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Lotus School for Excellence

Public, Charter, Alternative Grades K-12

764^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 950 Colorado Alternative Schools

Better than 20% of Colorado alternative schools

Summary

Lotus School for Excellence is a public charter school in Aurora, Colorado, serving 945 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The school is part of the Aurora Joint District No. 28, which is ranked 103 out of 115 districts in the state.

Lotus School for Excellence stands out for its strong academic performance, particularly in graduation rates, dropout rates, and test scores in science and math. In the 2023-2024 school year, Lotus had an 84.2% 4-year graduation rate, compared to 73.4% for the district and 62% for the state. The school also had a lower dropout rate of 1.9%, while the district and state averaged 2.9% and 2.9%, respectively. In science, 32.9% of Lotus' 5th graders were proficient or better on the CMAS/Science test, outpacing the district's 19.9% and the state's 39%.

Despite these strengths, Lotus School for Excellence faces some challenges. The school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, at 89.84% in the 2023-2024 school year, indicating a high-need student population. Additionally, while Lotus outperforms the district, its test scores are still generally lower than the state averages, suggesting room for improvement. However, the school's relatively low student-teacher ratio of 16:1 may be a contributing factor to its stronger academic performance compared to the district.

1,008

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,387

Per pupil spending ?

91.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

11001-A East Alameda Avenue
Aurora, CO 80012-1034

(303) 360-0052

District: Aurora Joint District No. 28

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

44.8%

African American:

39.0%

White:

10.9%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Lotus School for Excellence to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 17th percentile in 2022 → 21st in 2025

Strengths

✓100% graduate in 4 years — above the Colorado average (82%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (23% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 25 pts below the Colorado average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg23%

Colorado avg43%

Elementary school

764^th of 950

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 23% (2015) to bottom 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

412^th of 469

Colorado public middle schools ?

Bottom 12%▼ down 19 pts since 2015

From bottom 31% (2015) to bottom 12% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

258^th of 328

Colorado public high schools ?

Bottom 21%▼ down 23 pts since 2015

From bottom 45% (2015) to bottom 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Alternative Schools in the Aurora Joint District No. 28

103^rd of 115Aurora 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	18.2	764 of 950	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.2	706 of 943	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.2	749 of 933	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.1	829 of 921	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.0	641 of 710	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.1	793 of 965	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.6	839 of 917	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	14.6	807 of 929	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	20.0	728 of 914	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	22.6	721 of 938	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	21.6	778 of 962	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	11.3	862 of 954	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	14.1	812 of 935	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	14.6	816 of 935	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	14.2	807 of 925	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	31.8	651 of 872	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	44.4	10 of 21	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.7	6 of 18	66.7%	★★★★☆
2023	46.9	8 of 20	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.4	11 of 18	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.2	3 of 3	0.0%	★★★★☆
2019	44.7	14 of 23	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.0	7 of 15	53.3%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2023	39.2	10 of 17	41.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	23.4	17 of 19	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	14.6	587 of 694	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.6	457 of 684	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	16.7	545 of 642	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.8	522 of 595	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.8	654 of 758	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.9	640 of 690	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	35.8	151 of 247	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.8	124 of 242	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.6	191 of 270	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	14.7	600 of 700	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.1	602 of 683	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.0	607 of 649	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.5	532 of 594	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.9	694 of 764	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.4	663 of 693	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	14.5	412 of 469	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.0	414 of 485	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.7	361 of 480	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.2	373 of 448	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.4	320 of 369	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.7	372 of 458	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.0	336 of 418	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.5	313 of 424	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	25.6	300 of 400	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	29.8	301 of 436	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	23.1	372 of 461	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	34.2	322 of 454	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	31.0	307 of 425	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	27.0	330 of 422	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	24.3	329 of 409	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	22.8	312 of 377	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	32.7	20 of 29	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.8	15 of 25	40.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.7	10 of 25	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.8	8 of 20	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.8	6 of 8	25.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.5	16 of 33	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.0	8 of 22	63.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	19.1	278 of 347	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.1	296 of 350	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.2	286 of 363	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.7	279 of 326	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.3	224 of 254	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.1	259 of 352	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.6	250 of 315	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	26.8	168 of 218	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.8	167 of 199	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.3	72 of 83	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.2	173 of 220	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.2	155 of 165	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2018	36.2	138 of 222	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	7.4	343 of 352	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.9	309 of 357	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.9	257 of 356	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.9	273 of 328	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.8	237 of 249	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.2	318 of 343	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.2	271 of 317	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	22.9	258 of 328	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.8	239 of 349	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.5	253 of 349	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.4	207 of 411	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.8	162 of 388	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	38.5	128 of 256	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	32.8	155 of 255	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	36.5	162 of 292	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	32.8	265 of 369	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	48.9	191 of 349	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	29.1	243 of 334	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	27.6	253 of 337	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	37.8	221 of 327	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	39.1	204 of 310	34.2%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	85.1	4 of 30	86.7%	★★★★☆
2024	73.5	9 of 38	76.3%	★★★★☆
2023	64.9	10 of 36	72.2%	★★★★☆
2022	53.8	12 of 34	64.7%	★★★★☆
2021	54.5	11 of 29	62.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	79.0	9 of 36	75.0%	★★★★☆
2023	69.5	9 of 44	79.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	28.0	177 of 257	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.8	175 of 254	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.7	173 of 257	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.1	160 of 239	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	25.2	138 of 187	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.6	115 of 199	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.8	144 of 198	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.2	130 of 205	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.0	93 of 181	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	26.6	177 of 246	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.9	171 of 256	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.8	189 of 252	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.0	215 of 253	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.5	209 of 240	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

African American (2025)52nd percentile+33 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)41st percentile+21 vs school

Hispanic (2025)39th percentile+19 vs school

Female (2025)15th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2025)14th percentile-5 vs school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2018)38th percentile+18 vs school

African American (2025)31st percentile+19 vs school

Hispanic (2025)23rd percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)20th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2025)3rd percentile-10 vs school

High school

African American (2025)87th percentile+65 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)75th percentile+43 vs school

Female (2024)31st percentile~ school

Male (2025)28th percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)26th percentile+5 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

Reading and Writing54%-11 vs state

English Language Arts23%-22 vs state

Science21%-17 vs state

Math15%-21 vs state

Mathematics13%-25 vs state

3.8

6 ratings · 4 written reviews

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Middle school teachers are not qualified by any means, most of them were hired when the school couldn't find qualified applicants. That is probably the situation in many other schools these days, but in Lotus, every middle school teacher has less than one year of experience as a teacher and 25 years or younger. The only exception is the Middle school Dean. Good luck kids. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, January 7, 2011

This is the best school in Aurora. The school is getting better and improving itself. I believe that Lotus is going to be the best school in Colorado soon. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

This is old data
School impressively increased its scores. Its achievement data is about 10% above the district in all areas and its growth is at 60-80 % where CO average is 50%. Lotus is one of the best schools in Aurora. Close Quote

by a parent
Saturday, April 3, 2010

Great math, technology, and science school! The clubs are great! Close Quote

Schools Near Lotus School for Excellence

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				PSAT10 Reading and Writing (2025)	PSAT10 Mathematics (2025)	PSAT9 Reading and Writing (2025)	PSAT9 Mathematics (2025)	SAT Reading and Writing (2025)	SAT Mathematics (2025)	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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT10 Reading and Writing 10th Grade	PSAT10 Mathematics 10th Grade	PSAT9 Reading and Writing 9th Grade	PSAT9 Mathematics 9th Grade	SAT Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	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	CMAS Science 11th Grade	Total
Lotus School for Excellence	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	11001-A East Alameda Avenue	Aurora	80012	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 360-0052	1,008	66	15.2	91.8%	110 (10.9%)	393 (39.0%)	452 (44.8%)	17 (1.7%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (3.3%)								(n/a)	45.0	22.0	54.0	13.0	43.0	28.0	18.9	11.8	28.0	23.1	24.2	30.3	23.0	12.2	31.6	17.6	15.2	7.2	11.8	15.4	32.9	10.8		$13,387
Aurora Central Campus	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	11700 East 11th Ave	Aurora	80010	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	No	(303) 340-1600	2,468	138	17.8	89.3%	186 (7.5%)	332 (13.5%)	1,723 (69.8%)	71 (2.9%)	24 (1.0%)	28 (1.1%)	104 (4.2%)								(n/a)	21.0	9.0	27.0	8.0	22.0	6.0	28.3	21.4	56.3	32.4	35.5	38.6	35.7	28.3	16.7	22.9	22.1	24.2	27.4	23.9	27.1	27.4	3.4	$17,700
Aurora Science & Technical High School	Public, Charter, Alternative	9-11	2540 North Scranton Court	Aurora	80045	Adams County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(303) 524-6397	434	33	13.1	84.1%	37 (8.5%)	36 (8.3%)	336 (77.4%)	8 (1.8%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	12 (2.8%)								(n/a)	41.0	27.0	38.0	14.0	53.0	31.0																	15.1	$17,917
Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning	Public, Alternative	K-12	1700 South Holly Street	Denver	80222	Denver County	Denver 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 759-2076	382	24	16.1	2.4%	297 (77.7%)	5 (1.3%)	51 (13.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.8%)								(n/a)			75.0	42.0			30.0	33.3	82.6	72.5	55.3	57.5	58.0	30.0	50.0	78.3	55.0	38.3	35.0	46.3	65.2	51.2		$12,645
Vanguard Classical School - East	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	17101 East Ohio Drive	Aurora	80017	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 338-4110	690	48	14.3	79.7%	76 (11.0%)	269 (39.0%)	301 (43.6%)	16 (2.3%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	24 (3.5%)								(n/a)	18.0		46.0		37.0		20.6	16.0	21.6	30.7	30.9	30.4	25.4	14.1	9.8	13.5	16.0	15.9	21.4	15.2	14.9	12.7		$14,444
Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy	Public, Alternative	1-12	2250 South Quitman Way	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-0200	670	44	15.4	82.1%	63 (9.4%)	24 (3.6%)	539 (80.4%)	19 (2.8%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.4%)								(n/a)	38.0	22.0	52.0	25.0	33.0	7.0	13.0	10.0	18.5	18.1	18.6	18.6	17.4		10.0		7.2	6.0	15.8	9.8	11.5	12.0	14.3	$17,696
Colorado Summit Connections Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	8 Inverness Drive E #110	Englewood	80112	Arapahoe County	Education Reenvisioned BOCES	No	No	Yes	No	(303) 794-2302	1,245	69	18.1		650 (52.2%)	58 (4.7%)	419 (33.7%)	13 (1.0%)	15 (1.2%)	7 (0.6%)	83 (6.7%)								(n/a)	84.0	24.0	71.0	18.0	52.0	11.0	18.8				44.1	33.3	31.1					8.8	17.9	12.6		34.2	31.8	$9,623
Colorado Connections @ 27J	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	8 Inverness Drive E Suite 240	Englewood	80112	Arapahoe County	School District 27J	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(303) 794-2302	2,042	92	22.2		1,067 (52.3%)	124 (6.1%)	646 (31.6%)	35 (1.7%)	20 (1.0%)	17 (0.8%)	131 (6.4%)								(n/a)	65.0		63.0		63.0	24.0	14.3	16.7	37.9		28.6		27.9		22.2	13.8			19.6		28.6	28.9		$3,742
Mapleton Online	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	7350 North Broadway	Denver	80221	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(303) 853-1000	152	13	12.1		29 (19.1%)	6 (3.9%)	105 (69.1%)	2 (1.3%)	4 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.9%)								(n/a)													27.6							10.3				$16,920
Skyview Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	PK, KG-12	6161 Business Center Drive	Highlands Ranch	80130	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 471-8439	1,358	84	16.1	15.1%	735 (54.1%)	31 (2.3%)	184 (13.5%)	274 (20.2%)	9 (0.7%)	3 (0.2%)	122 (9.0%)								(n/a)	89.0	46.0	92.0	68.0	82.0	53.0	55.6	40.8	54.5	49.0	73.5	61.9	55.7	52.5	46.6	39.6	51.9	45.9	59.4	49.4	49.0	58.1	30.0	$11,070

Frequently Asked Questions about Lotus School for Excellence

How many students attend Lotus School for Excellence?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,008 students attended Lotus School for Excellence.

Is Lotus School for Excellence a good school?

Lotus School for Excellence ranks in the bottom 19.6% of Colorado alternative schools.

What district is Lotus School for Excellence in?

Aurora Joint District No. 28

What is the racial makeup of Lotus School for Excellence?

Students at Lotus School for Excellence are 45% Hispanic, 39% African American, 11% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Rate Lotus School for Excellence!

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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.