A “Performance with Distinction” rating for CEC Fort Collins and CEC Douglas County was approved by the Board of the Colorado Charter School Institute (CSI) on December 16, 2025.
Only nine CSI schools including CEC earned a “Performance with Distinction” rating based on 2024-25 performance. CSI—which authorizes CEC—assigns a rating and accredits its schools each fall based on its school performance framework, which considers a school’s academic, financial, and organizational data from the previous school year.
Unlike the state’s school performance framework, which has four levels of performance (Turnaround, Priority Improvement, Improvement, and Performance), the CSI school performance framework adds an additional level within the Performance band of Distinction. The additional rating level was included in CSI’s school performance framework to better differentiate the highest performing schools.
The academic portion of CSI’s “Performance with Distinction” rating is based on students’ performance on state tests in English Language Arts (ELA), math, and science. PSAT and SAT scores, dropout rates, matriculation rates, and graduation rates are considered when determining a high school’s rating. Aside from academics, the CSI school performance framework also considers sound charter school financial and organizational practices.
“It’s a wonderful thing to receive tangible, reliable, and meaningful data that supports what we see every day at CEC,” said Frutoso Chavez, Head of School for CEC Douglas County North. “We are a special place where our students are driven, dedicated, well rounded, kind, and caring. Our staff models these behaviors and sets the foundation for the joyful, rigorous instruction that is the hallmark of what we do.”
