Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

John H. Amesse Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

823^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

John H. Amesse Elementary is a PK–5 school in Denver, CO, serving 358 students in School District No. 1, where nearly all students come from economically disadvantaged families. The school has historically ranked among Colorado's lowest-performing elementary schools, but its most recent results show meaningful improvement. In 2025–2026, Amesse ranked 820th out of 943 Colorado elementary schools (13th percentile, 1 star)—a significant climb from the prior year's 1st percentile ranking and the school's best statewide standing in more than a decade.

Amesse's test scores have improved substantially across all subjects. ELA proficiency more than doubled from 10.3% to 21.7%, math rose from 9.4% to 16.4%, and 5th-grade science jumped from 10.2% to 25.6%—the school's highest proficiency rates on record. These gains position Amesse ahead of several nearby high-poverty schools. In ELA, Amesse's 21.7% proficiency rate is higher than Oakland Elementary (8.9%), McGlone Academy (6.5%), Maxwell Elementary School (14.1%), and Farrell B. Howell Ece-8 School (11.3%). In math, Amesse's 16.4% proficiency is ahead of Monarch Montessori (9.2%), McGlone (8.8%), Maxwell (6.3%), and Academy 360 (14.8%).

Amesse serves one of the highest concentrations of economically disadvantaged students in the area, with 94.13% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch. Chronic absenteeism is a concern at 49.7%, though this is lower than several neighboring schools, including Academy 360 (64.6%) and McGlone Academy (51.9%). The student-teacher ratio is 16.3:1, near the middle of the comparison group. The contrast with Inspire Elementary, just 1.54 miles away, is stark: Inspire serves a much lower-poverty population (25.43% free/reduced lunch) and posts far higher test scores. Still, Amesse's recent upward trajectory—including strong science gains and its best ranking in over a decade—is an encouraging sign that the school is moving in a positive direction despite the significant challenges it faces.

358

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,250

Per pupil spending ?

94.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Colorado receive free school meals.

5440 Scranton Street
Denver, CO 80239-3668

(720) 424-9988

District: School District No. 1

Students who attend John H. Amesse Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	DSST: Elevate Northeast Middle School
	DSST: Green Valley Ranch Middle School
	KIPP Northeast Denver Middle School
	Rocky Mountain Prep Green Valley Ranch
	More...
	Rocky Mountain Prep Noel
High:	Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College
	DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School
	KIPP Northeast Denver Leadership Academy
	Montbello High School
	More...
	Northeast Early College
	Rocky Mountain Prep RISE

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

85.2%

African American:

8.9%

White:

2.8%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare John H. Amesse Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 3rd percentile in 2013 → 13th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (20% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (46% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school20%

District avg38%

Colorado avg41%

823^rd of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▲ up 13 pts since 2016

From bottom 1% (2016) to bottom 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

70^th of 99Elementary Schools in the School District No. 1

69^th of 114School District No. 1 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	14.4	823 of 946	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	6.3	936 of 950	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.9	922 of 933	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.8	919 of 965	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.7	867 of 917	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.6	919 of 929	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	5.1	910 of 914	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	13.3	842 of 938	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	13.4	856 of 962	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	5.1	926 of 954	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	8.5	874 of 935	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	5.4	896 of 935	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	5.0	892 of 925	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	6.6	825 of 872	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	4.8	821 of 849	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	2.5	842 of 852	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	1.2	826 of 829	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	1.8	816 of 823	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	2.8	792 of 808	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	14.4	678 of 758	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	6.2	756 of 764	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2019)11th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2019)1st percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

Science26%-10 vs state

English Language Arts22%-23 vs state

Math16%-21 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

Rate John H. Amesse Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, June 23, 2016

The low scores at this school could very well be attributed to parents who refuse to teach their children English. Raising a child in a Spanish-Speaking ONLY household places them at an extreme DISADVANTAGE when it comes to learning. Also, there is a poor parent turn out whenever the school hosts reward ceremonies which indicates the parents are not involved in their children's education. Perhaps the school should implement an agenda program where all students are required to enter their homework into the agenda and parents must sign off.

On the other hand, I attended the end of the year awards ceremony and a child earned 900 reading steps but didn't make Principle or A/B Honor roll. I find it hard to believe that children who earn reading steps (where parents sign to say their child has read 30 mins.) are failing class. If they are reading, they should be passing. I believe the teachers lack parent support greatly at this school and regret moving into this district. Just spending twenty minutes (per subject) going over math and reading with child can make a world of difference. We are homeschooling our gifted child next year. She doesn't stand a chance of being successful at this school. Close Quote

Schools Near John H. Amesse Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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
John H. Amesse Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5440 Scranton Street	Denver	80239	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-9988	358	22	16.3	94.1%	10 (2.8%)	32 (8.9%)	305 (85.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.2%)	3 (0.8%)	14.4	823^rd of 946 public elementary schools	13.0%		6.3	936^th of 950 public elementary schools	1.5%	113	17.6	17.4	25.6				21.7	21.4	14.3	14.0				16.4	25.6		$20,250
Monarch Montessori	Public, Charter	K-5	4895 N Peoria Street	Denver	80239	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 712-2001	282	20	14.0	68.4%	49 (17.4%)	40 (14.2%)	167 (59.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (8.5%)	11.4	869^th of 946 public elementary schools	8.1%		14.2	818^th of 950 public elementary schools	13.9%	51	16.7	26.5	21.7				22.2	706.0	12.8	707.0				9.2	701.0		$16,620
Academy 360	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	12000 E. 47th Ave	Denver	80239	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 574-1360	201	16	12.6	70.1%	11 (5.5%)	66 (32.8%)	103 (51.2%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	16 (8.0%)	10.1	887^th of 946 public elementary schools	6.2%					(n/a)	15.0	23.5	21.1				19.6	17.4	719.0	716.0				14.8	707.0		$18,234
McGlone Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	4500 Crown Boulevard	Denver	80239	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-5660	842	56	14.9	89.0%	22 (2.6%)	59 (7.0%)	703 (83.5%)	7 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (4.9%)	10 (1.2%)	5.2	943^rd of 946 public elementary schools	0.3%		6.4	934^th of 950 public elementary schools	1.7%	9	7.1	9.3	4.3	6.8	7.1	6.1	6.5	9.0	12.2	9.7	6.8	5.4	6.1	8.8	3.3	709.0	$19,373
Escalante-Biggs Academy	Public	PK-K	5300 Crown Blvd	Denver	80239	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-4620	306	21	14.4	85.0%	10 (3.3%)	34 (11.1%)	247 (80.7%)	5 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	8 (2.6%)								(n/a)																	$21,039
Maxwell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	14390 East Bolling Drive	Denver	80239	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-5740	638	39	16.3	92.9%	20 (3.1%)	65 (10.2%)	530 (83.1%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.6%)	8 (1.3%)	5.3	942^nd of 946 public elementary schools	0.4%		5.7	942^nd of 950 public elementary schools	0.8%		8.9	15.3	16.0				14.1	4.5	4.4	9.6				6.3	7.7		$19,838
Farrell B. Howell Ece-8 School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	14250 East Albrook Drive	Denver	80239	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	Yes	No	Yes	(720) 424-2740	585	43	13.5	88.9%	8 (1.4%)	67 (11.5%)	489 (83.6%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.5%)	7 (1.2%)	8.5	907^th of 946 public elementary schools	4.1%		11.6	863^rd of 950 public elementary schools	9.2%	44	682.0	719.0	13.0	10.1	18.7	5.8	11.3	19.0	17.9	9.3	11.6	13.0	6.0	12.1	5.6	696.0	$19,736
Barney Ford Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	14500 Maxwell Place	Denver	80239	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-7300	487	31	15.7	94.0%	10 (2.1%)	50 (10.3%)	409 (84.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.1%)	5 (1.0%)	12.5	849^th of 946 public elementary schools	10.3%		9.3	898^th of 950 public elementary schools	5.5%	49	16.2	36.4	24.0				26.3	11.8	10.6	21.3				14.5	7.1		$18,879
Marie L. Greenwood Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	5130 Durham Court	Denver	80239	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-6630	597	37	15.9	88.4%	4 (0.7%)	83 (13.9%)	483 (80.9%)	8 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.3%)	5 (0.8%)	12.3	856^th of 946 public elementary schools	9.5%		10.4	881^st of 950 public elementary schools	7.3%	25	15.4	25.8	27.8	21.1	28.4	28.8	25.4	26.5	9.3	13.0	7.9	18.9	32.9	18.2	9.3	20.5	$18,276
Inspire Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5650 N Elmira Ct	Denver	80238	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-4850	645	37	17.4	25.4%	359 (55.7%)	41 (6.4%)	163 (25.3%)	26 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	54 (8.4%)	72.7	234^th of 946 public elementary schools	75.3%		79.4	182^nd of 950 public elementary schools	80.8%	52	54.5	53.3	61.5				56.4	59.6	45.6	55.1				53.6	49.4		$15,706

Frequently Asked Questions about John H. Amesse Elementary

What is the racial makeup of John H. Amesse Elementary?

Students at John H. Amesse Elementary are 85% Hispanic, 9% African American, 3% White, 2% Pacific Islander.

Is John H. Amesse Elementary a good school?

John H. Amesse Elementary ranks in the bottom 13.0% of Colorado elementary schools.

What district is John H. Amesse Elementary in?

School District No. 1

How many students attend John H. Amesse Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 358 students attended John H. Amesse Elementary.

What schools do graduates of John H. Amesse Elementary attend?

Students who attend John H. Amesse Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : DSST: Elevate Northeast Middle School
Middle : DSST: Green Valley Ranch Middle School
Middle : KIPP Northeast Denver Middle School
Middle : Rocky Mountain Prep Green Valley Ranch
Middle : Rocky Mountain Prep Noel
High : Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College
High : DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School
High : KIPP Northeast Denver Leadership Academy
High : Montbello High School
High : Northeast Early College
High : Rocky Mountain Prep RISE

Rate John H. Amesse Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

COColorado Elementary School Rankings

COColorado District Rankings

Schools in Denver, CO

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for John H. Amesse Elementary!

Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataNewOct 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.