Grand Junction, CO - Grand Junction, CO — The Colorado Department of Education has released district-level results from the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS), PSAT, and SAT assessments administered in spring 2026. The results show progress toward District 51’s Strategic Plan academic goals, including strengths in reading and writing and gains in mathematics across several grade levels.
D51’s 2025–2030 Strategic Plan calls for students to meet or exceed state achievement levels in English language arts and mathematics. After the first year of implementing the Strategic Plan, students met or exceeded state performance in several measures, while longer-term trends show improvement in both subjects. The results also highlight grades and subject areas where there is more work to be done.
Reading and writing results reflect continued progress
Reading and writing continue to be areas of strength across the K–12 system. Several grades built on gains from previous years, and high school students continued to perform at or above state levels.
For four consecutive years, D51 has met all three Strategic Plan early literacy goals, with seventy-one-percent of K-3 students now reading at or above grade level. This is translating into greater success in reading and writing in intermediate grades. In CMAS English language arts, third-grade students performed on par with the state average. Fourth-grade performance rose again this year, continuing an upward trend and outpacing the state rate. Eighth-grade English language arts also improved over last year's results.
At the high school level, D51 students met or exceeded the state in reading and writing across all three tested grades, ninth, tenth, and eleventh, with each grade outperforming its statewide counterpart.
Strong literacy skills give students greater access to learning across content areas and help prepare them for opportunities after graduation. The results reinforce the importance of D51's continued focus on reading and writing as part of the district's broader commitment to academic success.
Mathematics gains show progress toward district goals
D51's Strategic Plan goal in mathematics is to meet or exceed state achievement levels, and this year's results show progress toward that goal in several grades.
Third-grade students outperformed the state average in math. Sixth-grade math scores climbed from last year. Eighth-grade math posted the largest year-over-year gain among all CMAS English language arts and math results, landing right in line with the state average.
High school mathematics also improved in grades 9 and 10, with both grades posting year-over-year increases and performing close to state levels. This year's results reinforce the importance of continuing to strengthen mathematics achievement across grade levels. For example, fifth- and seventh-grade CMAS math performance decreased from last year, and grade 11 SAT math trailed the state average. D51 has made substantial gains in mathematics over time and looks to extend that progress more consistently across the K–12 system.
Increased participation provides a more complete picture of high school achievement
When more students participate in state assessments, the results provide a more complete picture of how students are doing and better information to guide the work of schools and educators.
Combined PSAT and SAT participation grew significantly from 2025 to 2026, and D51's participation rate exceeded the statewide rate.
That increased participation strengthens the information available to educators as they evaluate instruction, identify students who may need additional support, and monitor progress toward district academic goals.
Building on progress toward 2030 goals
Annual assessment results are one part of the bigger picture of how students are doing, but they give us valuable information about where D51 is making progress and where we still have work to do. This year’s results show continued strength in reading and writing, with high school students performing at or above the state in all three tested grades. D51 also saw meaningful gains in math and increased student participation in state assessments.
Guided by our Strategic Plan, district and school teams will use these results, along with other measures of student learning, to build on what’s working and focus support where it’s needed most. The positive 2025–2026 results reflect the hard work of our students and educators and the academic progress D51 continues to make toward our 2030 goals.
For more information, please contact District 51 Director of Communications Callie Berkson at callie.berkson@d51schools.org or 505.217.6435