16 Boulder Schools Among Best For Grades K-8: U.S. News

BOULDER, CO — Several elementary and middle schools in Boulder have been ranked among the top 100 in Colorado, according to a brand-new ranking released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

For the inaugural list, U.S. News published rankings and data on more than 80,000 public elementary and middle schools across the United States.

Schools are ranked at the state and district levels. The best charter schools and best magnet schools ranked as stand-alone categories.

U.S. News ranked High Peaks Elementary as the top in the state among schools in Boulder, according to the new list. High Peaks was ranked No. 9.

Here’s a look at how other schools in Boulder ranked compared with others in the state:

9 - High Peaks Elementary School
10 - Bear Creek Elementary School
23 - Boulder Community School/Integrated Studies
40 - Mesa Elementary School
50 - Eisenhower Elementary School
70 - Foothill Elementary School
126 - Creekside Elementary School at Martin Park
160 - Whittier Elementary School
197 - Flatirons Elementary School
232 - Horizons K-8 School
280 - Douglass Elementary School
299 - Heatherwood Elementary School
338 - Crest View Elementary School
733 - Columbine Elementary School
370 - Community Montessori School
556 - University Hill Elementary School

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To determine the rankings, U.S. News used data from the U.S. Department of Education to analyze two areas at each school:

• Math and reading proficiency — or how well students perform on state assessments.
• Math and reading performance — or how well they perform compared with expectations.

The state assessment data used in the rankings is from the 2018-19 school year and, therefore, predates any effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on test-taking.

Schools were also ranked by district. Here’s the top 30 elementary and middle schools in the Boulder Valley School District:

• 1 - High Peaks Elementary School
• 2 - Bear Creek Elementary School
• 3 - Superior Elementary School, Superior
• 4 - Boulder Community School/Integrated Studies, Boulder
• 5 - Mesa Elementary School, Boulder
• 6 - Eisenhower Elementary School, Boulder
• 7 - Fireside Elementary School, Louisville
• 8 - Foothill Elementary School, Boulder
• 9 - Aspen Creek K-8 School, Broomfield
• 10 - Creekside Elementary School at Martin Park, Boulder
• 11 - Peak To Peak Charter School, Lafayette
• 12 - Lafayette Elementary School, Lafayette
• 13 - Monarch K-8 School, Louisville
• 14 - Coal Creek Elementary School, Louisville
• 15 - Whittier Elementary School, Boulder
• 16 - Birch Elementary School, Broomfield
• 17 - Flatirons Elementary School, Boulder
• 18 - Eldorado K-8 School, Superior
• 19 - Emerald Elementary School, Broomfield
• 20 - Horizons K-8 School, Boulder

Nationally, California has 5,534 ranked elementary schools — the most of any state — followed by Texas at 4,446; New York at 2,211; Florida at 2,128; and Illinois at 2,038 schools.

California also has the most ranked middle schools with 2,319, followed by Texas at 1,942; Illinois at 1,243; New York at 1,219; and Florida at 997.

See the complete list of 2021’s Best K-8 Schools.