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McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School

Q: Is McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School a good school?

McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School ranks 222 nd of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

222^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 77% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School is a PreK–5 public school in Denver's School District No. 1, serving 305 students in a diverse west-central Denver neighborhood. It currently ranks in the 76th percentile statewide (222nd of 943 Colorado elementary schools) with a 4-star rating, and its students significantly outperform district and state averages: 61.8% are proficient in ELA, 52.9% in math, and 46.9% in 5th-grade science, compared with district rates of 42.5%, 35.0%, and 33.2% respectively.

Compared with nearby schools, McKinley-Thatcher is a stable, upper-middle option in an area with wide performance gaps. Schools like Steele Elementary, Cory Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, and Asbury Elementary all rank higher, while several schools to the west, such as Valverde Elementary and Goldrick Elementary, have much lower proficiency rates. McKinley-Thatcher's chronic absenteeism is just 14.1%—comparable to those top-performing schools and far better than the district's 38.1% rate. Its free/reduced-price lunch rate of 24.3% also aligns more closely with high-performing neighbors than with higher-poverty schools nearby.

The school's biggest academic strength is ELA, which improves from 48.8% proficiency in 3rd grade to 67.3% in 5th grade. Math is more moderate (52.9% proficient) and trails the top neighborhood schools by 6–27 points. Science scores have been volatile in recent years, but remain above district and state averages. McKinley-Thatcher has shown sustained improvement over the past decade, moving from the 41st percentile in 2015–16 to a current 76th percentile. For parents seeking a solid, above-average public elementary school within a highly varied local landscape, McKinley-Thatcher represents a dependable choice—effective instruction, good attendance, and strong overall outcomes without being the very top performer in its immediate area.

305

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,469

Per pupil spending ?

24.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1230 South Grant Street
Denver, CO 80210-1521

(720) 424-5600

District: School District No. 1

Students who attend McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Grant Beacon Middle School
High:	South High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

61.3%

Hispanic:

26.9%

Two or more races:

6.2%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 52nd percentile in 2015 → 77th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (56% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 23% of Colorado elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 25 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg38%

Colorado avg41%

222^nd of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Top 23%▲ up 36 pts since 2016

From bottom 41% (2016) to top 23% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

23^rd 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	74.8	222 of 946	76.5%	★★★★☆
2025	83.2	137 of 950	85.6%	★★★★☆
2024	69.5	269 of 943	71.5%	★★★★☆
2023	65.9	288 of 933	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.0	392 of 921	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.0	252 of 710	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	82.7	138 of 965	85.7%	★★★★☆
2017	40.4	513 of 929	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	36.7	541 of 914	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	47.4	452 of 938	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	47.3	530 of 962	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	43.5	574 of 954	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	29.4	693 of 935	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.1	701 of 935	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	28.4	699 of 925	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	49.2	484 of 872	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	43.7	531 of 849	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	55.5	427 of 852	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	54.1	416 of 829	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2005	79.0	149 of 823	81.9%	★★★★☆
2004	48.7	450 of 808	44.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	61.9	247 of 695	64.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	55.9	117 of 322	63.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	71.5	185 of 697	73.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	69.5	146 of 547	73.3%	★★★★☆
2025	87.1	35 of 551	93.6%	★★★★★

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)

Male (2026)73rd percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)73rd percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)64th percentile-12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)64th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts62%+17 vs state

Math53%+16 vs state

Science47%+11 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Excellent neighborhood school! Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, September 8, 2017

We're thrilled with MCT as our neighborhood school. This small, diverse school has a homey feel and the principal, teachers, parents and kids are energetic and genuine. If you're in the neighborhood, I'd really encourage you to stop in and see it in action, regardless of how you think it looks 'on paper'. Our choice to send our kiddo here has been positively reinforced day after day after day - we love it! Close Quote

Schools Near McKinley-Thatcher 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
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
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	710 South Pennsylvania Street	Denver	80209	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-5990	310	17	17.9	26.1%	208 (67.1%)	9 (2.9%)	64 (20.6%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (7.7%)	91.4	58^th of 946 public elementary schools	93.9%		79.8	175^th of 950 public elementary schools	81.6%	117	65.9	753.0	77.1		65.8	62.2	741.0	71.4		58.7	76.5	$17,427
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
Steele Elementary School	Public	K-5	320 South Marion Parkway	Denver	80209	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-3720	452	25	18.0	13.9%	350 (77.4%)	6 (1.3%)	53 (11.7%)	8 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (7.3%)	97	15^th of 946 public elementary schools	98.4%		95.4	26^th of 950 public elementary schools	97.3%	11	78.6	79.1	84.9		81.0	80.0	79.4	79.5		79.6	77.8	$16,725
Godsman Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2120 West Arkansas Avenue	Denver	80223	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-7060	332	20	16.6	91.9%	15 (4.5%)	4 (1.2%)	298 (89.8%)	9 (2.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.5%)	11.1	875^th of 946 public elementary schools	7.5%		12.9	841^st of 950 public elementary schools	11.5%	34	26.9	18.9	21.7		22.0	15.6	15.1	15.2		15.3	10.6	$19,646
Goldrick Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1050 South Zuni Street	Denver	80223	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-6980	385	25	15.4	82.6%	14 (3.6%)	20 (5.2%)	331 (86.0%)	9 (2.3%)	3 (0.8%)	2 (0.5%)	6 (1.6%)	18.8	761^st of 946 public elementary schools	19.6%		27.5	640^th of 950 public elementary schools	32.6%	121	26.7	16.7	29.3		24.3	39.1	18.8	23.7		26.0	10.5	$20,051
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
Valverde Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2030 West Alameda Avenue	Denver	80223	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-3250	359	26	13.7	85.2%	20 (5.6%)	25 (7.0%)	291 (81.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	10 (2.8%)	11 (3.1%)	8.5	908^th of 946 public elementary schools	4.0%		11.6	864^th of 950 public elementary schools	9.1%	44	702.0	725.0	22.2		17.5	18.2	9.5	12.7		13.5	5.5	$21,055
Denver Center for International Studies at Fairmont	Public	PK, KG-5	520 West 3rd Avenue	Denver	80223	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-7620	344	25	13.5	48.8%	124 (36.0%)	15 (4.4%)	176 (51.2%)	5 (1.5%)	3 (0.9%)	3 (0.9%)	18 (5.2%)	37.5	547^th of 946 public elementary schools	42.2%		44.2	496^th of 950 public elementary schools	47.8%	51	48.4	50.0	42.4		47.0	38.1	28.6	15.6		28.4	19.4	$20,968
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

Frequently Asked Questions about McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School

What district is McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School in?

School District No. 1

How many students attend McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 305 students attended McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School attend?

Students who attend McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Grant Beacon Middle School
High : South High School

What is the racial makeup of McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School?

Students at McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School are 61% White, 27% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 2% American Indian.

Is McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School a good school?

McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School ranks 222^nd of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate McKinley-Thatcher 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.