Columbine Elementary School

Columbine Elementary School is a PK-5 school in Denver’s School District No. 1 serving 346 students from a mixed-income area, where 42.2% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch and the school now ranks in the middle of the state at the 42nd percentile. One of its biggest strengths is attendance: chronic absenteeism dropped sharply from 35.1% to 27.5% in a single year, which is better than the state average and dramatically better than nearby schools like International Academy of Denver at Harrington (60.4%) and Wyatt Academy (54.6%).

Academically, literacy is the school’s clear strength. ELA proficiency sits at 43.4%, essentially matching the state average of 44.7%, with 4th grade reading particularly strong at 51.1%. Math is a bigger challenge: only 30.6% of students are proficient compared to 37.3% statewide, and the drop from 3rd grade (40.0%) to 5th grade (16.7%) is especially concerning. Science results have also been inconsistent, falling to 22.2% this year after a strong 46.4% the prior year. Compared to high-poverty neighbors like Swansea Elementary School and University Prep - Arapahoe St., Columbine’s scores are substantially higher. But compared to demographically similar Stedman Elementary School, there is clear room for growth: Stedman posts 50.0% in ELA and 41.4% in math.

Columbine’s rank history is a genuine turnaround story, climbing from the 1st percentile in 2012-2013 to the 42nd percentile today, though recent years have shown some volatility with a jump to the 52nd percentile in 2024-2025 and a slight slip this year. The school also serves boys and girls with broadly similar effectiveness, showing no major gender gap. For parents, the picture is a school that has made real progress, built a strong attendance culture, and developed solid reading skills — with math and science consistency representing the next frontier.