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Dalton Elementary School

Q: Is Dalton Elementary School a good school?

Dalton Elementary School ranks 658 th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

658^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Dalton Elementary School is a PK–5 school in Aurora, CO, serving about 430 students from a high-poverty area as part of Aurora Joint District No. 28. Despite its district ranking near the bottom of Colorado districts, Dalton stands out as a relative bright spot: it ranks in the lower-middle range statewide (2 stars, 30th percentile) but consistently beats its district averages in reading, math, and science.

The bright spot that really sets Dalton apart from nearby schools is attendance. Only 21.4% of students are chronically absent — far better than the district's 38.9% and the state's 28.4%, and the lowest among all ten neighboring schools compared. Reading is another area of strength: 34.7% of students are proficient in English Language Arts, second only to Summit Elementary among nearby schools, and it beats several schools in the highly rated Cherry Creek School District No. 5 despite Dalton serving a higher-poverty population. Math proficiency (26.0%) is above the district average, though it trails Dartmouth Elementary — a very similar school just 0.78 miles away that matches Dalton in demographics and reading, but leads in math.

Dalton does particularly well with its low-income students, earning a 3-star rating for that subgroup, and its 5th-grade reading proficiency (43.3%) approaches the state average. The school's main challenges are early-grade math (just 18.8% of 3rd-graders are proficient) and uneven results across student groups. Still, for a high-poverty school in a struggling district, Dalton's combination of strong attendance, solid literacy growth, and better-than-expected test scores makes it a school worth considering.

430

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,562

Per pupil spending ?

75.6%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Colorado receive free school meals.

17401 East Dartmouth Ave
Aurora, CO 80013-2213

(303) 693-7561

District: Aurora Joint District No. 28

Students who attend Dalton Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Columbia Middle School
High:	Rangeview High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

41.9%

White:

22.8%

African American:

17.9%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Dalton Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 42nd percentile in 2016 → 30th in 2026

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Aurora Joint District No. 28

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (29% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school29%

District avg23%

Colorado avg41%

658^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 12 pts since 2016

From bottom 42% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 36Elementary Schools in the Aurora Joint District No. 28

105^th of 114Aurora Joint District No. 28 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	27.0	658 of 946	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.7	627 of 950	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.3	649 of 943	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.0	627 of 933	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.2	646 of 921	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.1	573 of 710	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.5	728 of 965	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.2	579 of 917	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	45.5	449 of 929	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	37.8	529 of 914	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	28.9	641 of 938	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	42.4	583 of 962	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	55.9	451 of 954	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	49.9	511 of 935	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	53.9	477 of 935	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	46.3	548 of 925	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	35.9	615 of 872	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	28.3	650 of 849	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	27.0	658 of 852	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	33.8	586 of 829	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	43.1	518 of 823	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	47.1	468 of 808	42.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	48.8	9 of 24	62.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	18.0	571 of 695	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.6	525 of 694	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.0	510 of 684	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.7	439 of 642	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.5	387 of 595	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.5	556 of 758	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.3	445 of 690	35.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	25.6	204 of 251	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.8	149 of 247	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.9	176 of 242	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	47.5	100 of 197	49.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.8	90 of 153	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.1	140 of 270	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.0	51 of 172	70.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	47.9	182 of 365	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.1	82 of 203	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	26.2	282 of 332	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.6	211 of 308	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	22.8	528 of 697	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.0	534 of 700	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	570 of 683	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.3	534 of 649	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	514 of 594	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.9	693 of 764	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.4	562 of 693	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	10.2	572 of 596	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.3	306 of 337	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)62nd percentile+32 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)50th percentile+19 vs school

Male (2026)24th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2026)19th percentile-12 vs school

Female (2026)18th percentile-13 vs school

White (2019)4th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts35%-10 vs state

Math26%-11 vs state

Science23%-13 vs state

4.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, January 30, 2014

The staff is very communicative in the development of all my kids. They are helpful in providing guidance to advance their learning at home as well. They work very hard to make sure your children are on track to reach your goals as well as the requirements. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, May 18, 2009

Dalton has always been very attentive to my child and has incredible school spirit. Close Quote

Schools Near Dalton 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 All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	Total
Dalton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	17401 East Dartmouth Ave	Aurora	80013	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	No	(303) 693-7561	430	27	15.9	75.6%	98 (22.8%)	77 (17.9%)	180 (41.9%)	20 (4.7%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	50 (11.6%)	27	658^th of 946 public elementary schools	30.4%		28.7	627^th of 950 public elementary schools	34.0%	31	29.4	32.3	43.3	34.7	18.8	31.8	27.9	26.0	23.3	$19,562
Cimarron Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	17373 East Lehigh Pl	Aurora	80013	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 886-8100	393	33	11.9	65.4%	105 (26.7%)	70 (17.8%)	163 (41.5%)	6 (1.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (12.0%)	14.6	819^th of 946 public elementary schools	13.4%		19.7	744^th of 950 public elementary schools	21.7%	75	13.2	16.0	34.0	21.2	15.1	16.0	25.5	18.8	19.6	$21,101
Dartmouth Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3050 South Laredo St	Aurora	80013	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	No	(303) 690-1155	422	29	14.5	74.6%	112 (26.5%)	55 (13.0%)	202 (47.9%)	6 (1.4%)	4 (0.9%)	3 (0.7%)	40 (9.5%)	37	554^th of 946 public elementary schools	41.4%		25.7	659^th of 950 public elementary schools	30.6%	105	23.2	40.3	43.6	35.1	29.0	35.8	46.3	36.3	31.5	$21,224
Vassar Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	18101 East Vassar Pl	Aurora	80013	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	No	(303) 752-3772	500	31	16.1	72.8%	80 (16.0%)	93 (18.6%)	253 (50.6%)	29 (5.8%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.8%)	39 (7.8%)	19.3	751^st of 946 public elementary schools	20.6%		24.1	676^th of 950 public elementary schools	28.8%	75	20.6	26.8	33.9	26.9	28.1	19.5	21.4	22.8	23.2	$19,337
Arrowhead Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	19100 East Bates Avenue	Aurora	80013	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	No	(720) 886-2800	499	35	14.4	54.1%	149 (29.9%)	81 (16.2%)	175 (35.1%)	28 (5.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	63 (12.6%)	15.5	805^th of 946 public elementary schools	14.9%		16.2	791^st of 950 public elementary schools	16.7%	14	31.4	22.2	27.7	27.1	21.4	16.7	16.9	18.4	10.9	$19,743
Yale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	16001 East Yale Ave	Aurora	80013	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	No	(303) 751-7470	492	27	18.2	84.8%	106 (21.5%)	54 (11.0%)	259 (52.6%)	34 (6.9%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	34 (6.9%)	8.3	911^th of 946 public elementary schools	3.7%		7	930^th of 950 public elementary schools	2.1%	19	12.8	28.2	11.8	17.5	10.1	10.8	5.9	9.0	13.2	$18,881
Mission Viejo Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3855 South Alicia Parkway	Aurora	80013	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 886-8000	552	35	15.6	53.8%	189 (34.2%)	83 (15.0%)	193 (35.0%)	17 (3.1%)	7 (1.3%)	4 (0.7%)	59 (10.7%)	18.9	760^th of 946 public elementary schools	19.7%		19.5	746^th of 950 public elementary schools	21.5%	14	17.9	21.7	38.9	26.0	15.2	25.7	19.4	19.9	26.8	$19,556
Summit Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	18201 East Quincy Ave	Aurora	80015	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 886-6400	337	25	13.4	49.6%	112 (33.2%)	54 (16.0%)	117 (34.7%)	19 (5.6%)	7 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.3%)	38.1	539^th of 946 public elementary schools	43.0%		24.1	678^th of 950 public elementary schools	28.6%	139	48.5	33.3	39.0	39.3	43.8	38.8	23.8	35.0	26.2	$23,211
Side Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	19191 East Iliff Pl	Aurora	80013	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	No	(303) 755-1785	512	27	18.9	71.9%	101 (19.7%)	89 (17.4%)	207 (40.4%)	29 (5.7%)	2 (0.4%)	9 (1.8%)	75 (14.6%)	14.2	825^th of 946 public elementary schools	12.8%		12.8	846^th of 950 public elementary schools	10.9%	21	21.1	21.3	22.7	21.7	28.6	15.8	22.7	22.2	7.6	$19,044
Sunrise Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4050 South Genoa Way	Aurora	80013	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 886-2900	497	34	14.8	61.2%	138 (27.8%)	88 (17.7%)	180 (36.2%)	22 (4.4%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	64 (12.9%)	21	729^th of 946 public elementary schools	22.9%		13.1	837^th of 950 public elementary schools	11.9%	108	34.4	32.8	30.9	32.7	34.4	13.4	17.6	21.4	11.8	$19,276

Frequently Asked Questions about Dalton Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Dalton Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Columbia Middle School
High : Rangeview High School

What district is Dalton Elementary School in?

Aurora Joint District No. 28

How many students attend Dalton Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 430 students attended Dalton Elementary School.

Is Dalton Elementary School a good school?

Dalton Elementary School ranks 658^th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Dalton Elementary School?

Students at Dalton Elementary School are 42% Hispanic, 23% White, 18% African American, 12% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

Rate Dalton Elementary School!

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataOct 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.