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Carson Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

85^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 950 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 91% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Carson Elementary School is a public elementary school in Denver, Colorado, serving 415 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the School District No. 1, which is ranked 76 out of 115 districts in the state.

Carson Elementary consistently outperforms its district and the state of Colorado in academic assessments. In the 2024-2025 school year, 73.1% of Carson students were proficient or better in CMAS/English Language Arts, compared to 41.9% for the district and 44.8% for the state. Similarly, 60.7% of Carson students were proficient in CMAS/Math, compared to 32.9% for the district and 35.9% for the state. The school has a strong statewide ranking, placing in the top 10-20% of Colorado elementary schools, and it performs well across different student subgroups.

While Carson Elementary faces some challenges, such as fluctuating chronic absenteeism rates, it stands out as a high-performing institution compared to nearby schools like Lowry Elementary School and Teller Elementary School. The school's low student-teacher ratio and relatively low percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients suggest a positive learning environment that contributes to its academic excellence.

412

Students ?

16.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,850

Per pupil spending ?

17.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5420 East 1st Avenue
Denver, CO 80220-5801

(720) 424-9090

District: School District No. 1

Students who attend Carson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Hill Campus of Arts and Sciences
High:	George Washington High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.5%

Hispanic:

12.4%

Two or more races:

7.0%

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Compare Carson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 98th percentile in 2015 → 91st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (68% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of Colorado elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in School District No. 1

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school68%

District avg37%

Colorado avg40%

85^th of 950

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Top 9%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From top 2% (2015) to top 9% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

14^th of 99Elementary Schools in the School District No. 1

76^th of 115School District No. 1 among Colorado districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	88.7	85 of 950	91.1%	★★★★★
2024	80.5	165 of 943	82.5%	★★★★☆
2023	82.4	143 of 933	84.7%	★★★★☆
2022	87.3	95 of 921	89.7%	★★★★☆
2021	89.4	68 of 710	90.4%	★★★★★
2019	96.8	17 of 965	98.2%	★★★★★
2018	95.1	28 of 917	96.9%	★★★★★
2017	93.9	39 of 929	95.8%	★★★★★
2016	95.1	26 of 914	97.2%	★★★★★
2015	96.1	22 of 938	97.7%	★★★★★
2014	89.9	53 of 962	94.5%	★★★★★
2013	90.6	50 of 954	94.8%	★★★★★
2012	88.4	83 of 935	91.1%	★★★★★
2011	84.2	119 of 935	87.3%	★★★★☆
2010	71.0	273 of 925	70.5%	★★★★☆
2009	64.1	333 of 872	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	72.3	230 of 849	72.9%	★★★★☆
2007	70.0	263 of 852	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	73.0	221 of 829	73.3%	★★★★☆
2005	65.2	311 of 823	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2004	55.3	396 of 808	51.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	82.9	88 of 694	87.3%	★★★★☆
2024	75.7	129 of 684	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	79.1	107 of 642	83.3%	★★★★☆
2022	81.0	90 of 595	84.9%	★★★★☆
2019	93.8	23 of 758	97.0%	★★★★★
2018	90.9	38 of 690	94.5%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	62.3	54 of 119	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.7	43 of 91	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.9	56 of 82	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	80.0	3 of 22	86.4%	★★★★★
2019	70.7	25 of 110	77.3%	★★★★☆
2018	73.0	14 of 84	83.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	84.5	83 of 700	88.1%	★★★★☆
2024	70.1	185 of 683	72.9%	★★★★☆
2023	69.8	177 of 649	72.7%	★★★★☆
2022	81.1	93 of 594	84.3%	★★★★☆
2019	95.5	15 of 764	98.0%	★★★★★
2018	94.0	23 of 693	96.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	88.1	30 of 551	94.6%	★★★★★
2024	75.1	103 of 539	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	76.9	90 of 525	82.9%	★★★★☆
2022	82.0	57 of 454	87.4%	★★★★☆
2021	77.1	62 of 288	78.5%	★★★★☆
2019	93.2	17 of 596	97.1%	★★★★★
2018	96.2	6 of 337	98.2%	★★★★★

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

White (2025)95th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)88th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)87th percentile-4 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)55th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts73%+28 vs state

Science73%+34 vs state

Math61%+25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Carson Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CMAS English Language Arts (2025)							CMAS Math (2025)							CMAS Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CMAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	CMAS Science 8th Grade	Total
Carson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5420 East 1st Avenue	Denver	80220	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-9090	412	25	16.8	17.7%	303 (73.5%)	22 (5.3%)	51 (12.4%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.0%)	88.7	85^th of 950 public elementary schools	91.1%		80.5	165^th of 943 public elementary schools	82.5%	80	67.2	72.1	80.0				73.1	67.2	47.5	67.2				60.7	72.9		$16,850
Denver Language School	Public, Charter	K-8	451 Newport Street	Denver	80220	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 557-0852	930	58	16.1	20.6%	381 (41.0%)	41 (4.4%)	286 (30.8%)	61 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	158 (17.0%)	82.2	149^th of 950 public elementary schools	84.3%		75.5	205^th of 943 public elementary schools	78.3%	56	43.0	51.0	74.3	76.8	74.0	78.9	64.8	56.6	63.0	71.4	64.6	60.3	81.1	65.6	64.4	76.0	$13,312
Steck Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	450 Albion Street	Denver	80220	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-3870	323	18	18.3	20.1%	201 (62.2%)	17 (5.3%)	54 (16.7%)	13 (4.0%)	5 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (10.2%)	95	31^st of 950 public elementary schools	96.7%		98.3	7^th of 943 public elementary schools	99.3%	24	75.9	83.0	72.5				77.2	74.6	89.4	73.2				78.9	67.5		$16,328
Palmer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	995 Grape Street	Denver	80220	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-5000	197	16	12.6	38.1%	95 (48.2%)	21 (10.7%)	47 (23.9%)	5 (2.5%)	2 (1.0%)	1 (0.5%)	26 (13.2%)	81.3	160^th of 950 public elementary schools	83.2%		58.8	374^th of 943 public elementary schools	60.3%	214			61.9				47.4	60.0						50.0	61.9		$20,030
Denver Green School Southeast	Public	K-8	6700 East Virginia Avenue	Denver	80224	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-7480	586	36	16.0	64.8%	125 (21.3%)	99 (16.9%)	289 (49.3%)	17 (2.9%)	6 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	48 (8.2%)	12.1	856^th of 950 public elementary schools	9.9%		13.9	822^nd of 943 public elementary schools	12.8%	34	7.4	25.0	19.0	29.3	25.0	33.9	23.3	8.2	16.4	15.9	6.5	13.5	16.1	12.7	17.5	21.3	$19,510
McMeen Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 South Holly Street	Denver	80246	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-5520	706	38	18.3	63.3%	150 (21.2%)	108 (15.3%)	393 (55.7%)	22 (3.1%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.1%)	20.8	730^th of 950 public elementary schools	23.2%		17.4	771^st of 943 public elementary schools	18.2%	41	45.8	36.4	20.7				32.7	26.9	20.2	5.6				18.2	13.5		$16,986
Montclair School of Academics and Enrichment	Public	PK, KG-5	1151 Newport Street	Denver	80220	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-5380	353	25	14.1	79.9%	58 (16.4%)	123 (34.8%)	126 (35.7%)	13 (3.7%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	31 (8.8%)	16.5	787^th of 950 public elementary schools	17.2%		21.2	729^th of 943 public elementary schools	22.7%	58	9.5	27.7	30.8				23.4	13.6	23.1	15.1				17.4	22.2		$21,252
Lowry Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8001 East Cedar Avenue	Denver	80230	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-5910	400	29	13.9	74.8%	81 (20.3%)	153 (38.3%)	125 (31.3%)	6 (1.5%)	4 (1.0%)	2 (0.5%)	29 (7.3%)	24.2	675^th of 950 public elementary schools	28.9%		22.6	702^nd of 943 public elementary schools	25.6%	27	23.5	25.4	39.1				28.8	34.6	20.3	27.7				27.2	19.6		$19,261
Teller Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1150 Garfield Street	Denver	80206	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-3560	518	29	18.1	22.0%	345 (66.6%)	30 (5.8%)	84 (16.2%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (10.0%)	93	43^rd of 950 public elementary schools	95.5%		86.9	105^th of 943 public elementary schools	88.9%	62	74.7	70.5	81.3				75.3	65.8	67.8	71.3				68.3	71.1		$18,443
Stephen Knight Center for Early Education	Public	PK-K	3245 East Exposition Avenue	Denver	80209	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-6500	276	22	12.7	26.1%	152 (55.1%)	18 (6.5%)	53 (19.2%)	22 (8.0%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	27 (9.8%)								(n/a)																	$21,365

Frequently Asked Questions about Carson Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Carson Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Carson Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hill Campus of Arts and Sciences
High : George Washington High School

What district is Carson Elementary School in?

School District No. 1

What is the racial makeup of Carson Elementary School?

Students at Carson Elementary School are 74% White, 12% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 5% African American, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Carson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 412 students attended Carson Elementary School.

Is Carson Elementary School a good school?

Yes. Carson Elementary School ranks in the top 8.9% of Colorado elementary schools.

Rate Carson Elementary School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Colorado Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.