As Colorado Schools Reopen, Thousands Of Students Still Don’t Have Reliable Internet

 Although 90 percent of Colorado city and suburban districts have high levels of broadband connectivity, only a quarter of the 112 rural districts have high levels of connectivity, and many have low or very low levels, according to an analysis by the Regional Educational Laboratory Central at Centennial-based Marzano Research. 94 percent of the 28,200 students within Mesa County Valley School district have broadband internet (speeds greater than 25 megabits per second). But across the state on the far eastern plains, only 18 percent of the 61 students in the Plainview School District have broadband. It’s not just a rural problem. Low-income neighborhoods such as Denver’s Montbello and Green Valley Ranch have spotty coverage and many students are trying to use their phones as hotspots.

“It’s frustrating,” said Toby Melster, superintendent of the Centennial School District in San Luis, Colorado. He estimates about 30 percent of his students are falling behind simply because they don’t have a high-quality internet connection. He said companies have donated some hotspots but because there are multiple people in a family who need to go online, “they’ve got to make a decision about who gets access to the hotspot.”