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

New rankings! Colorado test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Carson Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

72^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 943 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 92% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Carson Elementary School serves 412 students in grades PK-5 in Denver's School District No. 1 and ranks among the top 8% of elementary schools statewide, placing 72nd out of 943 Colorado elementary schools with a 5-star rating. The school's test scores far exceed district and state averages: 78% of students are proficient in English Language Arts (compared to 42.5% district and 44.7% state), 67% in math (compared to 35% district and 37.3% state), and 62.1% in science (compared to 33.2% district and 36.1% state). In 3rd grade, Carson's proficiency rates are especially impressive, with 86.7% of students proficient in ELA and 84% in math.

One of Carson's strongest differentiators is attendance. Its chronic absenteeism rate is just 8.6%, far below the district rate of 38.1% and the state rate of 28.4%, and the lowest among nearby schools including Steck Elementary School (13.2%), Teller Elementary School (14.5%), and Bromwell Elementary School (16.9%). Carson also leads the immediate cluster in ELA proficiency, edging out Teller (77%), Steck (76.9%), and Bromwell (74.6%). However, the school shows a notable 4th-grade dip: math proficiency drops from 84% in 3rd grade to 54.9% in 4th grade, below Steck (69%), Teller (62.8%), and Bromwell (61%). It partially rebounds in 5th grade.

Carson serves a more economically advantaged population than nearby schools, with 17.7% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, and it sits in a highly localized patchwork of school quality in east Denver — schools less than two miles away, such as Lowry Elementary School, Montclair School of Academics and Enrichment, Denver Green School Southeast, and McMeen Elementary School, rank in the bottom 10–26% statewide. While Carson's overall performance is excellent, its gifted/talented students rank in the 21st percentile statewide, a notable outlier worth investigating. The school has also recovered from a mid-pandemic dip but has not quite returned to its pre-2020 peak of top-30 statewide rankings.

412

Students ?

16.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,850

Per pupil spending ?

17.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5420 East 1st Avenue
Denver, CO 80220-5801

(720) 424-9090

District: School District No. 1

Students who attend Carson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Hill Campus of Arts and Sciences
High:	George Washington High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.5%

Hispanic:

12.4%

Two or more races:

7.0%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Carson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 83rd percentile in 2024 → 92nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (71% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 8% of Colorado elementary schools

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 92nd (2026) from a 83rd-percentile low (2024)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school71%

District avg38%

Colorado avg41%

72^nd of 943

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Top 8%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From top 3% (2016) to top 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

71^st 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
2026	89.9	72 of 943	92.4%	★★★★★
2025	88.7	85 of 950	91.1%	★★★★★
2024	80.5	165 of 943	82.5%	★★★★☆
2023	82.4	143 of 933	84.7%	★★★★☆
2022	87.3	95 of 921	89.7%	★★★★☆
2021	89.4	68 of 710	90.4%	★★★★★
2019	96.8	17 of 965	98.2%	★★★★★
2018	95.1	28 of 917	96.9%	★★★★★
2017	93.9	39 of 929	95.8%	★★★★★
2016	95.1	26 of 914	97.2%	★★★★★
2015	96.1	22 of 938	97.7%	★★★★★
2014	89.9	53 of 962	94.5%	★★★★★
2013	90.6	50 of 954	94.8%	★★★★★
2012	88.4	83 of 935	91.1%	★★★★★
2011	84.2	119 of 935	87.3%	★★★★☆
2010	71.0	273 of 925	70.5%	★★★★☆
2009	64.1	333 of 872	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	72.3	230 of 849	72.9%	★★★★☆
2007	70.0	263 of 852	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	73.0	221 of 829	73.3%	★★★★☆
2005	65.2	311 of 823	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2004	55.3	396 of 808	51.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	83.8	81 of 692	88.3%	★★★★☆
2025	82.9	88 of 694	87.3%	★★★★☆
2024	75.7	129 of 684	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	79.1	107 of 642	83.3%	★★★★☆
2022	81.0	90 of 595	84.9%	★★★★☆
2019	93.8	23 of 758	97.0%	★★★★★
2018	90.9	38 of 690	94.5%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	38.0	95 of 120	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	62.3	54 of 119	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.7	43 of 91	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.9	56 of 82	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	80.0	3 of 22	86.4%	★★★★★
2019	70.7	25 of 110	77.3%	★★★★☆
2018	73.0	14 of 84	83.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	87.1	65 of 694	90.6%	★★★★★
2025	84.5	83 of 700	88.1%	★★★★☆
2024	70.1	185 of 683	72.9%	★★★★☆
2023	69.8	177 of 649	72.7%	★★★★☆
2022	81.1	93 of 594	84.3%	★★★★☆
2019	95.5	15 of 764	98.0%	★★★★★
2018	94.0	23 of 693	96.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	85.2	39 of 546	92.9%	★★★★★
2025	88.1	30 of 551	94.6%	★★★★★
2024	75.1	103 of 539	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	76.9	90 of 525	82.9%	★★★★☆
2022	82.0	57 of 454	87.4%	★★★★☆
2021	77.1	62 of 288	78.5%	★★★★☆
2019	93.2	17 of 596	97.1%	★★★★★
2018	96.2	6 of 337	98.2%	★★★★★

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)

White (2026)93rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)91st percentile~ school

Female (2026)88th percentile-4 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)21st percentile-72 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts78%+33 vs state

Math67%+30 vs state

Science62%+26 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Carson Elementary School and help other families decide.

Rate Carson Elementary School

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

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Carson Elementary School

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/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
Carson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5420 East 1st Avenue	Denver	80220	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-9090	412	25	16.8	17.7%	303 (73.5%)	22 (5.3%)	51 (12.4%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.0%)	89.9	72^nd of 943 public elementary schools	92.4%		88.7	85^th of 950 public elementary schools	91.1%	13	86.7	67.6	78.8				78.0	84.0	54.9	60.6				67.0	62.1		$16,850
Denver Language School	Public, Charter	K-8	451 Newport Street	Denver	80220	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 557-0852	930	58	16.1	20.6%	381 (41.0%)	41 (4.4%)	286 (30.8%)	61 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	158 (17.0%)	81.3	164^th of 943 public elementary schools	82.6%		82.2	149^th of 950 public elementary schools	84.3%	15	40.5	57.0	67.9	69.8	77.3	73.0	64.3	50.0	65.8	63.3	68.5	73.9	72.0	65.3	61.5	51.4	$13,312
Steck Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	450 Albion Street	Denver	80220	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-3870	323	18	18.3	20.1%	201 (62.2%)	17 (5.3%)	54 (16.7%)	13 (4.0%)	5 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (10.2%)	94	35^th of 943 public elementary schools	96.3%		95	31^st of 950 public elementary schools	96.7%	4	61.1	82.8	86.0				76.9	74.1	69.0	80.7				74.6	66.7		$16,328
Denver Green School Southeast	Public	K-8	6700 East Virginia Avenue	Denver	80224	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-7480	586	36	16.0	64.8%	125 (21.3%)	99 (16.9%)	289 (49.3%)	17 (2.9%)	6 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	48 (8.2%)	17.3	782^nd of 943 public elementary schools	17.1%		12.1	856^th of 950 public elementary schools	9.9%	74	40.5	30.8	30.8	11.7	28.6	13.6	25.3	22.6	23.6	13.0	6.7	24.6	11.4	17.0	15.4	7.0	$19,510
McMeen Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 South Holly Street	Denver	80246	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-5520	706	38	18.3	63.3%	150 (21.2%)	108 (15.3%)	393 (55.7%)	22 (3.1%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.1%)	22.9	695^th of 943 public elementary schools	26.3%		20.8	730^th of 950 public elementary schools	23.2%	35	27.4	39.7	36.0				34.1	24.6	22.7	20.7				22.9	23.0		$16,986
Montclair School of Academics and Enrichment	Public	PK, KG-5	1151 Newport Street	Denver	80220	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-5380	353	25	14.1	79.9%	58 (16.4%)	123 (34.8%)	126 (35.7%)	13 (3.7%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	31 (8.8%)	17.1	785^th of 943 public elementary schools	16.8%		16.5	787^th of 950 public elementary schools	17.2%	2	14.3	22.2	34.1				23.5	17.0	14.9	30.4				20.5	22.2		$21,252
Lowry Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8001 East Cedar Avenue	Denver	80230	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-5910	400	29	13.9	74.8%	81 (20.3%)	153 (38.3%)	125 (31.3%)	6 (1.5%)	4 (1.0%)	2 (0.5%)	29 (7.3%)	12.9	840^th of 943 public elementary schools	10.9%		24.2	675^th of 950 public elementary schools	28.9%	165	8.6	29.8	23.5				20.0	13.2	25.4	17.4				18.4	14.5		$19,261
Teller Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1150 Garfield Street	Denver	80206	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-3560	518	29	18.1	22.0%	345 (66.6%)	30 (5.8%)	84 (16.2%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (10.0%)	91	61^st of 943 public elementary schools	93.5%		93	43^rd of 950 public elementary schools	95.5%	18	77.3	73.1	80.5				77.0	68.2	62.8	63.1				64.5	63.0		$18,443
Stephen Knight Center for Early Education	Public	PK-K	3245 East Exposition Avenue	Denver	80209	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-6500	276	22	12.7	26.1%	152 (55.1%)	18 (6.5%)	53 (19.2%)	22 (8.0%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	27 (9.8%)								(n/a)																	$21,365
Bromwell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2500 East 4th Avenue	Denver	80206	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-9330	329	20	16.4	21.0%	226 (68.7%)	10 (3.0%)	57 (17.3%)	9 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (8.2%)	88.8	81^st of 943 public elementary schools	91.4%		82.9	143^rd of 950 public elementary schools	84.9%	62	64.6	77.5	82.6				74.6	57.4	61.0	71.7				63.4	57.8		$16,959

Frequently Asked Questions about Carson Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Carson Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Hill Campus of Arts and Sciences
High : George Washington High School

Is Carson Elementary School a good school?

Yes. Carson Elementary School ranks in the top 7.6% of Colorado elementary schools.

How many students attend Carson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 412 students attended Carson Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Carson Elementary School?

Students at Carson Elementary School are 74% White, 12% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 5% African American, 1% Asian.

What district is Carson Elementary School in?

School District No. 1

Rate Carson Elementary School!

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 Carson Elementary School!

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.