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McElwain Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

Summary

McElwain Elementary School is a public elementary school in Thornton, Colorado, serving 369 students in grades K-5 as part of the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district.

While McElwain has a significantly higher percentage of Hispanic students (62.6%) compared to surrounding schools, its academic performance is significantly lower than district and state averages. In 2022-2023, only 13.6% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, and just 5.8% were proficient or better in math, compared to district averages of 40.9% and 32%, respectively. McElwain has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Colorado elementary schools over the past 10 years, making it one of the lowest-performing schools in the state. The school also has an exceptionally high rate of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, ranging from 78.73% to 89.16% over the past 3 years, suggesting significant socioeconomic challenges.

Despite having a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 13.6 to 14.1 over the past 3 years, McElwain's academic struggles persist. The school's high percentage of Hispanic students, combined with its low performance, indicates that it may be struggling to meet the needs of its diverse student population. Addressing these issues will require a comprehensive, data-driven approach that targets the specific needs of the school and its students. Nearby schools, such as Monterey Community School, Thornton Elementary School, and Welby Community School of the Arts, also face challenges, but McElwain stands out as the lowest-performing school in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district.

361

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,061

Per pupil spending ?

90%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1020 Dawson Drive
Thornton, CO 80229-4909

(720) 972-5500

District: Adams 12 Five Star Schools

Students who attend McElwain Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Thornton Middle School
High:	Thornton High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

51.2%

Asian:

31.0%

White:

13.3%

See top rated Colorado public schools

Compare McElwain Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 3rd percentile in 2012 → 1st in 2023

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (10% vs 38% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (46% vs 28% Colorado)

!English Language Arts scores 34 pts below the Colorado average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school10%

District avg36%

Colorado avg38%

Not ranked this year

McElwain Elementary School did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

52^nd of 115Adams 12 Five Star Schools 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
2023	5.6	928 of 933	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.5	905 of 921	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.3	877 of 965	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.8	908 of 917	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.7	918 of 929	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	7.5	895 of 914	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	7.5	931 of 938	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	6.5	939 of 962	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.8	903 of 954	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	5.4	910 of 935	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	4.3	913 of 935	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	5.3	888 of 925	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	4.6	838 of 872	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	2.4	838 of 849	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	2.9	838 of 852	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	4.2	805 of 829	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	13.0	725 of 823	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	4.1	774 of 808	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	7.1	747 of 758	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	26.4	218 of 270	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	13.9	684 of 764	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2019)19th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2019)10th percentile~ school

Female (2019)1st percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts14%-34 vs state

Math8%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near McElwain 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 (2024)
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
McElwain Elementary School	Public	K-5	1020 Dawson Drive	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 972-5500	361	25	14.4	90.0%	48 (13.3%)	3 (0.8%)	185 (51.2%)	112 (31.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.6%)								(n/a)			13.8					14.9						8.0			$19,061
Coronado Hills Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8300 Downing Drive	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 972-5320	412	28	14.7	81.3%	37 (9.0%)	7 (1.7%)	349 (84.7%)	8 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (2.2%)	13.6	827^th of 950 public elementary schools	12.9%		7.9	914^th of 943 public elementary schools	3.1%	87	14.3	8.0	33.3				19.3	10.3	11.5	19.7				14.0	24.6		$18,735
Monterey Community School	Public	K-8	2210 McElwain Blvd	Denver	80229	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 853-1360	440	23	18.8	78.6%	54 (12.3%)	0 (0.0%)	364 (82.7%)	11 (2.5%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	13.4	830^th of 950 public elementary schools	12.6%		19.3	749^th of 943 public elementary schools	20.6%	81	13.0	22.5	20.6	9.1	34.6	17.8	19.9	13.3	25.0	26.5				11.2	17.6	6.7	$13,558
Thornton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	900 Eppinger Boulevard	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 972-5660	387	28	13.8	88.1%	45 (11.6%)	9 (2.3%)	283 (73.1%)	35 (9.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.4%)	9.2	904^th of 950 public elementary schools	4.8%		8.1	912^th of 943 public elementary schools	3.3%	8	17.4	16.1	15.1				16.1		12.7					9.6			$19,844
Welby Community School of the Arts	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	1200 E 78th Ave	Denver	80229	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	Yes	No	Yes	(303) 853-1700	308	19	16.2	72.7%	59 (19.2%)	0 (0.0%)	235 (76.3%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.2%)	29.8	617^th of 950 public elementary schools	35.1%		27	652^nd of 943 public elementary schools	30.9%	35			30.0	50.0			29.6	13.6	16.2	37.5	32.1			26.0	20.0		$15,153
Clayton Partnership School	Public, Magnet	K-8	8970 York St	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	Yes	No	Yes	(303) 853-1460	430	23	18.5	77.7%	33 (7.7%)	5 (1.2%)	375 (87.2%)	9 (2.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	20.8	729^th of 950 public elementary schools	23.3%		15.8	792^nd of 943 public elementary schools	16.0%	63	22.2	23.1	10.0	20.8	36.4	27.5	24.0	23.7	38.5			9.1	17.3	16.2		15.4	$14,856
Achieve Academy	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	9100 Poze Blvd	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	Yes	No	Yes	(303) 853-1300	370	21	17.6	75.7%	31 (8.4%)	5 (1.4%)	308 (83.2%)	17 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.4%)	18.8	755^th of 950 public elementary schools	20.5%		18.8	754^th of 943 public elementary schools	20.0%	1	20.9	27.8	26.5		28.3		21.4	34.9	25.0	11.4	7.3	11.1	7.5	16.3	19.4		$14,515
North Star Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8740 North Star Drive	Denver	80260	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 972-5560	320	22	14.5	86.3%	31 (9.7%)	15 (4.7%)	265 (82.8%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.9%)	10.2	884^th of 950 public elementary schools	6.9%					(n/a)	23.1	15.4	9.3				15.7	19.0									$20,137
Adventure Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	7725 Conifer Rd	Denver	80221	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	Yes	No	Yes	(303) 853-1410	429	23	19.0	69.9%	31 (7.2%)	5 (1.2%)	380 (88.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.3%)	26.6	651^st of 950 public elementary schools	31.5%		21.7	721^st of 943 public elementary schools	23.5%	70	34.6	12.5	31.0	30.6			25.7	42.6	14.0	16.7	41.0			28.6	17.1		$14,629
Global Primary Academy	Public	PK, KG-3	7480 Conifer Road	Denver	80221	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 853-1170	272	16	17.5	72.1%	18 (6.6%)	3 (1.1%)	243 (89.3%)	5 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)								(n/a)	25.0						25.0	26.8						26.8			$18,184

Frequently Asked Questions about McElwain Elementary School

What district is McElwain Elementary School in?

Adams 12 Five Star Schools

What is the racial makeup of McElwain Elementary School?

Students at McElwain Elementary School are 51% Hispanic, 31% Asian, 13% White, 4% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of McElwain Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Thornton Middle School
High : Thornton High School

How many students attend McElwain Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 361 students attended McElwain 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.