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James Irwin Elementary School - Howard

Public, Charter Grades K-5

768^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

James Irwin Elementary School – Howard is a K–5 elementary school in Colorado Springs, CO, serving 213 students in Colorado Springs School District No. 11, a district that sits in the middle-to-lower range statewide. The school's overall ranking has fallen sharply in just two years — from the 58th percentile (3 stars) in 2023–2024 to the 19th percentile (1 star) in 2025–2026 — a decline that defines its current profile.

The school's biggest strength is attendance. Just 15.1% of students are chronically absent, compared to 45.8% for the district, 28.4% statewide, and 25.8%–55.0% at nearby schools like Edison Elementary School and Twain Elementary School. James Irwin also serves a less economically disadvantaged population than most neighbors — 54.9% free/reduced lunch versus roughly 70–80% at several area schools — and maintains a favorable 13:1 student-teacher ratio.

Yet academic results have collapsed. Math proficiency plunged from 37.9% in 2023–2024 to 6.4% in 2025–2026 — meaning about 9 in 10 students are below grade level — while ELA fell from 50.0% to 26.0%. The school once beat its district in every subject; now it trails by double digits in both ELA and math. Even more telling, Audubon Elementary School — with much higher poverty (71.6%) and chronic absenteeism (43.3%) — posts far stronger scores (42.1% ELA, 43.4% math). The data also reveals a striking gender gap: male students rank in the 75th percentile statewide, while female students rank in the 38th. Since attendance and class size aren't the problem, the evidence points to what's happening inside the classroom as the key driver of this decline.

213

Students ?

13.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,611

Per pupil spending ?

54.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1801 Howard Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80909

(719) 302-9100

District: Colorado Springs School District No. 11

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.1%

Hispanic:

32.9%

African American:

10.8%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 58th percentile in 2024 → 19th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (16% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 39 percentile points since 2024

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school16%

District avg34%

Colorado avg41%

768^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 39 pts since 2024

From top 42% (2024) to bottom 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

27^th of 34Elementary Schools in the Colorado Springs School District No. 11

66^th of 114Colorado 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	18.5	768 of 946	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.7	561 of 950	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.3	394 of 943	58.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	36.4	429 of 694	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.2	388 of 684	43.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	56.1	92 of 242	62.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	49.4	171 of 365	53.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	72.0	176 of 700	74.9%	★★★★☆
2024	68.4	199 of 683	70.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	66.2	177 of 539	67.2%	★★★☆☆

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 (2025)75th percentile+34 vs school

White (2024)67th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2024)62nd percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)53rd percentile-5 vs school

Female (2025)38th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts26%-19 vs state

Math6%-31 vs state

★

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Schools Near James Irwin Elementary School - Howard

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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
James Irwin Elementary School - Howard	Public, Charter	K-5	1801 Howard Avenue	Colorado Springs	80909	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(719) 302-9100	213	16	13.0	54.9%	96 (45.1%)	23 (10.8%)	70 (32.9%)	3 (1.4%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	19 (8.9%)	18.5	768^th of 946 public elementary schools	18.8%		36.7	561^st of 950 public elementary schools	40.9%	207	27.6	16.7	33.3				26.0	717.0	715.0	716.0				6.4	717.0		$13,611
Audubon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2400 East Van Buren Street	Colorado Springs	80909	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-2600	222	18	12.1	71.6%	103 (46.4%)	12 (5.4%)	80 (36.0%)	4 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (10.4%)	48.3	445^th of 946 public elementary schools	53.0%		45.5	485^th of 950 public elementary schools	48.9%	40	20.0	46.5	62.1				42.1	48.6	41.9	39.3				43.4	28.6		$24,355
Twain Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3402 East San Miguel Street	Colorado Springs	80909	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 328-7700	291	22	12.9	81.4%	85 (29.2%)	33 (11.3%)	129 (44.3%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (1.0%)	2 (0.7%)	38 (13.1%)	11.5	868^th of 946 public elementary schools	8.2%		14.2	819^th of 950 public elementary schools	13.8%	49	9.4	27.9	17.5				17.6	20.8	20.9	15.0				19.1	10.3		$22,416
Colorado Springs Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	2577 N Chelton Road	Colorado Springs	80909	El Paso County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	No	No	No	(719) 636-2722	295	19	15.6	50.2%	132 (44.7%)	20 (6.8%)	107 (36.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (11.2%)	24	686^th of 946 public elementary schools	27.5%		20.5	735^th of 950 public elementary schools	22.6%	49	34.5	21.1	48.3	18.2	37.5	23.5	29.6	27.6	13.2	31.0	12.1	726.0	724.0	19.1	31.0	17.6	$13,145
Queen Palmer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1921 East Yampa Street	Colorado Springs	80909	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 328-3200	198	15	12.8	77.3%	72 (36.4%)	15 (7.6%)	84 (42.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (1.0%)	24 (12.1%)	41.9	499^th of 946 public elementary schools	47.3%		44.2	501^st of 950 public elementary schools	47.3%	2	40.7	50.0	42.9				45.0	55.6	24.2	28.6				35.8	14.3		$22,977
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%)	77.8	196^th of 946 public elementary schools	79.3%		69.5	272^nd of 950 public elementary schools	71.4%	76	65.8	64.3	66.0				65.4	71.1	52.4	54.0				58.5	40.0		$23,121
Coperni 3	Public, Charter	K-8	750 Citadel Drive East	Colorado Springs	80909	El Paso County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	No	No	Yes	(719) 619-7178	367	24	15.5	70.0%	108 (29.4%)	41 (11.2%)	203 (55.3%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.5%)	22.7	703^rd of 946 public elementary schools	25.7%		22.5	700^th of 950 public elementary schools	26.3%	3	22.7	29.4	28.2	26.9	40.0	17.2	26.9	25.0	20.6	23.1	23.1	20.0	44.8	25.6	30.8	31.0	$12,110
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%)	29.6	628^th of 946 public elementary schools	33.6%					(n/a)	14.3	31.8	45.0				30.2	714.0	716.0	42.1				20.6	21.1		$26,607
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%)	19.6	744^th of 946 public elementary schools	21.4%		16.4	789^th of 950 public elementary schools	16.9%	45	23.3	37.5	20.0				27.2	30.0	25.0	10.3				22.0	708.0		$25,319
Madison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4120 Constitution Avenue	Colorado Springs	80909	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-7300	265	17	15.3	73.2%	122 (46.0%)	22 (8.3%)	88 (33.2%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (11.7%)	27.1	657^th of 946 public elementary schools	30.5%		21	723^rd of 950 public elementary schools	23.9%	66	24.4	35.3	33.3				30.5	37.8	27.3	25.6				30.8	23.1		$22,906

Frequently Asked Questions about James Irwin Elementary School - Howard

How many students attend James Irwin Elementary School - Howard?

In the 2024-25 school year, 213 students attended James Irwin Elementary School - Howard.

What is the racial makeup of James Irwin Elementary School - Howard?

Students at James Irwin Elementary School - Howard are 45% White, 33% Hispanic, 11% African American, 9% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is James Irwin Elementary School - Howard in?

Colorado Springs School District No. 11

Is James Irwin Elementary School - Howard a good school?

James Irwin Elementary School - Howard ranks in the bottom 18.8% of Colorado elementary schools.

Rate James Irwin Elementary School - Howard!

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

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

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.