Roaring Fork School District earns D- grade for Latino student achievement

Voces Unidas today released its first School District Accountability Report Card for the Roaring Fork School District (RE-1), giving the district an overall grade of D- based on persistent achievement gaps between Latino and White students. The district’s grade fell even further due to the absence of a clear vision to eliminate the longstanding gaps in an acceptable timeline, lack of diversity in leadership, and little accountability when goals go unmet decade after decade.

The School District Accountability Report Card is a new community accountability tool created by Voces Unidas to evaluate how Western Slope school districts are serving Latino students and families. The report card does not measure how districts serve White students other than as a baseline comparison to Latino academic experiences in the majority-minority Roaring Fork School District. 

Voces Unidas notes that White students often experience an excellent education in the Roaring Fork School District. They excel academically, are well-represented in school and district leadership, and are regularly involved in sports and extracurricular activities. Families face no language or cultural barriers, and White parents continue to shape most decisions. Comparative data for Latino students tells a very different story.

Latino students, who make up more than half the student population in the Roaring Fork School District, remain nearly 40 points behind their White peers in English Language Arts, math, and science test scores. In the 2025 Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) standardized testing, Latino students scored 18.5 percent proficient in ELA compared with 60.3 percent proficiency among White students, a gap of 41.8 points. In math, Latino proficiency was 11.7 percent compared with 49.1 percent for White students, a 37.4-point gap. In science, Latino students were at 11.8 percent compared with 53 percent for White students, a 41.2-point gap.

“This is the starting line for accountability,” Alex Sánchez, president and CEO of Voces Unidas, said of today’s inaugural accountability report card release. “The Roaring Fork School District has never been held accountable for its actions or its results. Moving forward, progress will be measured by outcomes, not promises.”

Voces Unidas evaluated the Roaring Fork School District across four areas: quality of education, human capital, parent power, and governance and leadership. The organization reviewed district presentations, questioned district leaders, requested public records, analyzed state data, and sought the opinions of Latino parents before issuing grades.

Quality of Education

The district earned an F for student performance and progress over time. Latino–White gaps have remained above 40 points in ELA for three consecutive years, while math and science gaps grew by 8 and 10 points, respectively. The district received a D for vision to eliminate the gaps.

Human Capital

The district received a D for leadership expertise, an F for leadership that reflects the student population, and a D for vision to strengthen leadership pipelines.

Parent Power

The district was given a D for parent involvement in decision-making, a D for parent leadership development, and an F for vision to transform parent power. Latino parents continue to be consulted but excluded from real decision-making, with no pipeline to prepare them for leadership roles.

Governance and Leadership

The school board received a D for passing aspirational policies without enforcement or consequences. The superintendent received a D for limited experience leading district reforms and unwillingness to accelerate progress. The district also received a D for strategic direction, as gaps of 37 to 42 points persist after more than 15 years of plans, with the current five-year plan described as short-sighted and not designed to eliminate them.

According to the 2025 Colorado Latino Policy Agenda, the largest annual survey of Latinos in Colorado, families across the state share these concerns. Only about half of Latinos have confidence that school districts will eliminate racism or close achievement gaps, and nearly 80 percent support giving the state stronger enforcement powers to hold districts accountable when they fail students. Voces Unidas created the accountability report card in direct response to this growing community demand for action and transparency.

“Our community refuses to accept the status quo as the norm,” Sánchez said. “Latino students deserve excellence, and we will continue to push until every child in this district has access to the high-quality education they deserve.”

The Roaring Fork School District (RE-1) is the first of several Western Slope school districts that will receive Accountability Report Cards in the coming weeks. As the second-largest school district in the region, RE-1 maintains one of the largest proficiency gaps in the state between Latino students and their White peers, earning distinction as the first district to have its grades publicly released. 

See the full report card at www.vocesunidas.org/report-card-rfsd.