Henderson Elementary School

Henderson Elementary School in Henderson, Colorado, serves 357 students in grades PK through 5 and is part of School District 27J, a district that ranks in the lower third of Colorado districts.

The school currently sits in the bottom fifth of Colorado elementary schools (18th percentile statewide) and holds a 1-star rating. Academic proficiency trails both district and state averages: 25.5% of students are proficient in English Language Arts (compared to 44.7% statewide), 25.5% in math (compared to 37.3% statewide), and just 9.8% in 5th-grade science — the lowest rate in the surrounding area. Nearby schools like Reunion Elementary (61st percentile) and West Ridge Elementary (50th percentile) perform significantly better, while South Elementary (12th percentile) and Turnberry Elementary (17th percentile) sit near Henderson's level. One of the most pressing challenges is chronic absenteeism: 36.6% of Henderson students were chronically absent in 2024-25, the highest rate among all nearby schools and more than triple the rate at Landmark Academy at Reunion (11.7%).

There are some encouraging signs worth noting. Henderson's performance with economically disadvantaged students ranked at the 54th percentile statewide in 2024-25 — well above the school's overall standing — and math proficiency improved notably from 17.2% to 25.5% over the past year. The school also maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 14.8 to 1, better than most nearby traditional public schools. However, that advantage hasn't yet translated into stronger outcomes, and science scores remain volatile from year to year. For parents considering Henderson, the picture is mixed: the school faces real academic and attendance challenges, but it shows meaningful strengths in serving low-income students, and reducing chronic absenteeism appears to be the highest-leverage opportunity for improvement.