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Cory Elementary School

Public Grades 1-5

86^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 91% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Cory Elementary School is a 5-star elementary school in Denver, CO, serving 407 students in grades 1–5 within School District No. 1. The school has a long history of high statewide rankings, earning 5 stars every year since at least 2015–2016. In 2025–2026, it ranked 86th out of 943 Colorado elementary schools, placing it in the 91st percentile — a noticeable step down from its earlier years when it consistently ranked in the top 20 schools statewide, but still a high-performing school. What makes this especially notable is that the school sits inside a district rated only 2 stars, making it a clear bright spot in an area where many surrounding schools struggle.

The school's academic proficiency is well above district and state averages. In 2025–2026, 72.4% of students were proficient in English Language Arts, compared to 42.5% for the district and 44.7% for the state. Math proficiency reached 64.6% versus 35.0% district and 37.3% state, and 5th-grade science hit 58.0% versus 33.2% district and 36.1% state. Chronic absenteeism is just 10.2% — less than one-third the district rate of 38.1% — which points to a strong, stable school climate. The school also stands out for its work with economically disadvantaged students: despite 23.1% of students receiving free/reduced lunch, its low-socioeconomic-status students ranked 4th in the entire state, in the 99th percentile.

The school sits in a competitive cluster of strong Denver elementary schools. Nearby Creativity Challenge Community, just 0.2 miles away, outperformed the school in every major subject in 2025–2026, and Slavens K-8 and Steele Elementary also rank higher. Meanwhile, schools a mile or two away — like Ellis Elementary and McMeen Elementary — struggle with much lower proficiency and absenteeism above 49%. Areas to watch include declining math and science scores, a drop in Gifted and Talented subgroup rankings, and a slide from top-20 status. Still, with low absenteeism, a favorable student-teacher ratio of 16.8, and exceptional results for economically disadvantaged students, the school remains a standout choice.

407

Students ?

16.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,807

Per pupil spending ?

23.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Colorado receive free school meals.

1550 South Steele Street
Denver, CO 80210-2938

(720) 424-8380

District: School District No. 1

Students who attend Cory Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Merrill Middle School
High:	South High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.3%

Two or more races:

10.8%

Hispanic:

10.6%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Cory Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 98th percentile in 2016 → 91st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (67% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of Colorado elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in School District No. 1

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school67%

District avg38%

Colorado avg41%

86^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Top 9%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From top 2% (2016) to top 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

15^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	88.5	86 of 946	90.9%	★★★★★
2025	91.5	56 of 950	94.1%	★★★★★
2024	96.1	22 of 943	97.7%	★★★★★
2023	95.5	25 of 933	97.3%	★★★★★
2022	96.5	16 of 921	98.3%	★★★★★
2021	96.6	18 of 710	97.5%	★★★★★
2019	98.6	8 of 965	99.2%	★★★★★
2018	97.4	12 of 917	98.7%	★★★★★
2017	95.9	23 of 929	97.5%	★★★★★
2016	96.0	20 of 914	97.8%	★★★★★
2015	98.5	10 of 938	98.9%	★★★★★
2014	95.8	6 of 962	99.4%	★★★★★
2013	94.0	19 of 954	98.0%	★★★★★
2012	90.9	47 of 935	95.0%	★★★★★
2011	91.0	43 of 935	95.4%	★★★★★
2010	90.1	55 of 925	94.1%	★★★★★
2009	84.8	100 of 872	88.5%	★★★★☆
2008	86.8	76 of 849	91.0%	★★★★★
2007	83.5	103 of 852	87.9%	★★★★☆
2006	84.9	89 of 829	89.3%	★★★★☆
2005	81.8	113 of 823	86.3%	★★★★☆
2004	84.3	107 of 808	86.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	90.9	33 of 695	95.3%	★★★★★
2025	91.0	40 of 694	94.2%	★★★★★
2024	94.5	17 of 684	97.5%	★★★★★
2023	95.3	16 of 642	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	92.4	23 of 595	96.1%	★★★★★
2021	95.2	12 of 351	96.6%	★★★★★
2019	97.1	6 of 758	99.2%	★★★★★
2018	94.0	19 of 690	97.2%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	35.5	98 of 120	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	48.9	83 of 119	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	75.1	12 of 91	86.8%	★★★★☆
2023	70.5	24 of 82	70.7%	★★★★☆
2022	73.6	6 of 22	72.7%	★★★★☆
2019	81.4	1 of 110	99.1%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	97.8	4 of 337	98.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	73.2	172 of 697	75.3%	★★★★☆
2025	83.6	90 of 700	87.1%	★★★★☆
2024	92.3	36 of 683	94.7%	★★★★★
2023	87.4	64 of 649	90.1%	★★★★★
2022	92.8	23 of 594	96.1%	★★★★★
2021	91.4	31 of 352	91.2%	★★★★★
2019	98.2	8 of 764	99.0%	★★★★★
2018	97.5	9 of 693	98.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	67.9	162 of 547	70.4%	★★★★☆
2025	79.7	74 of 551	86.6%	★★★★☆
2024	91.8	20 of 539	96.3%	★★★★★
2023	88.4	37 of 525	93.0%	★★★★★
2022	91.3	22 of 454	95.2%	★★★★★
2021	91.1	17 of 288	94.1%	★★★★★
2019	95.3	11 of 596	98.2%	★★★★★
2018	92.7	13 of 337	96.1%	★★★★★

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)99th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)95th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)75th percentile-16 vs school

White (2026)70th percentile-21 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)18th percentile-73 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts72%+28 vs state

Math65%+27 vs state

Science58%+22 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, January 30, 2021

The 2020 school year was the most challenging by far because of district wide school closures and my children having to learn from home. Without the support of the wonderful Cory Elementary staff and community I don’t think we would have persevered. Even with months of online learning and ongoing changes my children still thrived. My children are now beyond thrilled to be back in the classroom where they belong and love the in-person collaboration with their peers and teachers. Cory Elementary is a wonderful neighborhood elementary experience for kids from academics to peer relationships. Close Quote

Schools Near Cory 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/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
Cory Elementary School	Public	1-5	1550 South Steele Street	Denver	80210	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-8380	407	24	16.8	23.1%	286 (70.3%)	18 (4.4%)	43 (10.6%)	14 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	44 (10.8%)	88.5	86^th of 946 public elementary schools	90.9%		91.5	56^th of 950 public elementary schools	94.1%	30	59.3	80.3	78.0				72.4	59.8	72.4	62.2				64.6	58.0		$16,807
Creativity Challenge Community	Public	K-5	1551 S. Monroe St	Denver	80210	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-0630	306	17	17.6	14.4%	229 (74.8%)	7 (2.3%)	39 (12.7%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	25 (8.2%)	96.3	19^th of 946 public elementary schools	98.0%		92	52^nd of 950 public elementary schools	94.5%	33	73.9	75.9	92.9				80.3	76.6	74.1	82.9				77.5	81.0		$16,913
Ellis Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1651 South Dahlia Street	Denver	80222	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-7700	467	26	18.1	85.2%	80 (17.1%)	31 (6.6%)	334 (71.5%)	12 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.9%)	15.9	802^nd of 946 public elementary schools	15.2%		9.8	886^th of 950 public elementary schools	6.7%	84	43.5	35.3	13.0				25.6	17.5	20.8	10.9				16.7	709.0		$18,945
University Park Elementary School	Public	K-5	2300 South St Paul Street	Denver	80210	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-3410	413	27	15.4	28.6%	269 (65.1%)	24 (5.8%)	71 (17.2%)	22 (5.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (5.8%)	86.1	117^th of 946 public elementary schools	87.6%		89.3	80^th of 950 public elementary schools	91.6%	37	53.6	71.0	77.1				65.9	56.5	60.3	77.6				63.5	77.1		$17,805
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
Highline Academy Southeast	Public, Charter	K-8	2170 South Dahlia Street	Denver	80222	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 759-7808	591	46	12.8	53.3%	229 (38.7%)	147 (24.9%)	168 (28.4%)	20 (3.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.2%)	63.3	322^nd of 946 public elementary schools	66.0%		54.8	406^th of 950 public elementary schools	57.3%	84	41.8	62.7	62.3	51.8	50.6	52.9	53.8	38.2	47.8	50.0	34.1	31.2	45.6	40.6	44.3	36.8	$15,050
Asbury Elementary School	Public	K-5	1320 East Asbury Avenue	Denver	80210	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-9750	292	21	13.5	23.3%	202 (69.2%)	9 (3.1%)	58 (19.9%)	4 (1.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.8%)	84.6	135^th of 946 public elementary schools	85.7%		90.6	70^th of 950 public elementary schools	92.6%	65	60.4	55.8	71.4				61.4	66.7	58.8	65.7				63.6	79.4		$19,079
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%)	23	696^th of 946 public elementary schools	26.4%		20.8	730^th of 950 public elementary schools	23.2%	34	27.4	39.7	36.0				34.1	24.6	22.7	20.7				22.9	23.0		$16,986
McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1230 South Grant Street	Denver	80210	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-5600	305	20	15.0	24.3%	187 (61.3%)	3 (1.0%)	82 (26.9%)	7 (2.3%)	5 (1.6%)	2 (0.7%)	19 (6.2%)	74.8	222^nd of 946 public elementary schools	76.5%		83.2	137^th of 950 public elementary schools	85.6%	85	48.8	67.4	67.3				61.8	51.2	52.2	55.1				52.9	46.9		$19,469
Slavens K-8 School	Public	K-8	3000 South Clayton Street	Denver	80210	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-4150	762	41	18.6	13.3%	591 (77.6%)	29 (3.8%)	71 (9.3%)	13 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (7.5%)	96	21^st of 946 public elementary schools	97.8%		97.8	10^th of 950 public elementary schools	98.9%	11	69.2	82.7	89.5	87.3	93.3	83.5	84.3	71.8	64.6	85.1	84.8	85.3	93.6	80.8	72.3	82.4	$16,642

Frequently Asked Questions about Cory Elementary School

How many students attend Cory Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 407 students attended Cory Elementary School.

What district is Cory Elementary School in?

School District No. 1

What schools do graduates of Cory Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Merrill Middle School
High : South High School

Is Cory Elementary School a good school?

Yes. Cory Elementary School ranks in the top 9.1% of Colorado elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Cory Elementary School?

Students at Cory Elementary School are 70% White, 11% Two or more races, 11% Hispanic, 4% African American, 3% Asian.

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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.