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Community Leadership Academy

Public, Charter Grades PK, KG-5

720^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 24% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Community Leadership Academy is a public charter elementary school in Commerce City, CO, serving about 316 students in grades PK–5 under the State Charter School Institute. The school currently holds a 1-star rating and ranks in the 24th percentile among Colorado elementary schools, and it serves a high-poverty community where roughly 85% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, CLA's most recent test scores show 32.8% proficiency in English language arts and 21.6% in math — below state averages of 44.7% and 37.3%. However, those numbers look much stronger in context. Among the six nearby Adams 14 elementary schools within about 1.5 miles, ELA proficiency ranges from 13.4% to 22.2%, meaning CLA outperforms all of them, and its math rate is at the top of the local group as well. The notable exception is Willow Elementary, which posts far higher scores but serves a very different student population, with only 29% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch versus CLA's 85%. Fifth-grade science is a weaker spot, where several nearby high-poverty schools outperform CLA.

CLA's most pressing challenges are attendance and staffing. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 47.5% is the highest among all nearby schools and nearly 20 points above the state average, meaning almost half of students are missing substantial instructional time. The student-teacher ratio has also climbed to 24.4, far above every neighboring elementary school, which limits the school's capacity for small-group support and interventions. The school has declined from a 65th-percentile ranking a decade ago, though the latest year shows real improvement: ELA proficiency rose from 25.6% to 32.8% and math from 13.2% to 21.6%. CLA also demonstrates strong early-grade reading that tends to fade by 5th grade, and math remains its most persistent weakness. For parents, CLA is a school doing relatively well in a very challenging local context, but attendance and class-size issues will need attention to build on its recent gains.

316

Students ?

24.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,423

Per pupil spending ?

85.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6880 Holly Street
Commerce City, CO 80022-2536

(303) 288-2711

District: State Charter School Institute

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

94.3%

White:

3.8%

Asian:

0.9%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 59th percentile in 2015 → 24th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (25% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (24th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (48% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg32%

Colorado avg41%

720^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 24%▼ down 41 pts since 2016

From top 35% (2016) to bottom 24% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th of 17Elementary Schools in the State Charter School Institute

51^st of 114State Charter School Institute 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
2026	21.6	720 of 946	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.8	845 of 950	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.6	784 of 943	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.0	697 of 933	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.7	661 of 921	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	61.2	355 of 965	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.3	466 of 917	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	51.4	405 of 929	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	60.2	324 of 914	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	55.1	382 of 938	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	54.7	454 of 962	52.8%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2022	72.5	3 of 19	84.2%	★★★★☆
2019	48.2	21 of 43	51.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	16.7	576 of 684	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.4	503 of 642	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.9	406 of 595	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.2	261 of 758	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	35.4	430 of 690	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	27.3	198 of 251	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	91.7	10 of 270	96.3%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	13.0	611 of 683	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	491 of 649	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.2	468 of 594	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.8	364 of 764	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.0	388 of 693	44.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2022)84th percentile+56 vs school

Hispanic (2026)21st percentile-3 vs school

Female (2024)16th percentile~ school

Male (2024)11th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts33%-12 vs state

Math22%-16 vs state

Science12%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Community Leadership Academy

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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)				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	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
Community Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	6880 Holly Street	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 288-2711	316	13	24.4	85.1%	12 (3.8%)	2 (0.6%)	298 (94.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	21.6	720^th of 946 public elementary schools	23.9%		12.8	845^th of 950 public elementary schools	11.1%	125	36.4	34.2	26.5				32.8	29.5	13.2	20.6				21.6	11.8		$14,423
Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	6450 Holly Street	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	School District N. 14	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 287-0327	421	25	16.8	90.5%	19 (4.5%)	23 (5.5%)	371 (88.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.2%)	9.8	890^th of 946 public elementary schools	5.9%		4.8	946^th of 950 public elementary schools	0.4%	56	708.0	703.0	25.5	11.1			13.4	16.1	12.2	8.5	9.5			11.7	17.0		$18,122
Kemp Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	6775 Oneida Street	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	School District N. 14	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 288-6633	517	31	16.5	88.6%	27 (5.2%)	2 (0.4%)	483 (93.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.0%)	15.3	810^th of 946 public elementary schools	14.4%		12.5	852^nd of 950 public elementary schools	10.3%	42	22.7	14.3	10.0	16.9			15.6	38.5	20.8	13.3	12.5			21.2	705.0		$17,235
University Prep - Commerce City	Public, Charter	PK-K	6201 Holly Street	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(303) 866-6600	24	0		54.2%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (95.8%)	1 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																	$27,889
Alsup Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	4413 E. 68th Ave	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	School District N. 14	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 853-3333	492	30	16.1	85.4%	49 (10.0%)	2 (0.4%)	423 (86.0%)	4 (0.8%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.0%)	11.4	870^th of 946 public elementary schools	8.0%		9.3	899^th of 950 public elementary schools	5.4%	29	22.8	25.7	19.4	12.9			20.4	19.3	10.4	9.7	7.8			11.5	19.4		$18,426
Monaco Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	7631 Monaco Boulevard	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	School District N. 14	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 287-0307	434	27	15.7	87.1%	47 (10.8%)	7 (1.6%)	374 (86.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	8.6	904^th of 946 public elementary schools	4.4%		12.3	854^th of 950 public elementary schools	10.1%	50	22.5	23.9	11.8	12.2			17.2	14.0	7.1	704.0	708.0			9.0	705.0		$17,884
Dupont Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	7970 Kimberly Street	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	School District N. 14	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 287-0189	488	31	15.7	87.1%	33 (6.8%)	2 (0.4%)	446 (91.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.2%)	13.2	841^st of 946 public elementary schools	11.1%		9.8	890^th of 950 public elementary schools	6.3%	49	716.0	722.0	25.0	23.9			22.2	17.5	711.0	705.0	13.4			11.3	8.8		$17,140
Rose Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	6900 East 58th Avenue	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	School District N. 14	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 287-0163	315	22	14.1	88.9%	25 (7.9%)	10 (3.2%)	273 (86.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.9%)	8.5	906^th of 946 public elementary schools	4.2%					(n/a)	6.8	20.4	17.3	9.8			14.0	700.0	16.3	7.7	702.0			9.4	15.4		$19,535
Willow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8499 E Stoll Place	Denver	80238	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-2100	596	36	16.5	29.0%	276 (46.3%)	54 (9.1%)	157 (26.3%)	41 (6.9%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	64 (10.7%)	89.9	73^rd of 946 public elementary schools	92.3%		83.3	135^th of 950 public elementary schools	85.8%	62	54.8	76.6	86.2				72.6	55.4	75.0	78.2				69.6	66.7		$16,588
Meadow Community School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	9150 Monroe St	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	Yes	No	Yes	(303) 853-1500	378	22	17.1	74.9%	50 (13.2%)	11 (2.9%)	286 (75.7%)	22 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.4%)	12.6	848^th of 946 public elementary schools	10.4%		16.7	785^th of 950 public elementary schools	17.4%	63	17.5	22.4	25.5	26.3	34.0	26.2	25.5	17.9	712.0	718.0	10.5	12.8	12.2	11.3	9.8	9.8	$15,465

Frequently Asked Questions about Community Leadership Academy

What is the racial makeup of Community Leadership Academy?

Students at Community Leadership Academy are 94% Hispanic, 4% White.

How many students attend Community Leadership Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 316 students attended Community Leadership Academy.

Is Community Leadership Academy a good school?

Community Leadership Academy ranks in the bottom 23.9% of Colorado elementary schools.

What district is Community Leadership Academy in?

State Charter School Institute

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 CMAS, PSAT10, PSAT9 & SAT test scoresAug 19, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataAug 27, 2025

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.