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Explorer Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

88^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 91% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Explorer Elementary School, located in Colorado Springs, CO, serves 470 students in grades PK–5 and is part of the highly rated Academy School District No. 20. Explorer currently holds a 5-star rating and ranks 88th out of 943 Colorado elementary schools—placing it in the 91st percentile for the 2025-2026 school year. That makes it the highest-ranked elementary school among nearby peers, including Chinook Trail Elementary (89th percentile) and Ranch Creek Elementary (84th percentile). This ranking represents a notable jump from prior years, signaling strong recent momentum rather than just steady performance.

Academically, Explorer far exceeds both district and state averages in every tested subject. In English language arts, 72.8% of students are proficient compared to 61.8% in the district and 44.7% statewide. Math proficiency stands at 66.3% versus 54.7% district and 37.3% state, while 5th-grade science proficiency reaches 52.6% (district: 45.1%, state: 36.1%). Grade-level results are equally impressive, with 3rd-grade math at 78.3% proficiency and 5th-grade ELA at 77.5%. While math proficiency declines somewhat from 3rd to 5th grade, ELA proficiency rises steadily, and both remain well above benchmarks at every level. Notably, Explorer posts these results despite having a higher percentage of low-income students (27.5% free/reduced lunch) than nearby schools like Ranch Creek (13.8%) or Academy International Elementary (15.5%), yet it outperforms them in overall rank and most subjects.

One of Explorer’s most distinctive strengths is its exceptional performance with students from low-income backgrounds, who have ranked in the 91st–99th percentile statewide for three consecutive years. This suggests strong instructional equity across student groups. Attendance is another advantage: Explorer’s chronic absenteeism rate is 11.8%, well below the district’s 19.7% and the state’s 28.4%. Among nearby schools, only Academy Endeavour Elementary has a lower rate (8.9%), while schools like Frontier Elementary and Pioneer Elementary exceed 25%. With high test scores, a rising trajectory, and strong support for all learners, Explorer stands out as a top-tier choice in the Colorado Springs area.

470

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,588

Per pupil spending ?

27.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Colorado receive free school meals.

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

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 80th percentile in 2016 → 91st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (67% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of Colorado elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school67%

District avg57%

Colorado avg41%

88^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Top 9%▲ up 11 pts since 2016

From top 20% (2016) to top 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd 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	88.5	88 of 946	90.7%	★★★★★
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
2026	84.4	78 of 695	88.8%	★★★★☆
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
2026	83.6	28 of 322	91.3%	★★★★★
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
2026	81.7	111 of 697	84.1%	★★★★☆
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
2026	75.0	101 of 547	81.5%	★★★★☆
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 (2026)91st percentile~ school

Female (2026)89th percentile~ school

Male (2026)84th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)82nd percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts73%+28 vs state

Math66%+29 vs state

Science53%+16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Explorer Elementary School

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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/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	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%)	88.5	88^th of 946 public elementary schools	90.7%		77.7	204^th of 950 public elementary schools	78.5%	116	66.7	72.7	77.5				72.8	78.3	62.1	60.8				66.3	52.6		$13,588
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		$15,431
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%)	77.6	197^th of 946 public elementary schools	79.2%		74.5	231^st of 950 public elementary schools	75.7%	34	72.9	63.2	66.7				67.3	69.4	44.8	60.0				57.5	40.0		$15,255
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		$18,917
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%)	54.8	402^nd of 946 public elementary schools	57.5%		62.2	343^rd of 950 public elementary schools	63.9%	59	33.3	50.0	59.6				47.7	36.8	51.6	43.9				44.3	36.8		$15,506
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%)	87.2	105^th of 946 public elementary schools	88.9%		87.9	101^st of 950 public elementary schools	89.4%	4	63.9	66.3	78.0				69.8	66.0	62.4	78.0				69.2	48.1		$12,863
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	$14,290
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%)	83.3	147^th of 946 public elementary schools	84.5%		83.8	130^th of 950 public elementary schools	86.3%	17	66.3	69.9	81.1				72.2	67.0	52.4	64.4				61.1	39.8		$13,016
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%)	61.9	338^th of 946 public elementary schools	64.3%		69.9	269^th of 950 public elementary schools	71.7%	69	38.0	64.4	54.2				52.7	38.7	56.4	44.9				46.8	42.4		$13,129
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		$19,162

Frequently Asked Questions about Explorer Elementary School

Is Explorer Elementary School a good school?

Yes. Explorer Elementary School ranks in the top 9.3% of Colorado elementary schools.

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.

What district is Explorer Elementary School in?

Academy School District No. 20

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

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataNewOct 6, 2026

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

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.