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Holly Hills Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

790^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Holly Hills Elementary School, a PK–5 school in Denver's Cherry Creek School District No. 5 serving 633 students, sits in a southeast Denver neighborhood where 62.4% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. The district is well regarded—ranked 26th out of 115 Colorado districts (77th percentile, 4 stars)—but the school is currently a 1-star school, placed 787th out of 943 elementary schools statewide (17th percentile). The gap between district reputation and school performance is striking.

Academically, the school trails both its district and the state by roughly 20 to 25 percentage points in every subject. In the most recent testing year, 25.7% of students were proficient in English language arts (compared to 49.5% districtwide), 22.4% in math (vs. 44.2% districtwide), and 13.8% in 5th-grade science (vs. 38.3% districtwide). Nearby schools show far stronger results are achievable in the same area: Bradley International School, less than a mile away, is in the 70th percentile with more than double the school's proficiency rates, and University Park Elementary School and Slavens K-8 School, both within about two miles, rank in the 88th and 98th percentiles. Even Rocky Mountain Prep Creekside, with a much higher poverty rate at 85.9% free/reduced lunch, outperforms the school in both English language arts and math.

Chronic absenteeism is a major concern—41.9% of the school's students were chronically absent, up from 35.5% the year before and well above the district (25.3%) and state (28.4%) averages. Poverty alone does not explain these results, since several nearby schools with higher poverty levels perform noticeably better. The school has also been trending downward since 2022–23, with ELA proficiency dropping from 39.1% to 25.7% and science proficiency falling from 31.4% to 13.8%. Low-income students, English language learners, and both male and female students all rank in the bottom 14th percentile or lower compared to similar students statewide. Attendance and instructional effectiveness are the most promising levers—the student-teacher ratio of 15.2 is lower than at several nearby higher-performing schools. In short, the school is struggling relative to its district and neighbors, but nearby schools show these challenges are addressable.

633

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,165

Per pupil spending ?

62.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6161 East Cornell Avenue
Denver, CO 80222-7003

(720) 747-2500

District: Cherry Creek School District No. 5

Students who attend Holly Hills Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	West Middle School
High:	Cherry Creek High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

51.0%

White:

27.5%

African American:

11.2%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 50th percentile in 2016 → 16th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (23% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school23%

District avg46%

Colorado avg41%

790^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 33 pts since 2016

From top 50% (2016) to bottom 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

40^th of 46Elementary Schools in the Cherry Creek School District No. 5

26^th of 114Cherry Creek School District No. 5 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	17.0	790 of 946	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.1	710 of 950	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.0	712 of 943	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.2	532 of 933	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.1	616 of 921	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.8	497 of 710	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.7	657 of 965	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.3	577 of 917	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	34.0	588 of 929	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	45.3	459 of 914	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	36.3	559 of 938	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	32.4	679 of 962	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.7	784 of 954	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	32.8	673 of 935	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	29.7	705 of 935	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	33.7	662 of 925	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	17.5	734 of 872	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	34.1	607 of 849	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	30.5	635 of 852	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	36.1	569 of 829	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	36.1	571 of 823	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2004	34.8	561 of 808	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	25.3	12 of 14	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	60.4	7 of 19	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	26.1	34 of 43	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	14.9	612 of 695	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.6	609 of 694	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.3	623 of 684	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	30.3	440 of 642	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.7	482 of 595	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.3	526 of 758	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.4	528 of 690	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	12.2	239 of 247	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	59.9	70 of 197	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.0	93 of 153	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.9	215 of 270	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.5	108 of 172	37.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	14.4	304 of 322	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.4	329 of 337	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.2	347 of 365	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	27.3	219 of 265	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.3	142 of 203	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.2	271 of 332	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.3	193 of 308	37.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	9.6	653 of 697	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	21.6	526 of 700	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.6	514 of 683	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.9	393 of 649	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.7	428 of 594	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.7	602 of 764	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.8	486 of 693	29.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	15.7	496 of 547	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	26.9	424 of 551	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.8	451 of 539	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.1	350 of 525	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.8	418 of 596	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.5	196 of 337	41.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)14th percentile-11 vs school

Female (2026)12th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)9th percentile-7 vs school

Male (2026)6th percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)6th percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)3rd percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts26%-19 vs state

Math22%-15 vs state

Science14%-22 vs state

2.5

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★0

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, August 29, 2019

My child is very happy here and looks forward to going to school every day. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, October 1, 2010

My child has attended this school for two years and I am ready to change school districts. Everything this school does makes absolutely no sense to me. They prefer children to ride the bus instead of getting dropped off and if you have your child dropped off/picked up, it is a huge hassle just getting around the buses to get your child. Breakfast and lunch is basically yogurt, orange slices and milk. There is a main entree, usually pizza or a corndog, but everything else is just yogurt, a piece of fruit and juice or milk. The kids running around outside after school waiting to be picked up or get on the bus are not supervised. Whoever happens to be outside, whether a teacher or the principal, are likely talking on their phones or yelling at someone instead of watching the kids. There is no communication between teachers and parents. I did not have a single parent/teacher conference during my child's year of kindergarten. When it came time for their kindergarten graduation they decided not to invite the parents and just go ahead with the ceremony and not let anyone know about it. I also paid for a class picture that I never received. The office staff has never been rude but they are completely clueless to any question you ask them and never offer an answer, just a blank stare. I am hoping to move soon and get my child out of the cherry creek district, which I believe is horrible. Close Quote

Schools Near Holly Hills 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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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 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
Holly Hills Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6161 East Cornell Avenue	Denver	80222	Denver County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 747-2500	633	42	15.2	62.4%	174 (27.5%)	71 (11.2%)	323 (51.0%)	15 (2.4%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	46 (7.3%)	17	790^th of 946 public elementary schools	16.5%		22.1	710^th of 950 public elementary schools	25.3%	80	28.2	26.7	22.3				25.7	25.6	18.2	23.4				22.4	13.8		$20,165
Bradley International School	Public	PK, KG-5	3051 South Elm Street	Denver	80222	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-9468	574	34	16.8	42.2%	275 (47.9%)	64 (11.1%)	153 (26.7%)	23 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (9.9%)	68.4	280^th of 946 public elementary schools	70.4%		62.8	336^th of 950 public elementary schools	64.6%	56	54.5	49.3	55.9				53.0	57.4	41.3	55.7				51.0	51.7		$17,469
Southmoor Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3755 South Magnolia Way	Denver	80237	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-3930	431	25	17.3	36.9%	250 (58.0%)	51 (11.8%)	86 (20.0%)	13 (3.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (6.5%)	65.2	305^th of 946 public elementary schools	67.8%		64.9	318^th of 950 public elementary schools	66.5%	13	40.3	57.9	56.9				51.6	43.1	56.6	43.1				47.9	54.8		$15,982
Highline Academy Southeast	Public, Charter	K-8	2170 South Dahlia Street	Denver	80222	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 759-7808	591	46	12.8	53.3%	229 (38.7%)	147 (24.9%)	168 (28.4%)	20 (3.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.2%)	63.3	322^nd of 946 public elementary schools	66.0%		54.8	406^th of 950 public elementary schools	57.3%	84	41.8	62.7	62.3	51.8	50.6	52.9	53.8	38.2	47.8	50.0	34.1	31.2	45.6	40.6	44.3	36.8	$15,050
Holm Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3185 South Willow Court	Denver	80231	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-6350	510	33	15.4	69.8%	104 (20.4%)	54 (10.6%)	308 (60.4%)	22 (4.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (3.9%)	31.1	610^th of 946 public elementary schools	35.5%		37	556^th of 950 public elementary schools	41.5%	54	27.5	37.0	42.9				37.2	14.7	32.9	30.0				26.0	32.9		$18,962
Rocky Mountain Prep Creekside	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	7808 Cherry Creek South Dr #3	Denver	80231	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(720) 863-8920	637	45	14.0	85.9%	67 (10.5%)	302 (47.4%)	234 (36.7%)	12 (1.9%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (2.7%)	63.1	325^th of 946 public elementary schools	65.6%		64	326^th of 950 public elementary schools	65.7%	1	46.9	38.4	50.6				45.5	63.1	37.3	57.0				52.4	50.6		$13,302
Place Bridge Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	7125 Cherry Creek Drive North	Denver	80224	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-0960	824	63	13.0	85.2%	65 (7.9%)	193 (23.4%)	467 (56.7%)	77 (9.3%)	4 (0.5%)	3 (0.4%)	15 (1.8%)	9	901^st of 946 public elementary schools	4.8%		11.3	866^th of 950 public elementary schools	8.8%	35	8.6	14.3	16.4	9.6	13.3	17.9	13.7	20.8	14.1	19.4	7.1	8.3	13.4	13.4	9.1	8.8	$21,474
Ellis Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1651 South Dahlia Street	Denver	80222	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-7700	467	26	18.1	85.2%	80 (17.1%)	31 (6.6%)	334 (71.5%)	12 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.9%)	15.9	802^nd of 946 public elementary schools	15.2%		9.8	886^th of 950 public elementary schools	6.7%	84	43.5	35.3	13.0				25.6	17.5	20.8	10.9				16.7	709.0		$18,945
University Park Elementary School	Public	K-5	2300 South St Paul Street	Denver	80210	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-3410	413	27	15.4	28.6%	269 (65.1%)	24 (5.8%)	71 (17.2%)	22 (5.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (5.8%)	86.1	117^th of 946 public elementary schools	87.6%		89.3	80^th of 950 public elementary schools	91.6%	37	53.6	71.0	77.1				65.9	56.5	60.3	77.6				63.5	77.1		$17,805
Samuels Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3985 South Vincennes Court	Denver	80237	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-4450	532	29	18.3	86.5%	71 (13.3%)	115 (21.6%)	292 (54.9%)	27 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	22 (4.1%)	21.4	724^th of 946 public elementary schools	23.5%		26.8	647^th of 950 public elementary schools	31.9%	77	33.3	38.5	30.8				34.1	29.6	11.9	26.3				21.9	13.5		$18,906

Frequently Asked Questions about Holly Hills Elementary School

What district is Holly Hills Elementary School in?

Cherry Creek School District No. 5

What schools do graduates of Holly Hills Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Holly Hills Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : West Middle School
High : Cherry Creek High School

How many students attend Holly Hills Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 633 students attended Holly Hills Elementary School.

Is Holly Hills Elementary School a good school?

Holly Hills Elementary School ranks in the bottom 16.5% of Colorado elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Holly Hills Elementary School?

Students at Holly Hills Elementary School are 51% Hispanic, 27% White, 11% African American, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Rate Holly Hills Elementary School!

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataNewOct 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.