013, CECFC opened with 205 students and had 12 graduates with one graduate earning a college degree or CTE certificate.
- In 2014, CECFC had 318 enrolled students and 46 graduates with 22 graduates earning a college degree or CTE certificate.
- In 2015, CECFC has seen its highest numbers yet with 505 students enrolled and 80 graduates with 43 graduates earning an Associate of Arts/Associate of Science degree, 5 earning two or three different college degrees, 3 earning a Career Technical Education (CTE) certification and 35 students earning some college credit.
- 3,912 credits earned by the graduating class from both Front Range Community College (FRCC) and Aims Community College.
- Average college credits earned by graduating seniors: 49
- Postsecondary Readiness –
- 62 seniors successfully completed both college level ENG 121 and ENG 122
- 62 seniors successfully completed college level MAT 121
- 56 seniors completed college level math, English, and courses in three other college level disciplines.
- 48 associate degrees are being earned by 43 graduating seniors
- CECFC graduate Trevor C. is one of three FRCC 2015 graduates out of 1,700 graduates to earn the AA in Criminal Justice
- CECFC graduate Alyssa T. is one of three FFCC 2015 graduates out of 1,700 graduates to earn the AA in Anthropology
For more information visit http://www.cecfc914.org/ or call 970-377-0044.
About Colorado Early Colleges
Keith King, a former Colorado Senator and longtime education advocate, launched the Colorado Early Colleges model through Colorado Springs Early Colleges (CSEC) in 2007. Colorado Early Colleges was founded so that every student, regardless of background or skill level, can achieve mastery and demonstrate that they can succeed in high school, college and in their chosen career. In addition, the school is focused to help students avoid remediation* and offset the rising costs of college tuition**. The school’s approach to education caught on quickly and in 2012, Colorado Early Colleges Fort Collins (CECFC) launched in northern Colorado. A third campus, Colorado Early Colleges Douglas County, was established in 2014.
MEDIA CONTACT FOR INTERVIEWS AND INFORMATION:
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