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Vanguard Classical School - East

Q: Is Vanguard Classical School - East a good school?

Vanguard Classical School - East ranks in the bottom 7.1% of Colorado alternative schools.

Q: How many students attend Vanguard Classical School - East?

In the 2024-25 school year, 690 students attended Vanguard Classical School - East.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Vanguard Classical School - East?

Students at Vanguard Classical School - East are 44% Hispanic, 39% African American, 11% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Public, Charter, Alternative Grades K-12

879^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Alternative Schools

Better than 7% of Colorado alternative schools

Summary

Vanguard Classical School - East is an alternative public school in Aurora, CO, serving 690 students in grades K–12 within the Aurora Joint District No. 28. The school's most striking feature is the combination of strong graduation and attendance outcomes with persistently low academic proficiency on state assessments. With roughly 80% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, Vanguard serves a high-poverty population, yet its 2024–2025 graduation rate of 92.0% exceeded both the district's 77.0% and the state's 85.6%.

Vanguard's graduation rate has climbed steadily from 73.9% in 2020–2021 to 92.0% in 2024–2025, and its dropout rate of just 1.2% in 2023–2024 was well below the district (2.9%) and state (1.9%) averages. Nearby same-district alternative Aurora Central Campus posts a far lower 59.5% graduation rate and a 9.2% dropout rate. Chronic absenteeism at Vanguard (28.6%) is nearly identical to the state average and about 10 points better than the Aurora district average (38.9%). Compared to other alternatives like Mapleton Online and Colorado Summit Connections Academy, Vanguard stands out for keeping students engaged and on track to graduate.

Academically, proficiency rates remain low: 23.6% of students are proficient in English Language Arts and just 15.5% in math, compared to state averages of 44.7% and 37.3%. Math is the biggest concern, with elementary grades posting proficiency rates below 10%. However, Vanguard outperforms its district in 7th and 8th grade ELA, suggesting students make meaningful literacy gains over time. College readiness is also a concern, as SAT and PSAT scores remain well below state benchmarks even as graduation rates climb. Nearby schools like Skyview Academy and Ascent Classical Academy of Douglas County post far higher test scores, but serve significantly more affluent populations. The school's profile reflects a high-poverty community where students persist and graduate, but where deep academic mastery—especially in math and early literacy—remains the most pressing challenge.

690

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,675

Per pupil spending ?

79.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

17101 East Ohio Drive
Aurora, CO 80017-3878

(303) 338-4110

District: Aurora Joint District No. 28

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

43.6%

African American:

39.0%

White:

11.0%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Vanguard Classical School - East to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 20th percentile in 2023 → 1st in 2026

Strengths

✓92% graduate in 4 years — above the Colorado average (86%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (19% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2023

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school19%

District avg24%

Colorado avg43%

Elementary school

879^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 23 pts since 2017

From bottom 30% (2017) to bottom 7% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

373^rd of 476

Colorado public middle schools ?

Bottom 22%▼ down 10 pts since 2017

From bottom 31% (2017) to bottom 22% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

336^th of 340

Colorado public high schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 33 pts since 2018

From bottom 35% (2018) to bottom 1% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Alternative 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	10.7	879 of 946	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.2	836 of 950	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.7	758 of 943	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.3	784 of 933	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.7	729 of 921	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.4	634 of 710	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.4	711 of 965	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.0	648 of 917	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.1	649 of 929	30.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	28.9	19 of 24	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.2	18 of 21	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.1	8 of 18	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.6	10 of 20	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.1	9 of 18	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.2	9 of 23	60.9%	★★★★☆
2018	47.0	6 of 15	60.0%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2022	29.9	15 of 19	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	7.2	681 of 695	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.0	675 of 694	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.6	644 of 684	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.1	615 of 642	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.1	485 of 595	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.8	595 of 758	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.0	483 of 690	30.0%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	15.3	86 of 91	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	12.9	236 of 247	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	223 of 242	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.5	136 of 153	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.5	192 of 270	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	61.7	52 of 172	69.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	24.4	278 of 337	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.2	289 of 365	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.1	235 of 265	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	52.3	80 of 203	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.1	208 of 332	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.1	150 of 308	51.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	10.6	645 of 697	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.4	609 of 700	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.2	503 of 683	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.8	518 of 649	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.9	413 of 594	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.1	607 of 764	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.4	553 of 693	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	19.8	373 of 476	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.9	356 of 469	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.4	442 of 485	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	412 of 480	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	357 of 448	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.0	403 of 458	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.2	323 of 418	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	30.4	291 of 424	31.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	48.8	13 of 35	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.7	13 of 29	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.2	11 of 20	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.7	21 of 33	36.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	14.4	322 of 368	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.5	302 of 347	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.3	336 of 350	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.3	345 of 363	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	26.0	230 of 326	29.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	23.5	165 of 208	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.6	186 of 218	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.3	150 of 169	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	42.5	124 of 241	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	21.9	283 of 372	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.9	255 of 352	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.6	318 of 357	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.8	248 of 356	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	11.2	319 of 343	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	4.0	336 of 340	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.1	303 of 328	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.3	295 of 349	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.4	280 of 349	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.2	272 of 411	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.7	254 of 388	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	16.6	211 of 257	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.8	213 of 254	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.5	217 of 257	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	19.3	165 of 199	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.0	113 of 198	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.6	163 of 205	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	4.5	208 of 209	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	7.3	227 of 244	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.6	235 of 256	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

English Language Learner (2022)21st percentile~ school

African American (2026)21st percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)18th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)7th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2024)5th percentile-14 vs school

Hispanic (2025)4th percentile-8 vs school

Female (2026)2nd percentile-5 vs school

Middle school

African American (2026)63rd percentile+41 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)49th percentile+24 vs school

Male (2026)24th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)21st percentile~ school

Female (2026)12th percentile-9 vs school

High school

Female (2024)18th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2024)17th percentile~ school

Male (2026)7th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

Reading and Writing25%-41 vs state

English Language Arts24%-21 vs state

Math16%-22 vs state

Science12%-21 vs state

Mathematics12%-29 vs state

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, May 18, 2017

This school does not make students feel comfortable. They are not empathetic and lack the materials to support many extra curricular activities. The activities include: baseball, girls basketball, track, swimming, and wrestling. They also don't have a gym. Close Quote

Schools Near Vanguard Classical School - East

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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 ()				Ranking ()				PSAT10 Reading and Writing (2026)	PSAT10 Mathematics (2026)	PSAT9 Reading and Writing (2026)	PSAT9 Mathematics (2026)	SAT Reading and Writing (2026)	SAT Mathematics (2026)	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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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
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)	26.8	359.0	24.6	11.5	21.9	406.0	9.4	17.5	28.8	17.8	35.2	30.4	23.6	20.8	9.5	9.6	12.3	18.3	21.7	15.5	15.4	10.1	718.0	$11,675
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)	53.0	35.8	44.6	25.9	43.6	24.1	39.2	27.6	26.9	25.5	48.0	29.1	32.9	39.2	26.3	16.7	18.0	23.8	22.1	23.8	26.9	10.6	719.0	$15,356
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)	24.5	13.0	26.8	12.7	19.2	8.8	23.8	37.8	25.7	42.1	37.3	26.9	33.2	23.8	31.1	17.1	28.1	22.7	27.5	25.3	712.0	9.6	3.9	$17,881
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)	76.2	23.8			504.0	473.0	45.5	43.5	34.8	73.3	51.3	39.6	50.0	22.7	26.1	31.8	61.4	48.7	37.5	41.4	54.5	37.5		$12,809
Sky Ranch Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-9	849 N Carrie Street	Aurora	80018	Arapahoe County	Bennett School District No. 29J	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(303) 644-3234	495	24	20.6	42.4%	176 (35.6%)	94 (19.0%)	145 (29.3%)	15 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	64 (12.9%)								(n/a)							34.0	48.9	36.5	38.3	46.2	66.7	42.7	52.8	41.3	26.9	21.3	18.4	33.3	33.1	38.5	29.2		$14,602
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)	71.4	38.8	59.6	392.0	70.2	445.0	708.0	702.0	23.8	24.0	21.9	33.3	23.9	707.0	694.0	23.8	726.0	721.0	714.0	13.5	716.0	20.4		$10,280
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)	58.8	415.0	70.1	19.5	60.9	466.0	701.0	28.6	41.2	729.0	29.2	22.1	25.0	14.3	716.0	26.5	715.0	14.6	10.4	13.9	28.1	17.5	742.0	$4,480
Ascent Classical Academy of Douglas County	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	10004 Park Meadows Drive	Lone Tree	80124	Douglas County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	No	No	No	(720) 531-8775	852	56	15.2		661 (77.6%)	8 (0.9%)	86 (10.1%)	66 (7.7%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	27 (3.2%)								(n/a)	93.3	43.3	84.6	57.7	90.5	57.1	25.0	30.1	51.3	45.3	70.1	32.9	41.3	44.8	54.8	51.9	49.3	50.7	34.2	47.5	36.4	32.4	60.0	$10,576
Skyview Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	PK, KG-12	6161 Business Center Drive	Highlands Ranch	80124	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)	88.5	64.1	79.2	61.0	81.3	56.0	49.0	45.5	61.5	56.2	52.9	75.0	56.4	57.1	33.3	50.0	58.7	39.1	70.0	51.4	53.2	62.9	55.0	$11,927
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)	18.8	343.0											28.9							15.4				$19,668

Frequently Asked Questions about Vanguard Classical School - East

What is the racial makeup of Vanguard Classical School - East?

Students at Vanguard Classical School - East are 44% Hispanic, 39% African American, 11% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Vanguard Classical School - East?

In the 2024-25 school year, 690 students attended Vanguard Classical School - East.

What district is Vanguard Classical School - East in?

Aurora Joint District No. 28

Is Vanguard Classical School - East a good school?

Vanguard Classical School - East ranks in the bottom 7.1% of Colorado alternative schools.

Rate Vanguard Classical School - East!

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

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

2024–25 attendance dataAug 27, 2025

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.