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

Explorer Elementary School

Q: Is Explorer Elementary School a good school?

Explorer Elementary School ranks 204 th of 950 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

204^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 950 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 79% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Explorer Elementary School is a public elementary school in Colorado Springs, Colorado, serving 453 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Academy School District No. 20, which is ranked 13 out of 115 school districts in Colorado and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Explorer Elementary consistently ranks in the top 25% of Colorado elementary schools, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates in CMAS (Colorado Measures of Academic Success) exams are significantly higher than the state averages, particularly in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math. For the 2024-2025 school year, Explorer Elementary's ELA proficiency rates for all grades (64.3%) and Math proficiency rates for all grades (59.3%) are well above the state averages of 44.8% and 35.9%, respectively. The school also excels in supporting low socioeconomic status (SES) students, ranking 5th out of 337 Colorado elementary schools for this subgroup.

However, Explorer Elementary has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 12.3% in 2021-2022 to 27.7% in 2023-2024, which is higher than the district and state averages. Comparing Explorer Elementary to nearby schools within the same district, the school's academic performance is generally stronger, with higher proficiency rates in ELA and Math. But some schools like Chinook Trail Elementary and Ranch Creek Elementary have outperformed Explorer Elementary in certain grade-level and subject-area assessments.

470

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,674

Per pupil spending ?

27.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4190 Bardot Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80920-7507

(719) 234-4400

District: Academy School District No. 20

Students who attend Explorer Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Timberview Middle School
High:	Liberty High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

61.1%

Hispanic:

20.6%

Two or more races:

11.3%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Explorer Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 71st percentile in 2024 → 79th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (59% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 21% of Colorado elementary schools

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 79th (2025) from a 71st-percentile low (2024)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school59%

District avg56%

Colorado avg40%

204^th of 950

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Top 21%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From top 10% (2015) to top 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

13^th of 115Academy 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
2025	77.7	204 of 950	78.5%	★★★★☆
2024	69.1	277 of 943	70.6%	★★★★☆
2023	73.1	223 of 933	76.1%	★★★★☆
2022	69.8	257 of 921	72.1%	★★★★☆
2021	80.0	156 of 710	78.0%	★★★★☆
2019	84.1	124 of 965	87.2%	★★★★☆
2018	81.2	157 of 917	82.9%	★★★★☆
2017	78.0	177 of 929	80.9%	★★★★☆
2016	75.9	182 of 914	80.1%	★★★★☆
2015	87.0	96 of 938	89.8%	★★★★☆
2014	88.4	75 of 962	92.2%	★★★★★
2013	79.1	181 of 954	81.0%	★★★★☆
2012	83.4	123 of 935	86.8%	★★★★☆
2011	78.7	174 of 935	81.4%	★★★★☆
2010	88.7	68 of 925	92.6%	★★★★★
2009	87.9	69 of 872	92.1%	★★★★★
2008	88.8	53 of 849	93.8%	★★★★★
2007	89.0	46 of 852	94.6%	★★★★★
2006	88.2	55 of 829	93.4%	★★★★★
2005	87.9	56 of 823	93.2%	★★★★★
2004	87.0	70 of 808	91.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	72.7	159 of 694	77.1%	★★★★☆
2024	67.8	201 of 684	70.6%	★★★★☆
2023	61.9	225 of 642	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.5	195 of 595	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.8	106 of 351	69.8%	★★★★☆
2019	75.4	159 of 758	79.0%	★★★★☆
2018	69.6	180 of 690	73.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	93.7	5 of 337	98.5%	★★★★★
2024	82.4	26 of 365	92.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	69.8	189 of 700	73.0%	★★★★☆
2024	54.2	296 of 683	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.7	197 of 649	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.4	245 of 594	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.0	128 of 352	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	81.4	111 of 764	85.5%	★★★★☆
2018	78.0	130 of 693	81.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	70.8	133 of 551	75.9%	★★★★☆
2024	40.9	335 of 539	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.0	248 of 525	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.5	260 of 454	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	67.5	102 of 288	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.8	167 of 596	72.0%	★★★★☆
2018	66.6	100 of 337	70.3%	★★★★☆

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 (2025)99th percentile+20 vs school

Female (2025)77th percentile~ school

White (2025)76th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)73rd percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts64%+20 vs state

Math59%+23 vs state

Science44%+5 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Explorer Elementary School and help other families decide.

Rate Explorer 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

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Explorer 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 All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	CMAS Science 8th Grade	Total
Explorer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4190 Bardot Drive	Colorado Springs	80920	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	No	No	No	No	(719) 234-4400	470	29	16.0	27.4%	287 (61.1%)	19 (4.0%)	97 (20.6%)	11 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	53 (11.3%)	77.7	204^th of 950 public elementary schools	78.5%		69.1	277^th of 943 public elementary schools	70.6%	73	60.3	68.8	64.5		64.3	57.5	76.9	46.1		59.3	44.0		$12,674
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%)	67.7	292^nd of 950 public elementary schools	69.3%		62.9	336^th of 943 public elementary schools	64.4%	44	54.3	51.6	49.3		51.4	60.9	45.3	49.3		50.8	50.7		$14,212
Academy International Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8550 Charity Drive	Colorado Springs	80920	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	No	No	No	No	(719) 234-4000	368	25	15.0	15.5%	201 (54.6%)	20 (5.4%)	54 (14.7%)	33 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (16.3%)	74.5	231^st of 950 public elementary schools	75.7%		73.6	227^th of 943 public elementary schools	75.9%	4	56.3	60.7	67.7		61.6	46.9	50.8	60.0		52.6	45.3		$13,775
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%)	45.8	480^th of 950 public elementary schools	49.5%		37.6	545^th of 943 public elementary schools	42.2%	65	46.9	47.8	52.6		49.1	34.4	17.4	43.6		30.8	31.6		$15,261
Prairie Hills Elementary School	Public	K-5	8025 Telegraph Drive	Colorado Springs	80920	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 234-5100	348	25	14.2	40.8%	245 (70.4%)	8 (2.3%)	60 (17.2%)	3 (0.9%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	27 (7.8%)	62.2	343^rd of 950 public elementary schools	63.9%		59.2	372^nd of 943 public elementary schools	60.6%	29	54.5	39.6	64.4		53.4	37.9	28.3	54.2		40.4	59.3		$14,022
Chinook Trail Elementary School	Public	K-5	11795 Grand Lawn Circle	Colorado Springs	80924	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	No	No	No	No	(719) 234-5700	632	34	18.6	16.9%	366 (57.9%)	22 (3.5%)	112 (17.7%)	57 (9.0%)	2 (0.3%)	7 (1.1%)	66 (10.4%)	87.9	101^st of 950 public elementary schools	89.4%		87.7	101^st of 943 public elementary schools	89.3%		69.1	70.8	70.4		70.1	64.2	64.2	61.9		63.4	57.7		$11,906
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%)	43.8	505^th of 950 public elementary schools	46.8%		63.9	327^th of 943 public elementary schools	65.3%	178	50.0	37.7	39.4	45.9	43.7	36.8	26.0	31.0	32.8	31.2	41.4	46.5	$12,654
Ranch Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9155 Tutt Boulevard	Colorado Springs	80924	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	No	No	No	No	(719) 234-5500	578	30	19.0	13.8%	368 (63.7%)	26 (4.5%)	106 (18.3%)	18 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (10.4%)	83.8	130^th of 950 public elementary schools	86.3%		78.7	178^th of 943 public elementary schools	81.1%	48	64.9	67.8	73.8		68.7	50.0	70.5	57.1		58.9	57.1		$11,735
Mountain View Elementary School	Public	K-5	10095 Lexington Drive	Colorado Springs	80920	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	No	No	No	No	(719) 234-4800	567	32	17.7	25.7%	342 (60.3%)	25 (4.4%)	106 (18.7%)	38 (6.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	54 (9.5%)	69.9	269^th of 950 public elementary schools	71.7%		76.5	197^th of 943 public elementary schools	79.1%	72	45.2	49.1	67.3		53.6	41.9	51.3	59.4		50.8	57.0		$12,355
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%)	78.8	193^rd of 950 public elementary schools	79.7%		54.1	410^th of 943 public elementary schools	56.5%	217	44.7	55.2	67.1		55.6	55.3	67.2	61.6		61.1	64.4		$18,219

Frequently Asked Questions about Explorer Elementary School

How many students attend Explorer Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 470 students attended Explorer Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Explorer Elementary School?

Students at Explorer Elementary School are 61% White, 21% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 4% African American, 2% Asian.

Is Explorer Elementary School a good school?

Explorer Elementary School ranks 204^th of 950 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Explorer Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Timberview Middle School
High : Liberty High School

What district is Explorer Elementary School in?

Academy School District No. 20

Rate Explorer 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 Explorer Elementary School!

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.