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McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School

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

McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School ranks 137 th of 950 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

137^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 950 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 86% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School is a high-performing public elementary school serving 276 students in grades PK-5 in Denver, Colorado. The school consistently outperforms the district and state averages on academic assessments, ranking in the top 15% of Colorado elementary schools.

McKinley-Thatcher's academic excellence is evident across all grades and subjects. In the 2024-2025 school year, 65.4% of 5th graders were proficient or better in Science, compared to 34% for the School District No. 1 and 39% for the state. Similarly, 68.5% of all grades were proficient or better in English Language Arts, surpassing the district's 41.9% and the state's 44.8%. The school's strong performance extends to Math as well, with 55.2% of all grades proficient or better, significantly higher than the nearby Godsman Elementary School (16.5%), Schmitt Elementary School (9.6%), and Valverde Elementary School (15.5%).

While McKinley-Thatcher serves a relatively low-poverty student population, with 30.8% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, some nearby schools have much higher rates, ranging from 75% to 89%. This suggests that McKinley-Thatcher may serve a more advantaged student population compared to its neighbors. Maintaining its academic excellence and addressing any fluctuations in chronic absenteeism will be key priorities for the school going forward.

305

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,295

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 — 45th percentile in 2014 → 86th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (62% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 14% of Colorado elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 41 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school62%

District avg37%

Colorado avg40%

137^th of 950

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Top 14%▲ up 34 pts since 2015

From top 48% (2015) to top 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^th of 99Elementary Schools in the School District No. 1

76^th of 115School 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
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%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
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)

White (2025)94th percentile+8 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts68%+24 vs state

Science65%+26 vs state

Math55%+19 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

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CMAS English Language Arts (2025)				CMAS Math (2025)				CMAS Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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 All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th 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%)	83.2	137^th of 950 public elementary schools	85.6%		69.5	269^th of 943 public elementary schools	71.5%	132	73.7	70.5	57.7	68.5	60.5	47.7	60.9	55.2	65.4	$19,295
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%)	79.8	175^th of 950 public elementary schools	81.6%		93.1	42^nd of 943 public elementary schools	95.5%	133	63.6	70.6		61.0	58.8	72.7		55.4	36.4	$17,206
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%)	90.6	70^th of 950 public elementary schools	92.6%		92.1	53^rd of 943 public elementary schools	94.4%	17	70.0	73.5	81.0	74.6	54.0	67.6	71.4	63.5	81.0	$19,078
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%)	95.4	26^th of 950 public elementary schools	97.3%		95	27^th of 943 public elementary schools	97.1%	1	82.4	66.7	77.9	75.2	80.0	76.9	79.7	78.8	76.8	$16,581
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%)	12.9	841^st of 950 public elementary schools	11.5%		8.7	904^th of 943 public elementary schools	4.1%	63	14.3	13.0	28.6	20.3	23.1	15.9	8.1	16.5		$19,610
Schmitt Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1820 South Vallejo Street	Denver	80223	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-4230	157	16	9.7	91.1%	12 (7.6%)	25 (15.9%)	109 (69.4%)	4 (2.5%)	1 (0.6%)	6 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				14.3				9.6	23.5	$27,641
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%)	27.5	640^th of 950 public elementary schools	32.6%		28.1	636^th of 943 public elementary schools	32.6%	4	25.0	19.5	40.4	30.2	30.2	23.7	35.6	29.8	22.8	$22,424
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%)	91.5	56^th of 950 public elementary schools	94.1%		96.1	22^nd of 943 public elementary schools	97.7%	34	66.2	60.5	81.4	68.9	73.0	67.9	75.7	72.0	69.1	$16,959
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%)	11.6	864^th of 950 public elementary schools	9.1%		6.1	931^st of 943 public elementary schools	1.3%	67	12.5	16.7	30.0	21.3	15.6	16.1	14.6	15.5	7.5	$21,726
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%)	44.2	496^th of 950 public elementary schools	47.8%		28	637^th of 943 public elementary schools	32.4%	141	34.1	30.8	60.0	40.9	30.6	26.2	50.0	34.4	45.7	$20,703

Frequently Asked Questions about McKinley-Thatcher Elementary 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 137^th of 950 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

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 district is McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School in?

School District No. 1

Rate McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School!

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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.