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Barnum Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

812^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 950 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 15% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Barnum Elementary School is a public elementary school in Denver, Colorado, serving 324 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the School District No. 1, which is ranked 76 out of 115 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Barnum Elementary School faces significant challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 27.7% to 39.1% over the past few years, which are significantly higher than the state and district averages. The school's academic performance, as measured by CMAS test scores, is also significantly lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 19.5% of Barnum students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 41.9% in the district and 44.8% statewide. Additionally, Barnum has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 86.73% to 92.45% over the past few years, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

While Barnum Elementary School's performance is generally lower than the nearby schools in the district, such as KIPP Sunshine Peak Elementary, Munroe Elementary, Eagleton Elementary, and Newlon Elementary, the school's English Language Learner (ELL) students performed exceptionally well, ranking 5th out of 43 Colorado elementary schools in the 2018-2019 school year. Additionally, the school's female students performed slightly better than the male students in the 2018-2019 school year. However, the overall trend of declining performance at Barnum Elementary School, as indicated by its steadily decreasing statewide ranking, is concerning and suggests the need for targeted interventions and support to improve student outcomes.

334

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,978

Per pupil spending ?

88.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

85 Hooker Street
Denver, CO 80219-1444

(720) 424-9590

District: School District No. 1

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

90.4%

White:

4.2%

African American:

3.6%

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Compare Barnum Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 18th percentile in 2013 → 15th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (19% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (44% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg37%

Colorado avg40%

812^th of 950

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 15%▲ up 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 5% (2015) to bottom 15% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

76^th of 115School 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
2025	14.7	812 of 950	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	6.9	921 of 943	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.1	864 of 921	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.0	724 of 965	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.3	843 of 917	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	9.8	883 of 929	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	11.3	856 of 914	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	10.9	887 of 938	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	22.2	771 of 962	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.3	787 of 954	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	8.7	870 of 935	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	5.2	897 of 935	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	3.3	916 of 925	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	6.1	830 of 872	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	3.1	835 of 849	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	4.6	818 of 852	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	4.5	801 of 829	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	1.7	817 of 823	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	3.6	780 of 808	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	73.6	5 of 43	88.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	9.7	655 of 694	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.6	599 of 758	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	25.5	558 of 764	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2019)88th percentile+63 vs school

Male (2019)27th percentile~ school

Female (2025)6th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts20%-25 vs state

Math19%-17 vs state

Science17%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Barnum Elementary School

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 All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	Total
Barnum Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	85 Hooker Street	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-9590	334	21	15.6	88.6%	14 (4.2%)	12 (3.6%)	302 (90.4%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	14.7	812^th of 950 public elementary schools	14.5%		6.9	921^st of 943 public elementary schools	2.3%	109			22.9	19.5	27.5	16.3	12.5	19.0	16.7	$19,978
KIPP Sunshine Peak Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-4	3400 West Nevada Place	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 934-3245	146	13	10.8	89.0%	7 (4.8%)	3 (2.1%)	133 (91.1%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)								(n/a)				22.7						$23,033
Munroe Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3440 West Virginia Avenue	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-5230	332	22	15.0	88.9%	6 (1.8%)	14 (4.2%)	303 (91.3%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.2%)								(n/a)				4.6	12.2			6.3		$21,288
Eagleton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	880 N Hooker Street	Denver	80204	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-7930	317	26	12.2	87.1%	31 (9.8%)	18 (5.7%)	260 (82.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	9	907^th of 950 public elementary schools	4.5%		20.2	741^st of 943 public elementary schools	21.4%	166			12.5	15.4	7.7	12.9	18.5	12.4	14.3	$26,714
Newlon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	361 Vrain Street	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-5150	293	23	12.6	92.5%	13 (4.4%)	5 (1.7%)	265 (90.4%)	3 (1.0%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	14.4	816^th of 950 public elementary schools	14.1%		10.4	874^th of 943 public elementary schools	7.3%	58			23.3	19.5	27.0	14.9	19.1	19.8	12.8	$20,443
Valverde Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2030 West Alameda Avenue	Denver	80223	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-3250	359	26	13.7	85.2%	20 (5.6%)	25 (7.0%)	291 (81.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	10 (2.8%)	11 (3.1%)	11.6	864^th of 950 public elementary schools	9.1%		6.1	931^st of 943 public elementary schools	1.3%	67	12.5	16.7	30.0	21.3	15.6	16.1	14.6	15.5	7.5	$21,726
Knapp Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	500 South Utica Street	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-6130	351	21	16.9	91.2%	15 (4.3%)	8 (2.3%)	323 (92.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	18.1	765^th of 950 public elementary schools	19.5%		23.4	695^th of 943 public elementary schools	26.3%	70	25.9	25.0	34.0	29.1	23.4	10.9	18.0	17.5	22.9	$20,415
Castro Elementary School	Public	K-5	845 South Lowell Boulevard	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-8990	241	18	13.5	91.7%	5 (2.1%)	12 (5.0%)	207 (85.9%)	7 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.9%)	3 (1.2%)								(n/a)				8.4	44.8			14.7	10.4	$21,164
Rocky Mountain Prep Southwest	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	911 South Hazel Court	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(720) 863-8920	453	34	13.2	90.9%	16 (3.5%)	28 (6.2%)	386 (85.2%)	11 (2.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	9 (2.0%)	17.9	768^th of 950 public elementary schools	19.2%		9.1	899^th of 943 public elementary schools	4.7%	131	19.5	21.0	34.5	25.3		19.4		14.1	19.3	$15,205
Cowell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4540 West 10th Avenue	Denver	80204	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-8300	308	22	14.1	91.6%	11 (3.6%)	7 (2.3%)	278 (90.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.9%)	2 (0.6%)	4 (1.3%)								(n/a)	13.6			7.9				4.8		$21,723

Frequently Asked Questions about Barnum Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Barnum Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Barnum Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Compass Academy
Middle : DSST: College View Middle School
Middle : Kepner Beacon Middle School
Middle : KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy
Middle : Rocky Mountain Prep Westwood
Middle : West Middle School
High : West High School

What district is Barnum Elementary School in?

School District No. 1

What is the racial makeup of Barnum Elementary School?

Students at Barnum Elementary School are 90% Hispanic, 4% White, 4% African American.

Is Barnum Elementary School a good school?

Barnum Elementary School ranks in the bottom 14.5% of Colorado elementary schools.

How many students attend Barnum Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 334 students attended Barnum Elementary School.

Rate Barnum Elementary School!

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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.