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Gust Elementary School

Q: Is Gust Elementary School a good school?

Gust Elementary School ranks 536 th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

536^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 43% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Gust Elementary School is a large public elementary school in Denver, Colorado, serving 602 students in grades PK-5 as part of School District No. 1. The school, located in the West Yale Avenue area, serves a predominantly high-poverty population, with over 82% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Despite these challenges, Gust has built a reputation as one of the stronger traditional public schools in southwest Denver, with statewide rankings that have climbed from the 9th percentile in 2020-21 to a peak of the 56th percentile in 2024-25.

What truly sets Gust apart is its remarkable success with students who are often underserved elsewhere. The school has ranked in the top 5% statewide for English language learners, and its Hispanic students have consistently scored in the top quartile in recent years — with a 5-star performance in 2024-25. These outcomes are especially notable when compared with nearby schools. Just down the road, College View Elementary (93% poverty) posts ELA proficiency below 20%, and Johnson Elementary (87% poverty) sits at 7.6% ELA, while Gust reaches 42.9% ELA and 32.2% math. Even Sabin World School, which serves a wealthier student body, only beats Gust by about 8 points in ELA and 10 in math.

Gust's results do fluctuate from year to year. In 2024-25, the school posted standout science scores (50.7% proficiency, well above the state's 39%) and strong math results, though 2025-26 scores pulled back closer to district averages. One consistently bright spot is 3rd grade reading, where 49.1% of students met proficiency — well above district and state averages. The 4th grade reading dip (35.7%) and chronic absenteeism of 35.3% (better than the district's 38.1% but above the state's 28.4%) remain areas to watch. Overall, Gust is a high-poverty school that delivers better-than-expected results, particularly for multilingual learners, and deserves serious consideration from families looking for a neighborhood school on an upward trajectory.

602

Students ?

17.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,612

Per pupil spending ?

82.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3440 West Yale Avenue
Denver, CO 80219-5847

(720) 424-6560

District: School District No. 1

Students who attend Gust Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Bear Valley Middle School
	Rocky Mountain Prep Federal
High:	John F Kennedy High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

80.4%

White:

10.1%

Asian:

3.8%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Gust Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 35th percentile in 2016 → 43rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school36%

District avg38%

Colorado avg41%

536^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 43%▲ up 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 35% (2016) to bottom 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

37^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	38.3	536 of 946	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.5	419 of 950	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.6	573 of 943	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.3	588 of 933	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.5	631 of 921	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	15.0	644 of 710	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	22.0	748 of 965	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.0	675 of 917	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	31.9	608 of 929	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	31.4	595 of 914	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	38.5	532 of 938	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	36.7	643 of 962	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	41.3	593 of 954	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	34.0	658 of 935	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	20.0	763 of 935	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	16.4	789 of 925	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	16.3	742 of 872	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	8.9	784 of 849	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	6.3	804 of 852	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	6.4	782 of 829	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	10.0	752 of 823	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	16.3	696 of 808	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	77.6	2 of 14	85.7%	★★★★★
2024	88.1	1 of 15	93.3%	★★★★★
2023	80.2	2 of 17	88.2%	★★★★★
2022	80.0	2 of 19	89.5%	★★★★★
2019	72.6	6 of 43	86.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	30.6	467 of 695	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.1	369 of 694	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.4	460 of 684	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	18.7	529 of 642	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.5	468 of 595	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.6	620 of 758	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.2	576 of 690	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	65.5	60 of 251	76.1%	★★★★☆
2025	94.9	10 of 247	96.0%	★★★★★
2024	79.0	30 of 242	87.6%	★★★★☆
2023	55.8	77 of 197	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.0	65 of 153	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.0	134 of 270	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.4	84 of 172	51.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	70.1	65 of 337	80.7%	★★★★☆
2023	47.0	139 of 265	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.1	85 of 203	58.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	30.7	458 of 697	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.5	345 of 700	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	19.6	541 of 683	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.2	423 of 649	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.9	450 of 594	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.7	664 of 764	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.6	550 of 693	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)86th percentile+30 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)81st percentile+25 vs school

Hispanic (2026)76th percentile+33 vs school

Male (2026)34th percentile-9 vs school

Female (2026)33rd percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts43%~ state avg

Math32%-5 vs state

Science29%-7 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, April 18, 2018

I withdrew my daughter from kindergarten before the term ended. Gust has an "F" rating for special needs practices. Horrifying school with archaic teaching methodology. The principle is disturbingly inhospitable to engaged parents. There is no parent community here nor is it encouraged. Predominately low income and minority, many ESL families. They are more vulnerable and the principal capitalizes on this. Yikes! Close Quote

by a parent
Saturday, August 25, 2012

My daughter has attended several different schools and we finally found a perfect fit at Gust. Her reading level went from 1st to 4th grade in one year. All of her teachers worked so hard to help her learn to read. They communicated with me via email, telephone, and in person whenever there was a need. I cannot even begin to express how amazing and helpful the Gust staff has been. My daughter loves school for the first time in her life and I know it's because of the caring and educational environment at Gust. This school is truly a diamond in the rough and I will be forever grateful for the good they have done my daughter. Close Quote

Schools Near Gust 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
Gust Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3440 West Yale Avenue	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-6560	602	35	17.2	82.2%	61 (10.1%)	18 (3.0%)	484 (80.4%)	23 (3.8%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	9 (1.5%)	38.3	536^th of 946 public elementary schools	43.3%		53.5	419^th of 950 public elementary schools	55.9%	117	49.1	35.7	43.5		42.9	31.0	34.2	31.7		32.2	29.3	$18,612
College View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2675 South Decatur Street	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-8660	368	25	14.6	93.2%	13 (3.5%)	24 (6.5%)	312 (84.8%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (1.9%)	6 (1.6%)	8.7	903^rd of 946 public elementary schools	4.5%		12.8	843^rd of 950 public elementary schools	11.3%	60	14.3	26.1	17.6		19.2	13.7	700.0	715.0		7.9	710.0	$20,609
Doull Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2520 South Utica Street	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-8000	381	24	16.0	85.3%	26 (6.8%)	2 (0.5%)	336 (88.2%)	7 (1.8%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.8%)	37.6	544^th of 946 public elementary schools	42.5%		30	615^th of 950 public elementary schools	35.3%	71	27.8	48.1	57.6		47.4	27.9	19.6	45.5		29.5	25.0	$20,112
Sabin World School	Public	PK, KG-5	3050 South Vrain Street	Denver	80236	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-4520	559	35	16.1	65.1%	156 (27.9%)	35 (6.3%)	313 (56.0%)	25 (4.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.8%)	52.7	412^th of 946 public elementary schools	56.4%		59.6	364^th of 950 public elementary schools	61.7%	48	54.8	50.6	47.5		50.9	36.5	47.6	42.5		42.4	25.0	$18,539
Rocky Mountain Prep Ruby Hill	Public, Charter	K-5	2626 West Evans Avenue	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(720) 460-2800	443	39	11.2	86.0%	14 (3.2%)	14 (3.2%)	401 (90.5%)	9 (2.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	19.2	756^th of 946 public elementary schools	20.1%		39.9	526^th of 950 public elementary schools	44.6%	230	12.7	29.9	21.3		21.5	23.9	31.2	18.9		24.8	27.0	$16,310
Johnson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1850 South Irving Street	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-6290	294	19	15.5	87.1%	18 (6.1%)	4 (1.4%)	261 (88.8%)	7 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)								(n/a)	19.0	711.0	713.0		7.6	717.0	8.1	710.0		6.9	698.0	$19,358
Denison Montessori School	Public	PK, KG-6	1821 South Yates Street	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-8080	364	21	17.6	55.5%	109 (29.9%)	4 (1.1%)	208 (57.1%)	26 (7.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.8%)	37.6	543^rd of 946 public elementary schools	42.6%		35.7	565^th of 950 public elementary schools	40.5%	22	40.5	744.0	45.5		43.0	728.0	31.3	33.3		29.6	21.2	$18,597
Traylor Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	2900 South Ivan Way	Denver	80227	Jefferson County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-3480	300	20	14.9	66.3%	32 (10.7%)	11 (3.7%)	232 (77.3%)	12 (4.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.7%)	23.1	695^th of 946 public elementary schools	26.5%		10.3	882^nd of 950 public elementary schools	7.2%	187	41.4	30.0	21.9		30.9	30.3	709.0	710.0		15.1	9.4	$19,615
Force Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1550 South Wolff Street	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-7400	303	19	15.6	88.8%	10 (3.3%)	4 (1.3%)	263 (86.8%)	16 (5.3%)	2 (0.7%)	4 (1.3%)	4 (1.3%)	14.7	816^th of 946 public elementary schools	13.7%		10.4	880^th of 950 public elementary schools	7.4%	64	16.0	38.9	20.5		26.0	23.3	20.0	10.3		18.2	7.9	$21,150
Charles M. Schenck (CMS) Community School	Public	K-6	1300 South Lowell Boulevard	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-4300	339	22	15.1	87.3%	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	332 (97.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	22.6	707^th of 946 public elementary schools	25.3%		15.9	794^th of 950 public elementary schools	16.4%	87		24.0	710.0	715.0	10.4	29.3	26.0	717.0	701.0	18.8	700.0	$19,929

Frequently Asked Questions about Gust Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Gust Elementary School?

Students at Gust Elementary School are 80% Hispanic, 10% White, 4% Asian, 3% African American, 1% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Gust Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Bear Valley Middle School
Middle : Rocky Mountain Prep Federal
High : John F Kennedy High School

How many students attend Gust Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 602 students attended Gust Elementary School.

Is Gust Elementary School a good school?

Gust Elementary School ranks 536^th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Gust Elementary School in?

School District No. 1

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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.