Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Pioneer Elementary School

Q: Is Pioneer Elementary School a good school?

Pioneer Elementary School ranks 249 th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

249^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 74% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Pioneer Elementary School is a K-5 school in Colorado Springs, CO, serving 382 students in Academy School District No. 20, a top-tier district ranked in the 91st percentile statewide. For the 2025–2026 school year, Pioneer ranked 249th out of 943 Colorado elementary schools (74th percentile, 4 stars) — a meaningful improvement from its mid-50s percentile standing a decade ago. The school serves a moderately high-poverty population, with about 48% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and maintains a student-teacher ratio of 15.2 to 1.

English Language Arts is Pioneer's clear academic strength: its 61.6% proficiency rate nearly matches the district's 61.8% and far exceeds the state's 44.7%, making it the highest ELA performer among nearby schools, ahead of Freedom Elementary (59.8%), Martinez Elementary (52.3%), and Scott Elementary (52.0%). Math proficiency is strong relative to the state (50.0% vs. 37.3%) but trails its own district (54.7%), with noticeable gaps in 3rd and 5th grades. Science results have been volatile, swinging from 66.7% in 2023–2024 to 33.9% in 2024–2025 before recovering to 42.6% in 2025–2026. One standout: the school's Low Socio-Economic Status subgroup ranked in the 88th percentile statewide, suggesting Pioneer is especially effective at serving economically disadvantaged students.

The biggest concern is chronic absenteeism. In 2024–2025, 29.9% of Pioneer students were chronically absent — essentially matching the statewide rate but far above the district's 19.7%, and much higher than neighboring Academy Endeavour Elementary (8.9%) or New Summit Charter Academy (15.2%). Pioneer is the top-ranked Academy D20 school in its immediate area, though Freedom Elementary from Colorado Springs School District No. 11 ranks even higher overall (81st percentile) and edges out Pioneer in math and science. Given the strong link between attendance and achievement, reducing chronic absenteeism may be the highest-leverage opportunity for Pioneer to close its remaining gaps.

382

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,468

Per pupil spending ?

48.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Colorado receive free school meals.

76.1%

Kindergartners fully immunized against measles (MMR) (2025-26)

Exemptions: 0% (MMR)

3663 Woodland Hills Dr
Colorado Springs, CO 80918-6355

(719) 234-5000

District: Academy School District No. 20

Students who attend Pioneer Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Mountain Ridge Middle School
High:	Rampart High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.4%

Hispanic:

30.9%

Two or more races:

15.2%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Pioneer Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 53rd percentile in 2016 → 74th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (54% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 21 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Colorado median (74th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school54%

District avg57%

Colorado avg41%

249^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Top 26%▲ up 20 pts since 2016

From top 47% (2016) to top 26% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

14^th of 22Elementary Schools in the Academy School District No. 20

10^th of 114Academy School District No. 20 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	71.7	249 of 946	73.7%	★★★★☆
2025	62.7	338 of 950	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	76.4	200 of 943	78.8%	★★★★☆
2023	74.1	215 of 933	77.0%	★★★★☆
2022	72.5	235 of 921	74.5%	★★★★☆
2021	60.4	311 of 710	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.8	359 of 965	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.6	440 of 917	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	52.0	396 of 929	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.0	427 of 914	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	55.0	383 of 938	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	55.3	448 of 962	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	62.5	371 of 954	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	52.3	482 of 935	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	53.7	479 of 935	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	53.3	478 of 925	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	51.5	465 of 872	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	57.7	399 of 849	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	68.0	289 of 852	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	63.4	338 of 829	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	61.8	345 of 823	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	64.3	315 of 808	61.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	53.0	309 of 695	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.3	294 of 694	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.5	192 of 684	71.9%	★★★★☆
2023	74.1	149 of 642	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	60.5	227 of 595	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.9	239 of 351	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.6	338 of 758	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.7	315 of 690	54.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	64.4	65 of 247	73.7%	★★★★☆
2023	97.7	3 of 197	98.5%	★★★★★
2019	67.1	62 of 270	77.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	79.8	39 of 322	87.9%	★★★★☆
2025	74.0	42 of 337	87.5%	★★★★☆
2024	92.1	10 of 365	97.3%	★★★★★
2023	89.0	11 of 265	95.8%	★★★★★
2022	81.8	15 of 203	92.6%	★★★★★
2021	59.5	28 of 75	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.5	47 of 332	85.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	73.3	171 of 697	75.5%	★★★★☆
2025	55.5	287 of 700	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.8	217 of 683	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.3	284 of 649	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.0	180 of 594	69.7%	★★★★☆
2021	55.8	184 of 352	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.5	297 of 764	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	31.5	466 of 693	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	54.9	260 of 547	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.7	347 of 551	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	69.9	134 of 539	75.1%	★★★★☆
2023	62.8	187 of 525	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.9	225 of 454	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.6	172 of 288	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.2	318 of 596	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.1	215 of 337	36.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)88th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2026)75th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)74th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)56th percentile-18 vs school

White (2026)52nd percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts62%+17 vs state

Math50%+13 vs state

Science43%+6 vs state

3.0

4 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★2

Rate Pioneer Elementary School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, October 28, 2012

This is an amazing school! Where the staff and administration truly care about every student. It is also a school where students are taught to be responsible for their actions, not prepare them for "D cell block" as mentioned in the previous review. The students are held accountable for their actions as they should be. While the test scores for a school may say is isn't "meeting" standards that isn't always a good measure of how the school is doing. You also have to take a look at the student make up. There are higher numbers of special needs students at certain schools. Plus certain schools have ESL (English as a Second Language)Programs where students are learning English. Both can have an impact on students abilities to learn and understand. Pioneer has both. Both of which they embrace and their priority is to help those students and give them the best possible chance at succeeding. So what one person may say is "not meeting" standards may in fact be a huge success. Close Quote

by a parent
Saturday, April 21, 2012

This school is not run with the same quality of education as other District 20 schools. It has continuously failed to meet or improve state standards and as well as my own standards. For years the school has not met the standard of excellence that District 20 has come to be known for. I hoped that by giving it a few years the school, and administration, would improve and to my surprise, the condition has not improved whatsoever. To their credit, the teachers are doing the best they can despite the poor leadership they receive from the Principle and Vice Principle. This school was once an excellent school but now is run more like a juvenile detention facility than an elementary school. The focus seems to be on keeping children in line for the years the school has to "deal" with them rather than providing them with a superior education in a positive environment. It's a disgrace to the Academy School District 20 standards that other schools manage to continuously provide. Pioneer Elementary School is not going to improve my children academically and socially as long as they continue to attend. I believe if my kids stay, the only thing they will be prepared for is fast food service or to be housed on cell block D. These are not the aspirations I want my children to have. Close Quote

Schools Near Pioneer Elementary School

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CMAS English Language Arts (2026)							CMAS Math (2026)							CMAS Science (2026)		Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners fully immunized against measles (MMR)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Pioneer Elementary School	Public	K-5	3663 Woodland Hills Dr	Colorado Springs	80918	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 234-5000	382	25	15.2	48.4%	181 (47.4%)	15 (3.9%)	118 (30.9%)	8 (2.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (15.2%)	71.7	249^th of 946 public elementary schools	73.7%		62.7	338^th of 950 public elementary schools	64.4%	89	55.7	71.7	59.3				61.6	47.1	57.4	46.3				50.0	42.6		76.1%	0%	$15,468
Martinez Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6460 Vickers Drive	Colorado Springs	80918	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-6100	354	28	12.8	45.5%	193 (54.5%)	21 (5.9%)	103 (29.1%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (9.9%)	60.1	356^th of 946 public elementary schools	62.4%		59.4	368^th of 950 public elementary schools	61.3%	12	42.1	55.8	58.5				52.3	49.2	48.1	47.0				48.0	31.3		68.1%	0%	$22,499
King Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6110 Sapporo Drive	Colorado Springs	80918	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-6000	270	19	14.2	58.5%	137 (50.7%)	20 (7.4%)	82 (30.4%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (10.0%)	56.9	390^th of 946 public elementary schools	58.8%		56.3	396^th of 950 public elementary schools	58.3%	6	45.5	48.9	48.6				47.8	63.6	46.7	40.0				49.6	28.6		77.3%	4.5%	$21,957
Frontier Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3755 Meadow Ridge Drive	Colorado Springs	80920	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 234-4600	262	24	10.9	48.1%	142 (54.2%)	7 (2.7%)	76 (29.0%)	5 (1.9%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	30 (11.5%)	46.4	460^th of 946 public elementary schools	51.4%		45.8	480^th of 950 public elementary schools	49.5%	20	44.1	53.6	52.1				50.0	47.1	34.6	25.5				34.6	28.3		88.9%	0%	$18,917
New Summit Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	7899 Lexington Drive	Colorado Springs	80920	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	Yes	No	No	No	(719) 283-1731	628	37	17.2	37.9%	386 (61.5%)	22 (3.5%)	135 (21.5%)	23 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	60 (9.6%)	37	553^rd of 946 public elementary schools	41.5%		43.8	505^th of 950 public elementary schools	46.8%	48	23.2	57.6	41.5	42.9	50.9	44.8	42.6	26.1	37.3	21.5	27.0	34.0	41.4	29.9	32.3	51.7	84.1%	0%	$14,290
Scott Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6175 Whetstone Drive	Colorado Springs	80923	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-6200	458	29	15.9	44.1%	248 (54.1%)	29 (6.3%)	125 (27.3%)	8 (1.7%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	44 (9.6%)	65.1	306^th of 946 public elementary schools	67.7%		70.6	265^th of 950 public elementary schools	72.1%	41	39.4	51.5	66.2				52.0	46.5	48.5	57.8				50.7	43.8		73.7%	0%	$19,334
Academy Endeavour Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3475 Hampton Park Drive	Colorado Springs	80920	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	No	No	No	No	(719) 234-5600	347	26	13.6	23.3%	239 (68.9%)	4 (1.2%)	71 (20.5%)	9 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.9%)	63.8	317^th of 946 public elementary schools	66.5%		67.7	292^nd of 950 public elementary schools	69.3%	25	36.2	59.5	58.6				51.2	34.5	66.7	46.4				47.3	53.6		95.3%	0%	$15,431
Freedom Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5280 Butterfield Drive	Colorado Springs	80923	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 228-0800	407	26	15.8	41.8%	240 (59.0%)	23 (5.7%)	87 (21.4%)	14 (3.4%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (9.8%)	79.1	182^nd of 946 public elementary schools	80.8%		78.8	193^rd of 950 public elementary schools	79.7%	11	47.1	55.3	83.0				59.8	62.9	62.3	66.0				63.5	47.2		87%	2.9%	$19,162
High Plains Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2248 Vintage Drive	Colorado Springs	80920	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 234-4700	248	25	10.0	56.5%	100 (40.3%)	14 (5.6%)	106 (42.7%)	7 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	20 (8.1%)	31.7	602^nd of 946 public elementary schools	36.4%		35.3	570^th of 950 public elementary schools	40.0%	32	34.6	32.0	40.0				35.8	33.3	28.0	29.0				30.1	29.0		58.6%	0%	$20,380
Keller Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3730 East Montebello Drive	Colorado Springs	80918	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-5900	326	20	16.3	66.3%	136 (41.7%)	22 (6.7%)	134 (41.1%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	30 (9.2%)	22.4	710^th of 946 public elementary schools	24.9%		19.5	747^th of 950 public elementary schools	21.4%	37	27.1	41.9	28.9				32.4	31.3	20.9	11.1				21.3	20.5		84.2%	1.8%	$20,188

Frequently Asked Questions about Pioneer Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Pioneer Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Mountain Ridge Middle School
High : Rampart High School

What is the racial makeup of Pioneer Elementary School?

Students at Pioneer Elementary School are 47% White, 31% Hispanic, 15% Two or more races, 4% African American, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Pioneer Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 382 students attended Pioneer Elementary School.

Is Pioneer Elementary School a good school?

Pioneer Elementary School ranks 249^th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Pioneer Elementary School in?

Academy School District No. 20

Rate Pioneer Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

COColorado Elementary School Rankings

COColorado District Rankings

Schools in Colorado Springs, CO

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Pioneer Elementary School!

Latest Colorado data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance dataOct 6, 2026

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

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

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.