Final 2025 SPF Results: A Clear Signal on Quality, Opportunity, and Progress

By Kevin Hesla, Director of Data Strategy

When the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) released the final 2025 School Performance Framework (SPF) ratings last week, there was a familiar temptation to jump straight to the headlines: who’s green, who’s yellow, who moved, and who didn’t. Those data points matter, of course. But as with any meaningful analysis, the real story lives a layer deeper—when we step back, compare sectors, and ask what this information tells us about quality, opportunity, and improvement across Colorado’s public schools.

As someone who spends a lot of time with education data, I find these moments both grounding and energizing. The final 2025 SPF ratings don’t just confirm trends we’ve been tracking for years; they sharpen them. And in doing so, they offer a clear reminder of why performance, accountability, and student-centered design remain central to the charter school's relevance in enhancing public education.

Charter Schools are More Likely to be Performance-Rated

First off, charter schools are 12 percentage points more likely than non-charter schools to earn a Performance rating under the final 2025 SPF.

That difference becomes even more meaningful when viewed through the lens of students rather than schools. Based on final ratings, charter school students are 15 percentage points more likely to attend a Performance-rated school than students in non-charter settings (see the graphic to the right).

That 88% mark means nearly 9 in 10 students who attend charter schools are attending a Performance rated school. When we talk about statistics and data, especially in education, and we’re talking about nine out of ten we have to stop and realize how substantial that is.

And remember that this distinction matters. Families don’t experience systems—they experience schools. And the SPF data continues to show that a significantly higher share of students enrolled in charter schools are learning in environments that meet the state’s highest performance expectations.

Performance Matters Most Where it Counts: Students

Perhaps the most compelling data emerges when we examine who benefits from these outcomes.

Across every major demographic group, charter school students are more likely than non-charter school students to be enrolled in Performance-rated schools. The size of that performance gap varies, but the direction is consistent.

• The charter advantage is +10 percentage points for White students
• It is +18 percentage points for Black students
• It is +22 percentage points for Latino students
• And it grows to +24 percentage points for English Language Learners (ELLs)

Similar patterns appear for other historically underserved student groups.

This matters deeply. For decades, Colorado—and the nation—have struggled with persistent achievement gaps tied to race, income, and language status. While no single school model can solve these challenges outright, the SPF data clearly show that charter schools disproportionately enroll students from these groups in higher-performing learning environments.

That outcome reflects intentional design, mission-driven leadership, and accountability structures that prioritize results for students who have too often been left behind.

Academic Proficiency Continues to Favor Charters

The final 2025 SPF data also reinforces sector differences in academic proficiency.

Across tested subjects, charter schools outperform non-charter schools, with the largest proficiency gap appearing in P/SAT Math, where charters lead by five percentage points. CMAS Math shows a smaller—but still positive—difference of two percentage points. Note: AEC schools have not been included in these state assessment comparisons for either sector as their proficiency rates are significantly different than other schools.

These differences may appear modest in isolation, but at scale they represent thousands of additional students reaching proficiency—particularly in subjects that are foundational to long-term academic and career success.

The Message in the Data is Clear

Taken as a whole, the final 2025 SPF ratings tell a consistent and important story:

• Charter schools are more likely to earn Performance ratings
• Charter students are more likely to attend high-performing schools
• These advantages extend across demographic groups and academic measures

This is not about declaring victory or overlooking areas where growth is still needed. It’s about recognizing what works and learning from it. The data underscores the value of autonomy paired with accountability—and of a sector designed to adapt, respond, and improve when results demand it.

If we are serious about strengthening public education for all students, the lessons embedded in the 2025 SPF results deserve close attention. They don’t just affirm the impact of Colorado’s charter schools; they challenge all of us to think bigger about what’s possible when quality remains non-negotiable.