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Cheltenham Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

929^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Cheltenham Elementary School serves 373 students in grades PK–5 at 1580 Julian Street on Denver's west side, and it is one of the lowest-performing elementary schools in Colorado, ranking in the 2nd percentile statewide with a 0-star rating. Part of School District No. 1, the school placed 926th out of 943 Colorado elementary schools for the 2025–2026 school year, continuing a downward slide from a 15th-percentile showing in 2022–2023. Over the past decade, Cheltenham has never ranked higher than the 15th percentile, and its academic outcomes remain dramatically below district and state averages.

On the 2025–2026 CMAS tests, only 14.0% of Cheltenham students scored proficient in English Language Arts, compared to 44.7% statewide, while math proficiency stood at just 8.6% versus 37.3% statewide. Science proficiency was 13.6%, also far below the state rate of 36.1%. The school serves a high-poverty community: 85.25% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and 43.6% of students are chronically absent — well above the state rate of 28.4%. On a more positive note, chronic absenteeism has improved from 53.3% the previous year, and math proficiency doubled from 4.2% to 8.6%, though these gains remain small relative to the enormous gaps that persist.

Cheltenham's challenges look different from those of nearby schools. Within about 1.5 miles, Edison Elementary School and Valdez Elementary School perform at the 97th and 85th percentiles respectively, with far lower poverty rates, while Brown International Academy sits at the 75th percentile. However, Cheltenham is not alone at the bottom: Cowell Elementary School and Eagleton Elementary School show similarly low proficiency rates. Interestingly, Cheltenham has the lowest student-teacher ratio in the area at 11:1, even lower than high-performing schools like Edison (18:1) and Brown (17:1), yet academic outcomes remain near the bottom — a sign that the school's struggles are driven less by staffing and more by poverty, absenteeism, and the need for comprehensive whole-child supports.

373

Students ?

11.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,285

Per pupil spending ?

85.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1580 Julian Street
Denver, CO 80204-1617

(720) 424-8810

District: School District No. 1

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

62.7%

African American:

23.1%

White:

6.2%

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Compare Cheltenham Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 8th percentile in 2015 → 2nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (11% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school11%

District avg38%

Colorado avg41%

929^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

95^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	6.6	929 of 946	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.4	943 of 950	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.6	892 of 943	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	795 of 933	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.0	811 of 921	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.5	865 of 965	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.1	880 of 917	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	11.7	852 of 929	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.2	887 of 914	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	12.1	861 of 938	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	6.8	934 of 962	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	4.4	936 of 954	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	4.3	923 of 935	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	4.6	908 of 935	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	8.0	860 of 925	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	3.7	847 of 872	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	4.2	823 of 849	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	2.2	843 of 852	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	1.2	827 of 829	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	4.5	792 of 823	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	1.9	799 of 808	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts14%-31 vs state

Science14%-22 vs state

Math9%-29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cheltenham Elementary School

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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 All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	Total
Cheltenham Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1580 Julian Street	Denver	80204	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-8810	373	34	11.0	85.3%	23 (6.2%)	86 (23.1%)	234 (62.7%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.6%)	10 (2.7%)	13 (3.5%)	6.6	929^th of 946 public elementary schools	1.8%		5.4	943^rd of 950 public elementary schools	0.7%	14	15.0	12.7	14.9		14.0	8.2	7.5	10.6		8.6	13.6	$24,285
Colfax Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1526 Tennyson Street	Denver	80204	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-8740	280	19	14.4	89.3%	29 (10.4%)	31 (11.1%)	203 (72.5%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.6%)	19.2	752^nd of 946 public elementary schools	20.5%		16.8	781^st of 950 public elementary schools	17.8%	29	40.9	30.0	31.0		33.3	29.4	6.3	13.8		15.3	712.0	$21,235
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%)	7.1	923^rd of 946 public elementary schools	2.4%		9	907^th of 950 public elementary schools	4.5%	16	712.0	722.0	19.4		14.9	9.1	8.3	9.7		9.0	12.9	$23,225
Brown International Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	2550 Lowell Blvd	Denver	80211	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-9250	530	31	17.1	31.3%	325 (61.3%)	23 (4.3%)	129 (24.3%)	10 (1.9%)	3 (0.6%)	9 (1.7%)	31 (5.8%)	72.3	239^th of 946 public elementary schools	74.7%		77.4	208^th of 950 public elementary schools	78.1%	31	59.2	64.4	59.1		60.9	51.3	68.5	40.9		54.0	39.4	$17,382
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%)	5.8	939^th of 946 public elementary schools	0.7%					(n/a)		716.0	13.5		11.4	706.0	7.7	707.0		5.9	8.1	$20,220
Valdez Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2525 West 29th Avenue	Denver	80211	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-3310	423	24	17.7	49.9%	100 (23.6%)	5 (1.2%)	304 (71.9%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.1%)	83.4	145^th of 946 public elementary schools	84.7%		75.8	220^th of 950 public elementary schools	76.8%	75	81.5	70.8	69.4		73.6	75.6	52.3	60.0		62.4	44.4	$18,668
Edgewater Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	5570 West 24th Avenue	Edgewater	80214	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 982-6050	335	22	15.4	63.9%	54 (16.1%)	5 (1.5%)	255 (76.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	16 (4.8%)	15.6	804^th of 946 public elementary schools	15.0%		21.2	721^st of 950 public elementary schools	24.1%	83	28.6	30.8	24.3	25.0	26.7	20.0	17.1	8.1	16.7	15.6	16.7	$18,927
Edison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3350 Quitman Street	Denver	80212	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-7780	583	32	18.1	18.0%	406 (69.6%)	12 (2.1%)	111 (19.0%)	14 (2.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	37 (6.3%)	94.4	32^nd of 946 public elementary schools	96.6%		91	64^th of 950 public elementary schools	93.3%	32	70.9	80.3	77.8		76.1	74.7	73.3	69.1		72.4	71.6	$16,231
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%)	21.2	726^th of 946 public elementary schools	23.3%		14.4	816^th of 950 public elementary schools	14.1%	90	21.7	26.3	37.5		30.5	715.0	713.0	25.0		15.5	17.5	$20,049
Center for Talent Development at Greenlee	Public	PK, KG-5	1150 Lipan Street	Denver	80204	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-6800	244	18	13.2	88.1%	23 (9.4%)	71 (29.1%)	128 (52.5%)	6 (2.5%)	3 (1.2%)	4 (1.6%)	9 (3.7%)	19.9	742^nd of 946 public elementary schools	21.6%		13.6	826^th of 950 public elementary schools	13.1%	84	28.2	25.0	10.7		22.5	33.3	719.0	714.0		18.0	716.0	$21,744

Frequently Asked Questions about Cheltenham Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Cheltenham Elementary School?

Students at Cheltenham Elementary School are 63% Hispanic, 23% African American, 6% White, 3% Two or more races, 3% Pacific Islander, 2% American Indian.

What district is Cheltenham Elementary School in?

School District No. 1

What schools do graduates of Cheltenham Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Lake Middle School
High : North High School

Is Cheltenham Elementary School a good school?

Cheltenham Elementary School ranks in the bottom 1.8% of Colorado elementary schools.

How many students attend Cheltenham Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 373 students attended Cheltenham Elementary School.

Rate Cheltenham Elementary School!

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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.