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Polton Community Elementary School

Q: Is Polton Community Elementary School a good school?

Polton Community Elementary School ranks 527 th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

527^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 44% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Polton Community Elementary School is a PK–5 public elementary school in Aurora, Colorado, serving 466 students as part of the Cherry Creek School District No. 5. For the 2025–2026 school year, Polton ranks 527th out of 943 Colorado elementary schools, placing it in the 44th percentile with a 2-star rating—a significant improvement from the previous year's 20th-percentile ranking. The school maintains a favorable student-to-teacher ratio of 13.7, and 55.6% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Polton stands out as an academic anchor among its immediate neighbors in southeast Aurora. Nearby schools rank in the bottom 3–9 percent of the state, including Eastridge Community Elementary School, Ponderosa Elementary School, Village East Community Elementary School, and Joe Shoemaker School. Polton's CMAS proficiency rates—40.2% in English Language Arts and 31.3% in math—far exceed those of nearby schools, many of which fall below 23% in ELA and below 16% in math. Only Rocky Mountain Prep Creekside clearly outranks Polton in the area. Polton also posts a chronic absenteeism rate of 28.9%, close to the state average and far healthier than nearby schools, which range from 36.8% to 57.7%.

Polton has shown dramatic one-year academic growth, with proficiency jumping from 24.7% to 40.2% in ELA, 23.5% to 31.3% in math, and 15.9% to 34.0% in science. Fifth-grade ELA proficiency (52.8%) exceeds the state average of 49.9%, though 4th grade remains a clear weak point at 28.0% ELA and 18.4% math. Despite the momentum, Polton still trails Colorado state averages in most subjects, and achievement gaps persist: male students rank in the 19th percentile statewide compared with the 45th percentile for female students, while low-income students also rank in the 19th percentile. Still, Polton's trajectory and its relative strength against regional peers make it a noteworthy option for families seeking a steadily improving school in southeast Aurora.

466

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,666

Per pupil spending ?

55.6%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Colorado receive free school meals.

84.6%

Kindergartners fully immunized against measles (MMR) (2025-26)

Exemptions: 2.6% (MMR)

2985 South Oakland Street
Aurora, CO 80014-3143

(720) 747-2600

District: Cherry Creek School District No. 5

Students who attend Polton Community Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Prairie Middle School
High:	Overland High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

31.3%

Hispanic:

26.2%

African American:

23.2%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Polton Community Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 47th percentile in 2016 → 44th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (35% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school35%

District avg46%

Colorado avg41%

527^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 44%▼ down 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

30^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	38.7	527 of 946	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	18.2	763 of 950	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.0	662 of 943	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.5	665 of 933	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.4	762 of 921	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.5	529 of 710	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.2	586 of 965	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.2	578 of 917	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	40.1	517 of 929	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	42.1	485 of 914	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	53.9	393 of 938	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	58.2	411 of 962	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	53.0	481 of 954	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	49.0	524 of 935	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	55.6	454 of 935	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	53.4	477 of 925	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	60.9	371 of 872	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	60.8	363 of 849	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	51.7	463 of 852	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	52.1	442 of 829	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	50.6	458 of 823	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2004	46.4	476 of 808	41.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	42.7	380 of 695	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	19.6	550 of 694	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.4	473 of 684	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	18.9	523 of 642	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.7	431 of 758	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.2	477 of 690	30.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	42.2	131 of 251	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.1	171 of 270	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	27.6	261 of 322	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.1	254 of 337	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.9	290 of 365	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.4	155 of 265	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.4	163 of 203	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.5	188 of 332	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.1	209 of 308	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	19.5	564 of 697	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	6.7	678 of 700	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.2	653 of 683	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.7	528 of 649	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.9	591 of 764	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.9	530 of 693	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	57.7	233 of 547	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	13.7	500 of 551	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.1	489 of 539	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.6	441 of 525	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.1	456 of 596	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.8	237 of 337	29.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)

White (2026)57th percentile+13 vs school

Hispanic (2026)48th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)45th percentile~ school

Male (2026)19th percentile-25 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)19th percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts40%-4 vs state

Science34%~ state avg

Math31%-6 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Polton Has a safe environment and is the only 2 elementary schools with S.T.E.M. That means Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. It has wonderful, nice, etc. staff members.It has Preschool to 5th grade which is extraordinary. It also has a daycare that is a summer long too. I would say Polton is the best school in the Cherry Creek district. Close Quote

Schools Near Polton Community 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CMAS English Language Arts (2026)				CMAS Math (2026)				CMAS Science (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	Vaccination: Kindergartners fully immunized against measles (MMR)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Polton Community Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2985 South Oakland Street	Aurora	80014	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 747-2600	466	34	13.7	55.6%	146 (31.3%)	108 (23.2%)	122 (26.2%)	17 (3.6%)	2 (0.4%)	5 (1.1%)	66 (14.2%)	38.7	527^th of 946 public elementary schools	44.3%		18.2	763^rd of 950 public elementary schools	19.7%	236	39.5	28.0	52.8	40.2	39.2	18.4	31.5	31.3	34.0	84.6%	2.6%	$23,666
Eastridge Community Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	11777 East Wesley Avenue	Aurora	80014	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 747-2200	716	48	15.0	65.6%	103 (14.4%)	158 (22.1%)	319 (44.6%)	53 (7.4%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	78 (10.9%)	12	859^th of 946 public elementary schools	9.2%		9.8	887^th of 950 public elementary schools	6.6%	28	23.9	18.0	27.2	23.1	13.3	12.4	17.8	14.5	13.3	80.4%	0%	$29,908
Joe Shoemaker School	Public	PK, KG-5	3333 South Havana Street	Denver	80231	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-9333	543	29	18.5	68.1%	59 (10.9%)	108 (19.9%)	329 (60.6%)	20 (3.7%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.4%)	11.8	862^nd of 946 public elementary schools	8.9%		11.3	865^th of 950 public elementary schools	8.9%	3	707.0	702.0	24.5	16.8	704.0	705.0	13.0	7.3	15.4	82.3%	0%	$18,043
Ponderosa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1885 South Lima Street	Aurora	80012	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 747-2800	634	35	18.1	71.5%	95 (15.0%)	139 (21.9%)	281 (44.3%)	50 (7.9%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	65 (10.3%)	9.1	898^th of 946 public elementary schools	5.1%		13.9	820^th of 950 public elementary schools	13.7%	78	7.6	14.7	21.7	14.4	17.2	14.4	14.5	15.4	14.8	90%	1.3%	$18,268
Village East Community Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1433 South Oakland Street	Aurora	80012	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 747-2000	821	50	16.4	65.7%	120 (14.6%)	196 (23.9%)	376 (45.8%)	30 (3.7%)	6 (0.7%)	8 (1.0%)	85 (10.4%)	7.7	914^th of 946 public elementary schools	3.4%		10.1	885^th of 950 public elementary schools	6.8%	29	8.1	19.6	17.8	15.0	10.6	13.5	10.8	11.6	12.9	90.9%	1.8%	$17,991
Jewell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	14601 East Jewell Ave	Aurora	80012	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	No	(303) 751-8862	493	35	14.0	85.8%	50 (10.1%)	114 (23.1%)	263 (53.3%)	23 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	42 (8.5%)	15.3	809^th of 946 public elementary schools	14.5%		18.9	753^rd of 950 public elementary schools	20.7%	56	27.7	33.3	31.1	30.8	16.4	18.3	9.5	14.6	8.2	88%	2.7%	$19,331
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	85.9%	0%	$18,962
Wildflower Montessori Public School of Colorado Aurora South	Public, Charter	PK, KG-4	1330 S. Potomac Suite #104	Aurora	80012	Arapahoe County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 432-1664	49	5	9.4	26.5%	15 (30.6%)	2 (4.1%)	26 (53.1%)	2 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.0%)	2 (4.1%)								(n/a)												$16,934
Yale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	16001 East Yale Ave	Aurora	80013	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	No	(303) 751-7470	492	27	18.2	84.8%	106 (21.5%)	54 (11.0%)	259 (52.6%)	34 (6.9%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	34 (6.9%)	8.3	911^th of 946 public elementary schools	3.7%		7	930^th of 950 public elementary schools	2.1%	19	12.8	28.2	11.8	17.5	10.1	10.8	5.9	9.0	13.2	87%	7.2%	$18,881
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	75%	1.3%	$18,906

Frequently Asked Questions about Polton Community Elementary School

What district is Polton Community Elementary School in?

Cherry Creek School District No. 5

How many students attend Polton Community Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 466 students attended Polton Community Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Polton Community Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Polton Community Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Prairie Middle School
High : Overland High School

What is the racial makeup of Polton Community Elementary School?

Students at Polton Community Elementary School are 31% White, 26% Hispanic, 23% African American, 14% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

Is Polton Community Elementary School a good school?

Polton Community Elementary School ranks 527^th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Polton Community Elementary School!

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance dataOct 6, 2026

2025–26 CMAS, PSAT10, PSAT9 & SAT test scoresAug 19, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 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.