Please see the following message from Dr. Kirk Henwood, the Superintendent of the South Routt School District.

 

South Routt Superintendent letter announcing performance framework results

 

Dear South Routt School District Community,

 

It is my great honor to announce the official results of last school year’s state assessments, the primary metrics by which we are measured in regards to our academic proficiency.

 

The short story is that South Routt students are rising to the top of the state across the board, an enormous credit to them, to their families, and of course to our teachers and support staffs. Ultimately, the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS), and other assessments the state uses to judge the quality of education in our schools, are measures of the success of the instruction happening in all our classrooms.

 

As a whole, South Routt School District was rated “Accredited with Distinction” for a third year in a row. This rating is based on a combination of factors, including the raw test scores of our students on CMAS as well as PSAT and SAT, their growth from year to year in those assessments, and postsecondary and workforce readiness. In essence, this rating, which is the highest available rating for school districts in Colorado, affirms what we have known for a long time: That South Routt School District is providing an elite-level educational experience to our students, and that our students are taking that opportunity and thriving in a dramatic way.

 

To break this down into a little bit more detail, the three measures that contribute to this rating are:

• “Academic Achievement,” which measures a single set of assessments against the state. In this metric, South Routt School District earned 77.2% of points available, which meets state expectations.
• “Academic Growth,” which measures the overall improvement in each student’s year-over-year achievement. Essentially, Johnny’s score in 2024 was compared to Johnny’s score in 2025; Jane’s score in 2024 was compared to Jane’s score in 2025, and so on. Those comparisons are compiled into a single growth score for the district. This year, South Routt’s score was 70.8% of available points, which also meets state expectations.
• “Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness” measures several categories of High School success, including graduation rates and other measures. In many ways, this metric could be considered our most important, determining the quality of opportunity we’re providing for our graduates as they exit our system. Here, South Routt blew the state out of the water, earning an incredible 94.1% of available points, exceeding state expectations.

 

There are, of course, areas for growth. Our elementary students are still “Approaching” state standards in their raw achievement data. However, elementary growth data shows we are making significant gains and meeting state standards for expected improvement year over year. Our new principal and new staff are demonstrating that our elementary students can meet the state expectations. Our high school students are “Approaching” expected growth scores, although they are meeting achievement expectations and exceeding in their readiness to succeed at the next level. We will keep getting better. I’m certain of it.

 

I also want to highlight one of our schools that demonstrated particularly outstanding outcomes: Soroco Middle School. Our middle school achieved 96.7% of available points in their overall performance score, ranking it among the best middle schools in the entire state of Colorado. Soroco Middle School students exceeded state expectations in overall achievement and in growth, a stunning result if you’re not paying attention to the quality of instruction in our schools, but one those of us who are intimately involved with the hard work at South Routt schools have grown to expect. Congratulations are in order for Soroco Middle School students and staff, who have once again demonstrated a top-tier effort and produced top-tier results.

 

As you know, our vision as a school district is to be the best small school district in Colorado. What that means, exactly, is a matter of ongoing discussion and constant striving. What I know now, though, is that we are well on our way. It’s hard to reach this level of success and stay there, but the truth is some of these numbers are becoming commonplace at South Routt School District. It’s even harder to keep getting better, but that is without question our intention. I hope you will celebrate our students and staff with me for meeting yet another benchmark on our journey to be the Best Small School District in Colorado. Your students deserve to be applauded. Their teachers deserve to be congratulated. The staff and administration that support those teachers and students deserve to be proud. I know I am.

 

Congratulations South Routt. Take pride in this moment, and let’s keep excelling.