Summary
Kenton Elementary School is a PK–5 elementary school in Aurora, CO, serving 583 students in the Aurora Joint District No. 28, where 84.2% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. The school has climbed from the very bottom of Colorado's elementary rankings to the 6th percentile (882 out of 943 schools) in 2025–2026, a clear sign of progress even though it remains well below state averages.
Academically, Kenton still faces steep challenges. In 2025–2026, just 18.5% of students scored proficient in ELA, 13.5% in math, and only 6.2% in 5th-grade science—compared to state averages of 44.7%, 37.3%, and 36.1%. Science is the school's biggest weakness; nearby schools with similar poverty levels, including Lansing Elementary (15.0%), Montview Math & Health Sciences (24.6%), and Rocky Mountain Prep: Fletcher (26.6%), all perform far better in this subject. On the brighter side, Kenton now outperforms several traditional neighborhood schools—Fulton Academy of Excellence, Crawford Elementary, Boston K-8, and Vaughn Elementary—in both ELA and math.
The most pressing non-academic issue is chronic absenteeism, which affects 45.6% of Kenton students, well above the state rate of 28.4% and higher than most nearby schools. Attendance matters because it is closely tied to learning. Despite this, Kenton's ELA proficiency has improved steadily from 12.5% to 18.5% over two years, and math from 6.9% to 13.5%, even as absenteeism remained high. Nearby schools with similar poverty levels, like Aurora Academy Charter (73.9% FRL, 15.7% absenteeism) and Rocky Mountain Prep: Fletcher (89.4% FRL, 14.7% absenteeism), post dramatically higher scores, showing that Kenton's demographics do not determine its outcomes. Reducing absenteeism and learning from successful local models could help Kenton build on its positive momentum.
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