Crawford Elementary School

Crawford Elementary School is a PK–5 elementary school in Aurora, CO, serving 567 students as part of Aurora Joint District No. 28, a district ranked 106th out of 115 in Colorado. Crawford is one of the lowest-performing elementary schools in the state, ranking 937th out of 943 schools in the 1st percentile. Academic proficiency rates are among the lowest anywhere in Colorado: just 8.1% of students are proficient in English Language Arts, 9.1% in math, and only 5.7% in 5th-grade science, compared to state averages of 44.7%, 37.3%, and 36.1% respectively.

Among nearby schools in the same district, Crawford has the lowest ELA proficiency. Kenton Elementary, just 0.77 miles away, has more than double Crawford's proficiency rate (18.5% vs. 8.1%), even though it serves a similarly high-poverty population. Boston K-8 is the only nearby school with lower math proficiency. The gap with schools in the neighboring School District No. 1 is staggering — William (Bill) Roberts Ece-8, just 0.72 miles away, has an 80.7% ELA proficiency rate, and Westerly Creek, 1.16 miles away, has 89.5%. These schools have far lower poverty rates and chronic absenteeism, highlighting how district boundaries in the same neighborhood can lead to vastly different educational outcomes.

Chronic absenteeism is a major concern at Crawford, with 43.8% of students missing significant school, well above the state rate of 28.4%. This is particularly notable because Rocky Mountain Prep: Fletcher, just 0.73 miles away, serves a similarly high-poverty population (89.4% free/reduced lunch) yet has only 14.7% chronic absenteeism and considerably higher proficiency rates (26.1% ELA, 28.1% math). While the latest test scores show a slight improvement — math rose from 2.4% to 9.1% and ELA from 4.7% to 8.1% — the school remains far behind its peers. For parents considering Crawford, attendance and academic support will be critical factors to watch.