24 Denver Schools Among Best For Grades K-8: U.S. News

DENVER, CO — Several elementary and middle schools in Denver have been ranked among the top 10 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 Polaris Elementary School in Denver as the highest in the state, according to the new list.

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

1 - Polaris Elementary School
4 - Challenge School
8 - Cory Elementary School
11 - Slavens K-8 School
16 - Carson Elementary School
19 - Steck Elementary School
27 - Steele Elementary School
28 - William (Bill) Roberts Ece-8 School
34 - Westerly Creek Elementary
35 - Park Hill School
35 - Swigert International School
46 - Bromwell Elementary School
60 - Creativity Challenge Community
76 - University Park Elementary School
80 - Southmoor Elementary School
97 - Bradley International School
101 - Teller Elementary School
117 - Denver Language School
119 - Willow Elementary School
120 - Mckinley-Thatcher Elementary School
121 - Highline Academy Southeast
135 - Asbury Elementary School
149 - Edison Elementary School
195 - Rocky Mountain Prep: Creekside

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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 Denver Public Schools:

1 - Polaris Elementary School
2 - Cory Elementary School
3 - Slavens K-8 School
4 - Carson Elementary School
5 - Steck Elementary School
6 - Steele Elementary School
7 - William (Bill) Roberts Ece-8 School
8 - Westerly Creek Elementary
9 - Park Hill School (tie)
9 - Swigert International School
11 - Bromwell Elementary School
12 - Creativity Challenge Community
13 - University Park Elementary School
14 - Southmoor Elementary School
15 - Bradley International School
16 - Teller Elementary School
17 - Denver Language School
18 - Willow Elementary School
19 - Mckinley-Thatcher Elementary School
20 - Highline Academy Southeast
21 - Asbury Elementary School
22 - Edison Elementary School
23 - Rocky Mountain Prep: Creekside
24 - Isabella Bird Community School
25 - Lena Archuleta Elementary School
26 - Lincoln Elementary School
27 - Brown International Academy
28 - Valdez Elementary School
29 - Sabin World School
30 - Strive Prep - Ruby Hill

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.