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South Elementary School

Q: Is South Elementary School a good school?

South Elementary School ranks in the bottom 10.7% of Colorado elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend South Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 337 students attended South Elementary School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of South Elementary School?

Students at South Elementary School are 87% Hispanic, 10% White, 1% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of South Elementary School attend?

Students who attend South Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Vikan Middle School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

848^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 950 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 11% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

South Elementary School is a public elementary school in Brighton, Colorado, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 344 students. The school is part of the School District 27J, which is ranked 85 out of 115 districts in Colorado and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

South Elementary School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Colorado elementary schools, with a ranking between 635 and 888 out of over 900 schools in the state over the past decade. The school consistently underperforms compared to the district and state averages on CMAS assessments, with only 22.1% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 16.9% in math. The school also has high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 26.8% to 31.2% over the past three years, and a very high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 63.82% to 84.88%.

When comparing South Elementary School to other nearby schools in the same district, such as Elaine S. Padilla Elementary School and Mary E. Pennock Elementary School, it performs significantly worse on academic measures. Additionally, the Bromley East Charter School, which is also in the School District 27J, outperforms South Elementary School on academic measures, suggesting that the charter school model may be more effective in this district.

337

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,108

Per pupil spending ?

85.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

305 South 5th Avenue
Brighton, CO 80601-2111

(303) 655-2600

District: School District 27J

Students who attend South Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:

Vikan Middle School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

86.9%

White:

9.8%

Two or more races:

1.2%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare South Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — <1st percentile in 2021 → 11th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 11th (2025) from a <1st-percentile low (2021)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (18% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (36% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school18%

District avg29%

Colorado avg40%

848^th of 950

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 11%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th of 18Elementary Schools in the School District 27J

85^th of 115School District 27J 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
2025	12.6	848 of 950	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.7	888 of 933	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.1	867 of 921	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.9	707 of 710	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.2	773 of 965	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.7	728 of 917	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.1	727 of 929	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.1	750 of 914	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	13.9	835 of 938	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	37.4	635 of 962	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	27.7	725 of 954	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	53.3	469 of 935	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	49.5	518 of 935	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	46.2	549 of 925	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	48.5	491 of 872	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	54.5	429 of 849	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	44.8	518 of 852	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	53.8	418 of 829	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	51.4	448 of 823	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2004	42.3	509 of 808	37.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2023	12.7	579 of 642	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.5	539 of 690	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	28.4	206 of 270	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.0	112 of 172	34.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	35.3	231 of 332	30.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	25.3	560 of 764	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.2	616 of 693	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2019)30th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2019)27th percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2019)24th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2023)10th percentile+5 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts22%-23 vs state

Math17%-19 vs state

Science9%-30 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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 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	Total
South Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	305 South 5th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 655-2600	337	23	14.6	85.5%	33 (9.8%)	3 (0.9%)	293 (86.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	4 (1.2%)	12.6	848^th of 950 public elementary schools	10.7%					(n/a)	16.4	21.7	28.3				22.1	18.2	10.9	20.8				16.9	9.4		$17,108
Southeast Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1595 Southern Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 866-2650	527	32	16.4	73.8%	105 (19.9%)	5 (0.9%)	399 (75.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.8%)	11.9	857^th of 950 public elementary schools	9.8%		14.7	813^th of 943 public elementary schools	13.8%	44	16.9	21.6	22.2				20.1	15.4	10.8	17.5				14.4	18.8		$14,932
Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Denver	Public, Charter	K-8	1800 E Longs Peak St	Brighton	80601	Adams County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 541-9809	305	17	18.0		200 (65.6%)	0 (0.0%)	84 (27.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.6%)	37.1	555^th of 950 public elementary schools	41.6%		32.9	580^th of 943 public elementary schools	38.5%	25	17.9	39.3	34.6	45.0	63.6	42.1	39.2	29.6	28.6	46.2		22.7		26.1	38.5	26.3	$11,889
Northeast Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1605 Longspeak	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 655-2550	470	31	15.3	78.7%	56 (11.9%)	5 (1.1%)	396 (84.3%)	5 (1.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	11.8	859^th of 950 public elementary schools	9.6%		9.4	896^th of 943 public elementary schools	5.0%	37	18.8	14.9	25.8				19.7	16.7	9.0	22.6				15.9	13.1		$15,431
Mary E Pennock Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3707 Estrella Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(720) 685-7500	592	38	15.7	59.8%	210 (35.5%)	7 (1.2%)	348 (58.8%)	12 (2.0%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (1.9%)	37.6	550^th of 950 public elementary schools	42.1%		26.4	655^th of 943 public elementary schools	30.5%	105	35.0	33.6	32.3				33.6	41.3	35.2	37.6				37.7	30.1		$12,461
Foundations Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	340 South 45th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 659-9519	763	16	47.9	36.2%	386 (50.6%)	4 (0.5%)	342 (44.8%)	8 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (2.8%)	42.2	515^th of 950 public elementary schools	45.8%		39.2	534^th of 943 public elementary schools	43.4%	19	40.3	33.3	33.3	44.6	42.5	35.1	38.3	37.5	29.5	29.2	40.5	38.9	35.7	35.1	43.1	28.6	$12,762
Bromley East Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	356 Longspur Drive	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	Yes	No	No	No	(720) 685-3297	1,214	42	28.6	39.5%	568 (46.8%)	17 (1.4%)	566 (46.6%)	16 (1.3%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	44 (3.6%)	22.1	708^th of 950 public elementary schools	25.5%		18.5	761^st of 943 public elementary schools	19.3%	53	25.6	31.4	28.1	26.0	25.6	21.7	26.6	26.6	26.4	23.6	16.7	13.7	21.5	21.4	23.8		$11,544
Elaine S. Padilla Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5505 Longs Peak Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-5100	672	35	19.1	48.2%	213 (31.7%)	15 (2.2%)	415 (61.8%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	19 (2.8%)	39.4	530^th of 950 public elementary schools	44.2%		31.5	597^th of 943 public elementary schools	36.7%	67	38.5	33.3	43.9				38.4	36.5	39.8	27.2				34.8	31.7		$12,851
Meadow Ridge Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	1501 Fletcher Avenue	Lochbuie	80603	Weld County	Weld County School District Re-3j	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 536-2400	440	28	15.5	56.1%	126 (28.6%)	8 (1.8%)	288 (65.5%)	5 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.7%)								(n/a)																	$13,889
Henderson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	12301 East 124th Avenue	Henderson	80640	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-2700	357	24	14.8	61.1%	97 (27.2%)	5 (1.4%)	230 (64.4%)	14 (3.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.5%)	24.1	677^th of 950 public elementary schools	28.7%		15.1	804^th of 943 public elementary schools	14.7%	127	15.2	28.1	46.6				31.1			23.7				17.2	18.6		$15,717

Frequently Asked Questions about South Elementary School

What district is South Elementary School in?

School District 27J

What is the racial makeup of South Elementary School?

Students at South Elementary School are 87% Hispanic, 10% White, 1% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of South Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Vikan Middle School

How many students attend South Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 337 students attended South Elementary School.

Is South Elementary School a good school?

South Elementary School ranks in the bottom 10.7% of Colorado elementary schools.

Rate South Elementary School!

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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.