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Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning

Q: Is Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning a good school?

Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning ranks 194 th of 950 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades K-8

194^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 950 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 80% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

The Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning is a public charter elementary school serving 280 students in grades K-8 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The school consistently outperforms the Colorado Springs School District No. 11 and the state of Colorado in academic proficiency, with 60.7% of 5th graders proficient or better in CMAS/Science compared to 31.4% for the district and 39% for the state.

The school has maintained a strong statewide ranking, placing in the top 25% of Colorado elementary schools for most years and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. While the school's overall performance is impressive, there are some areas that warrant further investigation, such as the lower ranking of its gifted and talented students and the relatively high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, which could suggest the school is serving a more economically disadvantaged population.

When compared to nearby schools within the same district, the Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning generally outperforms its peers, particularly in academic proficiency and statewide rankings. However, some nearby schools, such as Stratton Elementary and Steele Elementary, have also demonstrated strong academic performance and could provide valuable insights or best practices for the school to explore.

298

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,264

Per pupil spending ?

32.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2510 North Chestnut Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80907-5912

(719) 434-6566

District: Colorado Springs School District No. 11

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.5%

Hispanic:

18.5%

Two or more races:

7.7%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 79th percentile in 2015 → 80th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (59% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of Colorado elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Colorado Springs School District No. 11

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school59%

District avg35%

Colorado avg40%

Elementary school

194^th of 950

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Top 20%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

23^rd of 469

Colorado public middle schools ?

Top 5%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 35Elementary Schools in the Colorado Springs School District No. 11

77^th of 115Colorado Springs School District No. 11 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	78.8	194 of 950	79.6%	★★★★☆
2024	70.7	255 of 943	73.0%	★★★★☆
2023	75.4	204 of 933	78.1%	★★★★☆
2022	75.8	199 of 921	78.4%	★★★★☆
2021	70.2	223 of 710	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	80.1	167 of 965	82.7%	★★★★☆
2018	89.7	72 of 917	92.1%	★★★★★
2017	83.6	120 of 929	87.1%	★★★★☆
2016	65.8	280 of 914	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	75.4	197 of 938	79.0%	★★★★☆
2014	73.0	248 of 962	74.2%	★★★★☆
2013	86.7	94 of 954	90.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2023	84.9	71 of 642	88.9%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	39.9	88 of 110	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2023	61.5	225 of 649	65.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	75.3	106 of 551	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	55.6	238 of 539	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.8	224 of 525	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.9	258 of 454	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.8	221 of 596	62.9%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	93.7	23 of 469	95.1%	★★★★★
2024	88.2	45 of 485	90.7%	★★★★★
2023	88.2	47 of 480	90.2%	★★★★★
2022	90.2	34 of 448	92.4%	★★★★★
2019	80.7	65 of 458	85.8%	★★★★☆
2018	87.4	33 of 418	92.1%	★★★★★
2017	93.2	17 of 424	96.0%	★★★★★
2016	81.7	49 of 400	87.8%	★★★★☆
2015	94.1	20 of 436	95.4%	★★★★★
2014	89.2	35 of 461	92.4%	★★★★★
2013	93.9	17 of 454	96.3%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	75.3	53 of 275	80.7%	★★★★☆
2024	66.9	72 of 273	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	73.0	59 of 286	79.4%	★★★★☆

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)

Elementary school

Female (2023)89th percentile+11 vs school

White (2025)81st percentile~ school

Male (2023)65th percentile-13 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2019)20th percentile-63 vs school

Middle school

White (2025)81st percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts61%+16 vs state

Science61%+22 vs state

Math55%+19 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, May 7, 2014

This school is designed for gifted and talented students, who have needs for advanced curriculum and specific teaching strategies. AcademyACL is designed as an entire school where every staff member specializes in gifted education. The vision is to create an academic home for advanced and creative learning, cultivate personal and standards-based excellence and leadership ability, and serve as a resource center for the gifted community of the Pikes Peak Region. Many gifted students feel "different," and one of the very best things about this school is that students are with other kids who understand them. Many students come to this school from settings where they felt isolated and excluded, and at AcademyACL they are accepted and able to focus on learning instead of feeling like an outcast. This is a school that walks the talk of providing a safe atmosphere and practices compassion and kindness. Close Quote

Schools Near Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning

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 All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	Total
Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning	Public, Charter	K-8	2510 North Chestnut Street	Colorado Springs	80907	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	Yes	No	No	No	(719) 434-6566	298	22	13.3	32.9%	216 (72.5%)	3 (1.0%)	55 (18.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (7.7%)	78.8	194^th of 950 public elementary schools	79.6%		70.7	255^th of 943 public elementary schools	73.0%	61	51.4	75.9	55.2		77.8	61.3	51.4	55.2		64.3	61.5	55.3	60.7	$11,264
Steele Elementary School	Public	K-5	1720 North Weber Street	Colorado Springs	80907	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-4700	273	18	14.9	25.6%	210 (76.9%)	9 (3.3%)	35 (12.8%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.9%)	80.3	171^st of 950 public elementary schools	82.0%		86.7	109^th of 943 public elementary schools	88.4%	62	50.0	65.2	62.9			59.3	48.8	63.0	65.7			59.0	65.7	$19,238
Bristol Elementary School	Public	K-5	890 North Walnut Street	Colorado Springs	80905	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-4000	267	18	14.4	57.3%	138 (51.7%)	12 (4.5%)	81 (30.3%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (12.0%)	64.2	324^th of 950 public elementary schools	65.9%		67.7	289^th of 943 public elementary schools	69.4%	35	60.8	52.2	60.0			57.6	39.2	41.3	45.7			41.7	45.7	$18,822
Howbert Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1023 North 31st Street	Colorado Springs	80904	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-4200	255	17	14.6	49.8%	188 (73.7%)	7 (2.7%)	40 (15.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.5%)	49	448^th of 950 public elementary schools	52.8%		64.4	321^st of 943 public elementary schools	66.0%	127	51.2	57.6	47.2			51.2	38.6	47.1	34.0			38.9	20.8	$19,437
Jackson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4340 Edwinstowe Avenue	Colorado Springs	80907	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 328-5800	312	21	14.5	77.6%	130 (41.7%)	22 (7.1%)	119 (38.1%)	6 (1.9%)	3 (1.0%)	2 (0.6%)	30 (9.6%)	19.8	743^rd of 950 public elementary schools	21.8%		30.9	606^th of 943 public elementary schools	35.7%	137	35.4	20.4	27.1			27.3	36.7	13.2	12.2			20.5	16.7	$20,581
Taylor Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	900 East Buena Ventura Street	Colorado Springs	80907	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-3500	152	14	10.9	75.7%	77 (50.7%)	10 (6.6%)	44 (28.9%)	1 (0.7%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (12.5%)								(n/a)		59.1				47.1	37.5					35.3		$19,654
Stratton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2460 Paseo Road	Colorado Springs	80907	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-3400	249	22	11.5	49.8%	150 (60.2%)	14 (5.6%)	60 (24.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	23 (9.2%)	69.5	272^nd of 950 public elementary schools	71.4%		78.2	183^rd of 943 public elementary schools	80.6%	89	56.4	48.9	63.9			55.8	52.5	46.7	41.7			47.1	55.6	$19,953
Edison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3125 North Hancock Avenue	Colorado Springs	80907	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 328-2800	214	20	10.4	77.6%	69 (32.2%)	12 (5.6%)	119 (55.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.6%)	16.4	789^th of 950 public elementary schools	16.9%		24.7	680^th of 943 public elementary schools	27.9%	109	21.4	23.3	15.6			20.0	28.6	26.7	15.6			23.3	15.6	$21,282
West Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	25 North 20th Street	Colorado Springs	80904	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 328-4900	144	15	9.7	83.3%	71 (49.3%)	2 (1.4%)	56 (38.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	13 (9.0%)	20.9	728^th of 950 public elementary schools	23.4%		27.7	640^th of 943 public elementary schools	32.1%	88			25.8			15.1			28.1			20.5	21.9	$23,208
Mountain Song Community School	Public, Charter	K-8	2904 West Kiowa Street	Colorado Springs	80904	El Paso County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	No	No	No	(719) 203-6364	324	25	13.1	47.2%	192 (59.3%)	4 (1.2%)	80 (24.7%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	44 (13.6%)	19.3	750^th of 950 public elementary schools	21.1%		31.6	595^th of 943 public elementary schools	36.9%	155	27.9	27.0		35.0	68.2	36.3	9.5		25.0		27.3	13.8		$11,863

Frequently Asked Questions about Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning

What is the racial makeup of Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning?

Students at Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning are 72% White, 18% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What district is Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning in?

Colorado Springs School District No. 11

How many students attend Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning?

In the 2024-25 school year, 298 students attended Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning.

Is Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning a good school?

Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning ranks 194^th of 950 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning!

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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.