Best Public Schools in Littleton, CO

Littleton, Colorado is home to 42 schools serving roughly 24,407 students across three districts — Jefferson County School District No. R-1, Littleton School District No. 6, and Douglas County School District No. Re 1 — with 27 elementary, 9 middle, 5 high schools, and 1 alternative school. The city's schools outperform Colorado state averages at every level: elementary ELA proficiency is 59.2% vs. the state's 44.7%, and math is 52.6% vs. 37.3%; high school SAT reading/writing is 72.6% vs. 60%, and SAT math is 44.2% vs. 32%. Both Douglas County and Littleton districts earn 5-star ratings, with average school rankings in the 73rd–77th percentiles statewide.

Standout schools include Littleton Academy, which ranks in the top 30 elementary schools in Colorado (97th percentile) with 2.6% chronic absenteeism — the lowest in the dataset — and Bradford K8 South at the 96th percentile with just 4.0% free/reduced-price lunch eligibility. Rocky Heights Middle School is the city's top middle school (93rd percentile), exceeding state and district proficiency averages in all subjects, while Bradford K8 North posts the strongest middle-school ELA proficiency at 72.8%. Among high schools, Heritage High School leads with a 91st-percentile ranking, 93.4% graduation rate, and 83% SAT reading/writing; Chatfield High School has the highest math proficiency (54%) and a 96.6% graduation rate. Schools needing attention include Field Elementary School (25th percentile, 73.9% FRL, 30.1% chronic absenteeism), Collegiate Academy of Colorado (77.3% graduation rate, 37.6% chronic absenteeism), and Littleton High School (31.4% chronic absenteeism).

Key trends: math is the weakest subject citywide, especially at the high school level, where the gap between SAT reading/writing (72.6%) and math (44.2%) is significant. Chronic absenteeism rises with grade level — from 12.5% in elementary to 26.0% in high school — though the citywide average of 15.9% is well below the state's 28.4%. Graduation rates are a bright spot: all five traditional high schools exceed the state average of 85.6%. K-8 and charter models like Littleton Academy, Bradford K8 South, and Bradford K8 North are consistently top-tier. Poverty does correlate with lower scores at some schools, but exceptions exist: Littleton High School beats state SAT averages despite 40.2% FRL, and Centennial Academy of Fine Arts Education performs at state levels with 44.6% FRL.