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Dakota Valley Elementary School

Q: Is Dakota Valley Elementary School a good school?

Dakota Valley Elementary School ranks 497 th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

497^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 47% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Dakota Valley Elementary School is a PK–5 public school in Aurora, Colorado, serving 571 students as part of the Cherry Creek School District No. 5, one of the state's stronger districts. The school itself ranks 497th out of 943 Colorado elementary schools — the 47th percentile — earning 2 stars in the 2025–2026 cycle. That's a step down from a decade ago, when the school ranked in the 73rd percentile. About 39% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, placing it in the middle of the local socioeconomic range.

Its clearest academic strength is 5th-grade science, where 39.7% of students are proficient — above the district (38.3%), the state (36.1%), and every nearby same-district school except Aurora Frontier K-8. Arrowhead Elementary School, Sunrise Elementary School, and Peakview Elementary School, for example, all score below 20% in 5th-grade science. English language arts is also a relative bright spot: 42.3% proficiency beats the local average of about 40% and has historically tracked close to district levels. Attendance is another advantage — chronic absenteeism is just 16.1%, far below the district's 25.3% and the state's 28.4%.

The biggest concern for parents is math. All-grades math proficiency sits at 33.2%, well below the district's 44.2% and the state's 37.3%. The gap is especially stark in 4th grade, where just 27.5% of students are proficient, nearly 18 points behind the district. Interestingly, 5th-grade science has improved steadily over the past few years, suggesting a successful model that could be applied to math. Nearby Aurora Frontier K-8, just 0.85 miles away, outperforms Dakota Valley in both reading and math despite serving a higher-poverty population — a sign of room for growth. Overall, Dakota Valley is a solid school with strong attendance, a clear math challenge, and a path forward.

571

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,380

Per pupil spending ?

39.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Colorado receive free school meals.

3950 South Kirk Way
Aurora, CO 80013-6026

(720) 886-3000

District: Cherry Creek School District No. 5

Students who attend Dakota Valley Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Sky Vista Middle School
High:	Cherokee Trail High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

44.8%

Hispanic:

22.6%

African American:

15.2%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Dakota Valley Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 73rd percentile in 2016 → 47th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 26 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg46%

Colorado avg41%

497^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 47%▼ down 25 pts since 2016

From top 27% (2016) to bottom 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

29^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	42.2	497 of 946	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.7	444 of 950	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.2	477 of 943	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.2	387 of 933	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.4	419 of 921	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	75.8	185 of 710	73.9%	★★★★☆
2019	43.6	511 of 965	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.9	371 of 917	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	61.8	310 of 929	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	69.8	249 of 914	72.8%	★★★★☆
2015	64.3	293 of 938	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	60.3	393 of 962	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	63.4	364 of 954	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	63.8	356 of 935	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	62.3	383 of 935	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	61.5	391 of 925	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.1	368 of 872	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	61.1	357 of 849	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	64.4	328 of 852	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2006	67.7	288 of 829	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	82.6	106 of 823	87.1%	★★★★☆
2004	88.1	58 of 808	92.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	40.6	391 of 695	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.6	392 of 694	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.8	447 of 684	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	403 of 642	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.0	320 of 595	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.7	403 of 758	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.7	308 of 690	55.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	44.4	122 of 247	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.6	130 of 242	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.0	150 of 270	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	74.6	29 of 172	83.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	39.7	198 of 322	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	61.3	100 of 337	70.3%	★★★★☆
2024	43.6	204 of 365	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.9	243 of 332	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	58.5	101 of 308	67.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	28.8	468 of 697	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.5	379 of 700	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.0	384 of 683	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.9	263 of 649	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.0	349 of 594	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.1	474 of 764	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.6	364 of 693	47.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	31.1	406 of 547	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.2	397 of 551	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.4	367 of 539	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.6	263 of 525	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	29.5	355 of 454	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	59.1	131 of 288	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.3	399 of 596	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.5	203 of 337	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)51st percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)44th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)39th percentile-9 vs school

Male (2026)33rd percentile-15 vs school

White (2026)26th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts42%~ state avg

Science40%+4 vs state

Math33%-4 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, November 10, 2014

The shool principal brushes bulying under the rug...tries to make it look like nothing of the sort would happen in her school. Teachers do little to nothing to help evaluate or help students who struggle with learning disablities despite delining grades and the student's parents begging for help. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, February 2, 2012

Great School - very nice staff. Very Happy with the performance of my kid. Close Quote

Schools Near Dakota Valley 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/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 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
Dakota Valley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3950 South Kirk Way	Aurora	80013	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	No	(720) 886-3000	571	39	14.6	39.4%	256 (44.8%)	87 (15.2%)	129 (22.6%)	42 (7.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (9.8%)	42.2	497^th of 946 public elementary schools	47.5%		49.7	444^th of 950 public elementary schools	53.3%	53	32.5	42.7	51.9				42.3	40.5	27.5	32.4				33.2	39.7		$19,380
Sunrise Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4050 South Genoa Way	Aurora	80013	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 886-2900	497	34	14.8	61.2%	138 (27.8%)	88 (17.7%)	180 (36.2%)	22 (4.4%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	64 (12.9%)	21	729^th of 946 public elementary schools	22.9%		13.1	837^th of 950 public elementary schools	11.9%	108	34.4	32.8	30.9				32.7	34.4	13.4	17.6				21.4	11.8		$19,276
Aurora Frontier K-8	Public	PK, KG-8	3200 S Jericho Way	Aurora	80013	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	No	(303) 693-1995	761	46	16.6	61.0%	179 (23.5%)	154 (20.2%)	243 (31.9%)	118 (15.5%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (8.4%)	64	315^th of 946 public elementary schools	66.7%		62.3	342^nd of 950 public elementary schools	64.0%	27	41.2	37.7	69.6	65.1	69.4	68.4	59.3	39.7	39.0	64.3	39.5	45.9	61.5	48.0	50.0	43.0	$17,567
Aspen Crossing Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4655 S Himalaya Street	Centennial	80015	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	No	(720) 886-3700	569	35	16.2	35.1%	194 (34.1%)	87 (15.3%)	110 (19.3%)	86 (15.1%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	89 (15.6%)	57	389^th of 946 public elementary schools	58.9%		56.3	397^th of 950 public elementary schools	58.2%	8	43.0	48.3	57.0				49.8	55.0	42.0	41.1				45.7	33.7		$18,582
Mountain Vista Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	22200 East Radcliff Parkway	Centennial	80015	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	No	(720) 886-2700	568	38	14.7	28.7%	253 (44.5%)	75 (13.2%)	103 (18.1%)	74 (13.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (10.7%)	58.9	367^th of 946 public elementary schools	61.2%		58.1	379^th of 950 public elementary schools	60.1%	12	51.2	61.8	48.4				53.1	44.8	47.1	40.4				43.8	37.2		$20,186
Arrowhead Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	19100 East Bates Avenue	Aurora	80013	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	No	(720) 886-2800	499	35	14.4	54.1%	149 (29.9%)	81 (16.2%)	175 (35.1%)	28 (5.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	63 (12.6%)	15.5	805^th of 946 public elementary schools	14.9%		16.2	791^st of 950 public elementary schools	16.7%	14	31.4	22.2	27.7				27.1	21.4	16.7	16.9				18.4	10.9		$19,743
Summit Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	18201 East Quincy Ave	Aurora	80015	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 886-6400	337	25	13.4	49.6%	112 (33.2%)	54 (16.0%)	117 (34.7%)	19 (5.6%)	7 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.3%)	38.1	539^th of 946 public elementary schools	43.0%		24.1	678^th of 950 public elementary schools	28.6%	139	48.5	33.3	39.0				39.3	43.8	38.8	23.8				35.0	26.2		$23,211
Peakview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	19451 East Progress Circle	Centennial	80015	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	No	(720) 886-3100	447	31	14.4	36.2%	240 (53.7%)	33 (7.4%)	98 (21.9%)	20 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	50 (11.2%)	37	555^th of 946 public elementary schools	41.3%		53.9	415^th of 950 public elementary schools	56.3%	140	33.3	38.7	41.9				38.2	43.8	37.1	33.3				37.8	19.2		$19,074
Timberline Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5500 South Killarney Street	Centennial	80015	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	No	(720) 886-3200	478	32	14.9	33.1%	241 (50.4%)	51 (10.7%)	90 (18.8%)	27 (5.6%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (13.8%)	51.2	427^th of 946 public elementary schools	54.9%		50.2	440^th of 950 public elementary schools	53.7%	13	43.4	54.8	47.5				48.6	45.3	38.4	39.0				41.1	27.1		$20,258
Cimarron Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	17373 East Lehigh Pl	Aurora	80013	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 886-8100	393	33	11.9	65.4%	105 (26.7%)	70 (17.8%)	163 (41.5%)	6 (1.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (12.0%)	14.6	819^th of 946 public elementary schools	13.4%		19.7	744^th of 950 public elementary schools	21.7%	75	13.2	16.0	34.0				21.2	15.1	16.0	25.5				18.8	19.6		$21,101

Frequently Asked Questions about Dakota Valley Elementary School

Is Dakota Valley Elementary School a good school?

Dakota Valley Elementary School ranks 497^th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Dakota Valley Elementary School?

Students at Dakota Valley Elementary School are 45% White, 23% Hispanic, 15% African American, 10% Two or more races, 7% Asian.

What district is Dakota Valley Elementary School in?

Cherry Creek School District No. 5

What schools do graduates of Dakota Valley Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Dakota Valley Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sky Vista Middle School
High : Cherokee Trail High School

How many students attend Dakota Valley Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 571 students attended Dakota Valley Elementary School.

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataOct 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.