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School District 27J

At a glance

79^thof 114 Colorado districts▲ 6

Better than 30% of Colorado districts

Elementary 19 Middle 5 High 7 Alternative 2Grades PK, KG-12

88 N. 40th Ave. Building A
Brighton, CO 80601-3295·(303) 655-2900·All Colorado district rankings →

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 30.7% of districts

Schools

24,044

Students

Top rankedDiscovery Magnet School302^nd of 946 Colorado elementary schools

▲

Biggest riser

Landmark Academy at Reunion up 81 spots statewide this year

◉

Smallest classes

Vikan Middle School 13 students per teacher

✦

Newly ranked this year

The STEAD School and 1 more

SchoolDigger ratings

3★

2★

1★

5 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare Colorado districts →See the top-ranked Colorado schools →

Summary:

School District 27J serves approximately 23,972 students across 32 schools spanning elementary through high school, including 18 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, 7 high schools, and 2 alternative schools, in the Brighton, Thornton, Commerce City, and Henderson areas of Colorado. The district ranks 81st out of 115 Colorado districts with a 2-star rating, placing it in the 30th percentile, and academic proficiency trails state averages in nearly every subject and grade level.

The district's brightest spots are concentrated in its elementary and K-8 schools. Discovery Magnet School leads the way with strong ELA (51.3%) and math (45.8%) proficiency, while Landmark Academy at Reunion posts the district's lowest chronic absenteeism rate at just 11.7%. Reunion Elementary School and Brantner Elementary School also exceed state averages in ELA and math. Rodger Quist Middle School stands out at the middle level, improving from the 33rd to 50th percentile and nearly matching the state average in 8th-grade math. Among high schools, Riverdale Ridge High School (94.2% graduation rate) and The STEAD School (94.0%) combine strong graduation outcomes with the best test performance in their category. At the other end of the spectrum, Overland Trail Middle School, South Elementary School, and Northeast Elementary School face the greatest challenges, with math proficiency below 15% and poverty rates above 70%.

The district's overall graduation rate of 87.0% actually exceeds the state average of 85.6%, yet SAT math proficiency is just 15% versus 32% statewide — a sign that students are graduating without necessarily being college-ready. Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide concern at 29.7%, with 27J Online Academy (70.7%) and Innovations & Options (65.6%) facing the most severe attendance challenges. Poverty and attendance are strongly linked to achievement, though Brantner Elementary (40.9% FRL) and Mary E Pennock Elementary School (59.8% FRL) demonstrate that higher-poverty schools can still produce strong results. Science proficiency is a particular area of concern, with several elementary schools posting 5th-grade science proficiency below 10%, making this a subject-area priority alongside middle school math and high school readiness.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PSAT10 Reading and Writing (2026)	PSAT10 Mathematics (2026)	PSAT9 Reading and Writing (2026)	PSAT9 Mathematics (2026)	SAT Reading and Writing (2026)	SAT Mathematics (2026)	CMAS English Language Arts (2026)							CMAS Math (2026)							CMAS Science (2026)			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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT10 Reading and Writing 10th Grade	PSAT10 Mathematics 10th Grade	PSAT9 Reading and Writing 9th Grade	PSAT9 Mathematics 9th Grade	SAT Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	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	CMAS Science 11th Grade	Total
Brighton High School	Public	9-12	270 South 8th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-4200	1,733	90	19.2	55.7%	627 (36.2%)	20 (1.2%)	1,021 (58.9%)	15 (0.9%)	6 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	43 (2.5%)	15.3	297^th of 340 public high schools	12.6%		21.8	260^th of 328 public high schools	20.7%	37	44.4	18.6	45.2	17.3	41.6	13.3																	11.9	$15,161
Henderson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	12301 East 124th Avenue	Henderson	80640	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-2700	357	24	14.8	61.1%	97 (27.2%)	5 (1.4%)	230 (64.4%)	14 (3.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.5%)	18	774^th of 946 public elementary schools	18.2%		24.1	677^th of 950 public elementary schools	28.7%	97							23.4	22.9	29.6				25.5	31.9	22.9	22.2				25.5	9.8			$17,213
Northeast Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1605 Longspeak	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 655-2550	470	31	15.3	78.7%	56 (11.9%)	5 (1.1%)	396 (84.3%)	5 (1.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	14.6	818^th of 946 public elementary schools	13.5%		11.8	859^th of 950 public elementary schools	9.6%	41							10.5	20.3	31.4				20.5	15.6	14.9	35.3				21.5	8.8			$17,078
South Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	305 South 5th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 655-2600	337	23	14.6	85.5%	33 (9.8%)	3 (0.9%)	293 (86.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	4 (1.2%)	13.5	835^th of 946 public elementary schools	11.7%		12.6	848^th of 950 public elementary schools	10.7%	13							15.8	37.0	27.3				25.4	15.8	7.3	21.4				15.0	10.7			$18,200
Southeast Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1595 Southern Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 866-2650	527	32	16.4	73.8%	105 (19.9%)	5 (0.9%)	399 (75.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.8%)	16.8	795^th of 946 public elementary schools	16.0%		11.9	857^th of 950 public elementary schools	9.8%	62							29.9	20.7	32.0				27.4	24.7	18.5	16.2				19.8	13.9			$16,193
Vikan Middle School	Public	6-8	879 Jessup Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-4050	528	40	13.0	71.0%	143 (27.1%)	5 (0.9%)	359 (68.0%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.7%)	19.7	374^th of 476 public middle schools	21.4%		15.5	404^th of 469 public middle schools	13.9%	30										28.5	21.3	18.3	22.7				29.9	12.7	16.2	19.4		17.0		$16,765
Innovations & Options	Public	6-12	830 Bridge Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-2850	235	17	13.7		56 (23.8%)	5 (2.1%)	167 (71.1%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.1%)								(n/a)																							715.0	$16,300
Overland Trail Middle School	Public	6-8	455 North 19th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-4000	581	40	14.5	70.4%	139 (23.9%)	8 (1.4%)	408 (70.2%)	13 (2.2%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (1.0%)	12.5	437^th of 476 public middle schools	8.2%		10.4	440^th of 469 public middle schools	6.2%	3										18.7	16.1	20.0	18.3				10.2	10.3	14.3	11.7		16.1		$15,714
Bromley East Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	356 Longspur Drive	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	Yes	No	No	No	(720) 685-3297	1,214	42	28.6	39.5%	568 (46.8%)	17 (1.4%)	566 (46.6%)	16 (1.3%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	44 (3.6%)	22	715^th of 946 public elementary schools	24.4%		22.1	708^th of 950 public elementary schools	25.5%	7							25.6	32.8	40.5	18.8	27.0	20.0	27.6	24.8	21.0	25.6	14.1	19.2	16.3	20.3	25.0	17.6		$12,336
John W Thimmig Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	11453 Oswego Street	Henderson	80640	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-2750	531	30	17.7	55.9%	155 (29.2%)	18 (3.4%)	322 (60.6%)	20 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (2.8%)	21.8	717^th of 946 public elementary schools	24.2%		30.1	614^th of 950 public elementary schools	35.4%	103							31.6	36.5	34.1				33.9	19.0	28.6	16.9				20.8	18.0			$14,991
Belle Creek Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	9290 East 107th Avenue	Henderson	80640	Adams County	School District 27J	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 468-0160	519	8	68.1	55.3%	105 (20.2%)	15 (2.9%)	344 (66.3%)	30 (5.8%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.8%)	19 (3.7%)	30.4	617^th of 946 public elementary schools	34.8%		30.3	611^th of 950 public elementary schools	35.7%	6							31.3	23.3	32.8	27.8	28.3	29.8	28.9	44.8	15.0	32.3	25.9	15.0	19.1	26.0	32.8	23.4		$13,418
Mary E Pennock Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3707 Estrella Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(720) 685-7500	592	38	15.7	59.8%	210 (35.5%)	7 (1.2%)	348 (58.8%)	12 (2.0%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (1.9%)	33.2	587^th of 946 public elementary schools	37.9%		37.6	550^th of 950 public elementary schools	42.1%	37							24.2	52.6	34.9				36.3	33.0	37.2	31.2				33.5	22.9			$15,377
Second Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	9950 Laredo Drive	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(720) 685-7550	697	38	18.4	58.1%	145 (20.8%)	53 (7.6%)	404 (58.0%)	47 (6.7%)	4 (0.6%)	7 (1.0%)	37 (5.3%)	28.1	642^nd of 946 public elementary schools	32.1%		25.4	662^nd of 950 public elementary schools	30.3%	20							32.3	33.7	48.8				38.6	26.2	22.5	32.1				26.8	13.6			$14,420
Prairie View High School	Public	9-12	12909 E 120th Ave	Henderson	80640	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-8800	1,809	87	20.7	54.1%	505 (27.9%)	93 (5.1%)	1,045 (57.8%)	91 (5.0%)	2 (0.1%)	7 (0.4%)	66 (3.6%)	17.4	284^th of 340 public high schools	16.5%		20.2	268^th of 328 public high schools	18.3%	16	54.3	22.7	47.0	17.1	38.0	10.2																	12.6	$14,448
Landmark Academy at Reunion	Public, Charter	K-8	10566 Memphis Street	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	School District 27J	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 287-2901	758	33	22.6	27.4%	335 (44.2%)	23 (3.0%)	303 (40.0%)	41 (5.4%)	5 (0.7%)	6 (0.8%)	45 (5.9%)	55.4	397^th of 946 public elementary schools	58.0%		45.9	478^th of 950 public elementary schools	49.7%	81							48.2	52.4	50.6	37.6	56.2	52.0	49.3	42.2	43.4	45.2	38.8	50.7	53.4	45.3	35.4	31.2		$13,388
West Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13102 Monaco Street	Thornton	80602	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(720) 685-5300	690	40	17.1	39.0%	298 (43.2%)	12 (1.7%)	243 (35.2%)	98 (14.2%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	36 (5.2%)	44.4	475^th of 946 public elementary schools	49.8%		57.6	387^th of 950 public elementary schools	59.3%	88							45.1	31.6	44.3				40.2	49.1	35.9	43.0				42.5	23.4			$14,636
Prairie Vista Youth Services Center	Public, Alternative	4-12	192 Bromley Business Parkway	Brighton	80603	Weld County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 659-4450	32	5	7.1	43.8%	7 (21.9%)	3 (9.4%)	19 (59.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (9.4%)								(n/a)																								$00
Prairie View Middle School	Public	6-8	12915 East 120th Avenue	Henderson	80640	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(720) 685-5400	679	36	18.7	58.9%	227 (33.4%)	15 (2.2%)	378 (55.7%)	33 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	22 (3.2%)	24	337^th of 476 public middle schools	29.2%		19.7	370^th of 469 public middle schools	21.1%	33										29.6	30.9	26.7	29.1				20.9	17.0	22.9	20.2		21.4		$14,109
27J Preschool	Public	PK	89 N 6th Ave	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(720) 685-5490	72	5	14.4		12 (16.7%)	4 (5.6%)	48 (66.7%)	7 (9.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)								(n/a)																								$19,763
Turnberry Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13069 East 106th Place	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(720) 685-5350	742	42	17.8	51.5%	248 (33.4%)	32 (4.3%)	398 (53.6%)	39 (5.3%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	21 (2.8%)	17.4	783^rd of 946 public elementary schools	17.2%		16.8	779^th of 950 public elementary schools	18.0%	4							22.4	26.8	31.6				27.0	25.8	20.8	21.4				22.7	13.4			$13,458
Otho E Stuart Middle School	Public	6-8	15955 East 101st Way	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(720) 685-5500	794	44	18.2	52.6%	222 (28.0%)	46 (5.8%)	451 (56.8%)	43 (5.4%)	3 (0.4%)	6 (0.8%)	23 (2.9%)	18	390^th of 476 public middle schools	18.1%		15.9	399^th of 469 public middle schools	14.9%	9										22.0	38.6	22.2	27.4				5.9	15.4	14.0	11.7		17.5		$14,182
Foundations Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	340 South 45th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 659-9519	763	16	47.9	36.2%	386 (50.6%)	4 (0.5%)	342 (44.8%)	8 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (2.8%)	45.1	468^th of 946 public elementary schools	50.5%		42.2	515^th of 950 public elementary schools	45.8%	47							39.8	42.3	53.8	32.1	52.5	28.2	41.5	46.9	20.8	32.5	38.5	41.8	39.0	36.7	36.3	23.7		$13,298
Eagle Ridge Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	3551 Southern Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 345-4380	593	24	25.2	40.6%	260 (43.8%)	15 (2.5%)	293 (49.4%)	9 (1.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.4%)	41.8	189^th of 340 public high schools	44.4%		42	185^th of 328 public high schools	43.6%	4	54.2	25.4	70.1	38.4	61.0	22.7																	25.6	$10,563
Colorado Connections @ 27J	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	8 Inverness Drive E Suite 240	Englewood	80112	Arapahoe County	School District 27J	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(303) 794-2302	2,042	92	22.2		1,067 (52.3%)	124 (6.1%)	646 (31.6%)	35 (1.7%)	20 (1.0%)	17 (0.8%)	131 (6.4%)								(n/a)	58.8	415.0	70.1	19.5	60.9	466.0	701.0	28.6	41.2	729.0	29.2	22.1	25.0	14.3	716.0	26.5	715.0	14.6	10.4	13.9	28.1	17.5	742.0	$4,480
Brantner Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7800 E. 133rd Avenue	Thornton	80602	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(720) 685-5050	574	35	16.5	40.9%	271 (47.2%)	10 (1.7%)	216 (37.6%)	53 (9.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (3.8%)	57	388^th of 946 public elementary schools	59.0%		58.4	378^th of 950 public elementary schools	60.2%	10							43.8	61.6	60.4				55.3	37.1	54.8	44.0				44.6	25.2			$14,331
Reunion Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	11021 Landmark Drive	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(720) 685-8501	742	40	18.5	32.1%	324 (43.7%)	34 (4.6%)	304 (41.0%)	25 (3.4%)	4 (0.5%)	3 (0.4%)	48 (6.5%)	59.1	365^th of 946 public elementary schools	61.4%		62.5	340^th of 950 public elementary schools	64.2%	25							52.3	54.8	55.0				54.0	47.2	44.8	29.5				40.5	42.7			$13,722
Riverdale Ridge High School	Public	9-12	13380 Yosemite Street	Thornton	80602	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-6800	1,784	82	21.7	39.2%	757 (42.4%)	35 (2.0%)	794 (44.5%)	105 (5.9%)	5 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (4.9%)	28.1	242^nd of 340 public high schools	28.8%		29.5	234^th of 328 public high schools	28.7%	8	50.4	26.0	54.4	29.1	52.6	17.7																	21.3	$13,730
Rodger Quist Middle School	Public	6-8	13451 Yosemite Street	Thornton	80602	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-6950	855	46	18.5	38.6%	355 (41.5%)	12 (1.4%)	379 (44.3%)	68 (8.0%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (4.4%)	41.3	234^th of 476 public middle schools	50.8%		31.6	303^rd of 469 public middle schools	35.4%	69										41.9	38.4	40.9	40.3				28.0	27.1	35.4	30.1		27.2		$13,601
Elaine S. Padilla Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5505 Longs Peak Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-5100	672	35	19.1	48.2%	213 (31.7%)	15 (2.2%)	415 (61.8%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	19 (2.8%)	39.4	519^th of 946 public elementary schools	45.1%		39.4	530^th of 950 public elementary schools	44.2%	11							40.2	45.4	35.4				40.6	39.1	40.2	29.3				36.5	22.0			$13,587
The STEAD School	Public, Charter	9-12	18251 Homestead Trail	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	School District 27J	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 288-5536	421	20	20.6	23.3%	194 (46.1%)	13 (3.1%)	182 (43.2%)	11 (2.6%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.0%)	35.3	221^st of 340 public high schools	35.0%					(n/a)	69.0	21.4	46.9	387.0	55.3	450.0																	27.3	$13,832
27J Online Academy	Public, Virtual	6-12	89 N. 6th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	Yes	No	(303) 655-2527	336	21	16.0		85 (25.3%)	8 (2.4%)	219 (65.2%)	12 (3.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.0%)								(n/a)	41.7	380.0			432.0	381.0						711.0	724.0						713.0	723.0		720.0		$14,637
Southlawn Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	10075 Walden Street	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	School District 27J	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(303) 655-2500	673	31	21.7	52.7%	168 (25.0%)	91 (13.5%)	351 (52.2%)	34 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.7%)	24 (3.6%)	22.1	714^th of 946 public elementary schools	24.5%		18.7	756^th of 950 public elementary schools	20.4%	42							29.8	37.1	37.3				34.9	28.1	17.4	22.4				22.3	8.9			$12,141
Discovery Magnet School	Public	K-8	4949 E. 147th Ave.	Thornton	80602	Adams County	School District 27J	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(303) 655-6260	692	36	19.0	23.4%	392 (56.6%)	11 (1.6%)	218 (31.5%)	39 (5.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (4.5%)	65.5	302^nd of 946 public elementary schools	68.1%		63.5	331^st of 950 public elementary schools	65.2%	29							48.1	65.4	52.7	50.0	42.9	47.0	51.3	46.8	60.3	43.2	32.4	45.7	45.5	45.8	45.9	44.8		$13,132
Capstone Academy	Public, Charter	K-6	17801 E 88th Avenue	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	School District 27J	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(720) 604-1600	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	31.5	606^th of 946 public elementary schools	35.9%					(n/a)							29.3	23.2	44.7	39.0			34.2	32.2	17.9	31.9	31.7			28.7	19.1

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
State Charter School Institute	0.93 mi	55	51^st
Weld County School District Re-3j	3.96 mi	8	55^th
Weld re-8 schools	6.53 mi	7
Adams 12 Five Star Schools	6.53 mi	56	49^th
Mapleton School District No. 1	10.27 mi	21	104^th

See the top CO Colorado districts

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.