RIFLE, Colo. - Garfield Re-2 School District has been named one of Colorado's 18 Attendance Challenge Champions after reducing chronic absenteeism by 55.6% over four years.

The district's chronic absenteeism rate fell from 40.1% in the 2021-22 school year to 17.8% in 2025-26. That 22.3 percentage-point decline puts Garfield Re-2 well ahead of the Colorado Department of Education's goal to reduce chronic absenteeism by more than 50% by 2028.

Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing at least 10% of the school year. In 2025-26, Garfield Re-2's chronic absenteeism rate was nearly 10 percentage points below Colorado's statewide rate of 27.5%.

When students returned to Rifle Middle School after winter break, they expected to resume band class as usual. Instead, an unexpected staffing change interrupted traditional music instruction. Staff responded with a creative solution: a forensic science and crime scene investigation class, the first of its kind at Rifle Middle School.

Just days before the start of the new semester, school leaders were faced with a challenge familiar across the Western Slope: how to ensure students continue to have meaningful learning opportunities when workforce housing makes it difficult to recruit and retain educators.

The Colorado Department of Education recently released data from the state’s October 2025 student count, an annual snapshot that helps school districts understand enrollment trends and plan for the future. Statewide, Colorado experienced a 1.2% decrease in pre-K–12 student enrollment compared to fall 2024.

This year’s data shows that Garfield Re-2 experienced a small decline in enrollment, reflecting a trend seen across many rural and mountain communities. District enrollment decreased from 4,695 students in fall 2024 to 4,642 students in fall 2025, a net loss of 53 students. After a slight increase the previous year, current enrollment remains comparable to levels seen in the 2023 school year.

When Rifle Middle School eighth graders head to PE, some lace up more than sneakers—they slip into climbing shoes and tackle the walls at the Rifle Climbing Center.

PE teacher Lukas Hill saw a collaboration with the Rifle Climbing Center as the perfect way to connect students with a world-class resource in their own backyard.