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Highline Community Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

864^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 943 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Highline Community Elementary School serves 435 students in grades PK-5 in Aurora, Colorado, and is part of Cherry Creek School District No. 5, a highly rated district ranked in the 77th percentile statewide. Yet the school's academic performance stands in sharp contrast to its district's reputation. Only 18.2% of Highline students were proficient in English Language Arts and 18.1% in math in the latest testing year, compared with district averages of 49.5% and 44.2%. Science proficiency was 12.2% versus the district's 38.3%. Among nearby schools, Highline performs on par with Village East Community Elementary School and Ponderosa Elementary School, but trails Clara Brown Entrepreneurial Academy and Aurora Academy Charter School by significant margins.

Chronic absenteeism is a defining challenge at Highline. In 2024-2025, 38.7% of students were chronically absent, up from 32.4% the previous year and well above the district rate of 25.3% and state rate of 28.4%. By contrast, Challenge School and Aurora Quest K-8, both within 1.5 miles, report chronic absenteeism rates below 7%. Highline does boast a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.2, among the lowest in the area, yet this has not produced commensurate gains — likely because students cannot benefit from instruction they are not present to receive. Addressing attendance appears to be a more urgent priority than additional staffing.

There is modest reason for optimism. Highline's state rank improved from the 4th to the 8th percentile, and math proficiency rose from 12.5% to 18.1% year-over-year. The share of students eligible for free/reduced lunch declined from 80.35% to 68.97%. Still, the school remains in the bottom 10% of Colorado elementary schools with a 0-star rating. Grade-level data shows a troubling pattern: 3rd-grade math proficiency was 25.9%, but fell to 12.0% in 4th grade and 14.6% in 5th grade, suggesting students lose ground as they progress. For families weighing options, Highline's recent upward trend is worth watching, but its chronic absenteeism and persistent achievement gaps remain serious concerns.

435

Students ?

13.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,465

Per pupil spending ?

69%

Free/discounted lunch ?

11000 East Exposition
Aurora, CO 80012-2113

(720) 747-2300

District: Cherry Creek School District No. 5

Students who attend Highline Community Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Prairie Middle School
High:	Overland High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

61.8%

African American:

14.3%

Two or more races:

9.0%

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Compare Highline Community Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 17th percentile in 2016 → 8th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (17% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (39% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school17%

District avg46%

Colorado avg41%

864^th of 943

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 17% (2016) to bottom 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

26^th of 115Cherry 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	11.5	864 of 943	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.5	894 of 950	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.1	881 of 943	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.9	875 of 933	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.5	886 of 921	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.3	691 of 710	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.1	946 of 965	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.8	875 of 917	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	16.5	781 of 929	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	17.1	763 of 914	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	22.3	722 of 938	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	12.2	870 of 962	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	25.4	745 of 954	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	23.4	744 of 935	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.2	699 of 935	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	30.9	678 of 925	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	24.9	693 of 872	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	27.7	655 of 849	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	22.3	691 of 852	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	31.6	604 of 829	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	27.2	632 of 823	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	38.9	528 of 808	34.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2023	6.4	632 of 642	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.4	645 of 690	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	9.4	268 of 270	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.0	159 of 172	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2023	9.1	627 of 649	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.9	685 of 693	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2023)3rd percentile-3 vs school

Female (2023)2nd percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2019)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts18%-26 vs state

Math18%-19 vs state

Science12%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Highline 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 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	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
Highline Community Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	11000 East Exposition	Aurora	80012	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 747-2300	435	33	13.2	69.0%	38 (8.7%)	62 (14.3%)	269 (61.8%)	22 (5.1%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.9%)	39 (9.0%)	11.5	864^th of 943 public elementary schools	8.4%		9.5	894^th of 950 public elementary schools	5.9%	30	20.3	18.0	15.6				18.2	25.9	12.0	14.6				18.1	12.2		$20,465
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	911^th of 943 public elementary schools	3.4%		10.1	885^th of 950 public elementary schools	6.8%	26	8.1	19.6	17.8				15.0	10.6	13.5	10.8				11.6	12.9		$17,991
Challenge School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	9659 East Mississippi Avenue	Denver	80231	Denver County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	Yes	No	No	(720) 747-2100	560	35	16.1	17.3%	195 (34.8%)	78 (13.9%)	39 (7.0%)	178 (31.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	68 (12.1%)	98.8	6^th of 943 public elementary schools	99.4%		99	5^th of 950 public elementary schools	99.5%	1	92.6	80.3	93.5	94.4	95.7	91.0	91.4	92.6	89.6	94.9	90.3	92.9	92.5	92.2	76.9	86.6	$18,099
Virginia Court Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	395 South Troy St	Aurora	80012	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 366-9594	657	41	16.1	90.4%	44 (6.7%)	89 (13.5%)	450 (68.5%)	27 (4.1%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	41 (6.2%)	6.3	930^th of 943 public elementary schools	1.4%		8.6	913^th of 950 public elementary schools	3.9%	17	6.6	9.9	13.8				9.9	19.1	10.6	8.8				12.9	6.4		$18,847
Aurora Academy Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	10251 East 1st Ave	Aurora	80010	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 367-5983	536	40	13.4	73.9%	49 (9.1%)	272 (50.7%)	173 (32.3%)	10 (1.9%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.2%)	44.7	473^rd of 943 public elementary schools	49.8%		42.7	509^th of 950 public elementary schools	46.4%	36	52.8	31.6	51.8	44.9	60.9	60.8	49.6	49.1	18.4	39.3	28.6	45.3	54.9	38.1	35.7	43.1	$14,334
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	895^th of 943 public elementary schools	5.1%		13.9	820^th of 950 public elementary schools	13.7%	75	7.6	14.7	21.7				14.4	17.2	14.4	14.5				15.4	14.8		$18,268
Clara Brown Entrepreneurial Academy	Public	PK, KG-6	472 South Wheeling St	Aurora	80012	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 344-8670	282	19	14.8	74.1%	38 (13.5%)	54 (19.1%)	148 (52.5%)	9 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (11.7%)	22.6	703^rd of 943 public elementary schools	25.5%		23.3	692^nd of 950 public elementary schools	27.2%	11	25.0	37.2	30.0	28.6			30.2	22.5	27.9	25.0	14.3			21.8	22.5		$21,901
Aurora Quest K-8	Public	K-8	472 South Wheeling St	Aurora	80011	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	No	(303) 343-3664	575	30	19.1	42.8%	209 (36.3%)	121 (21.0%)	121 (21.0%)	57 (9.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (11.5%)	99.3	2^nd of 943 public elementary schools	99.8%		99.2	3^rd of 950 public elementary schools	99.7%	1	91.8	96.6	95.2	90.7	95.5	86.5	92.4	100.0	94.8	96.8	95.3	94.3	95.5	95.8	74.2	76.4	$18,232
Lansing Elementary Community School	Public	PK, KG-5	551 Lansing St	Aurora	80010	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 364-8297	366	29	12.6	85.8%	29 (7.9%)	77 (21.0%)	215 (58.7%)	15 (4.1%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	24 (6.6%)	9.3	894^th of 943 public elementary schools	5.2%		6	941^st of 950 public elementary schools	0.9%	47	20.5	9.1	26.2				17.7	13.6	7.1	14.3				11.3	15.0		$23,861
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Highline Community Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Highline Community Elementary School?

Students at Highline Community Elementary School are 62% Hispanic, 14% African American, 9% Two or more races, 9% White, 5% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Highline Community Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Prairie Middle School
High : Overland High School

How many students attend Highline Community Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 435 students attended Highline Community Elementary School.

What district is Highline Community Elementary School in?

Cherry Creek School District No. 5

Is Highline Community Elementary School a good school?

Highline Community Elementary School ranks in the bottom 8.4% of Colorado elementary schools.

Rate Highline Community Elementary School!

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

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

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataAug 27, 2025

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.