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Swansea Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

876^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 7% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Swansea Elementary School is a PK-5 school in Denver's School District No. 1 that serves about 381 students, nearly all from high-poverty families, with 86.35% qualifying for free/reduced lunch in 2024-25. The school has struggled academically for years, ranking in the bottom decile of Colorado elementary schools—871 out of 943 (8th percentile) with a 0-star rating. Proficiency rates are far below district and state averages across the board: 14.6% of students are proficient in ELA (vs. 42.5% district and 44.7% state), 17.6% in math (vs. 35.0% district and 37.3% state), and only 13.3% in 5th-grade science.

One unusual pattern at Swansea is that math proficiency actually exceeds ELA proficiency, which is the opposite of most schools. However, math scores decline sharply as students move up in grade: 23.5% in 3rd grade, 15.6% in 4th, and 13.5% in 5th. The most recent year did bring some encouraging news—the school's state percentile improved from 3rd to 8th, and math proficiency jumped from 10.7% to 17.6%—but ELA barely moved. Chronic absenteeism is a serious concern, affecting 48.0% of students in 2024-25, up from 44.6% the year before and far above the 28.4% statewide rate.

Nearby University Prep - Steele St. shows what is possible: just 0.94 miles away, it serves an even higher-poverty population (89.2% free/reduced lunch) yet achieves 28.4% ELA and 34.7% math proficiency with only 3.6% chronic absenteeism. Swansea is not alone in struggling—Cole Arts and Science Academy posts even lower scores—but the gap with schools like Stedman Elementary (50% ELA), Columbine Elementary (43.4% ELA), and the French American School of Denver (57.3% ELA) shows poverty alone does not determine outcomes. The evidence suggests that improving attendance and focusing on literacy could be the highest-leverage strategies for Swansea's future.

381

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,359

Per pupil spending ?

86.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4650 Columbine Street
Denver, CO 80216-2833

(720) 424-3630

District: School District No. 1

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

86.9%

African American:

6.6%

White:

4.2%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 6th percentile in 2015 → 7th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (16% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (48% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school16%

District avg38%

Colorado avg41%

876^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 7%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

84^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	11.0	876 of 946	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.0	920 of 950	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.2	898 of 943	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.2	871 of 933	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.9	853 of 921	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.0	857 of 965	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.5	890 of 917	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	7.6	908 of 929	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	11.4	853 of 914	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.0	884 of 938	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	4.4	953 of 962	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	5.8	914 of 954	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	10.5	848 of 935	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	4.8	906 of 935	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	4.4	900 of 925	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	3.1	856 of 872	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	3.9	826 of 849	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	2.8	839 of 852	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	2.1	817 of 829	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	2.7	810 of 823	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	1.6	801 of 808	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

Math18%-20 vs state

English Language Arts15%-30 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Monday, July 3, 2017

This school is OUT OF CONTROL!!! The students are very disrespectful. Students ran and yelled in the hall. The more you asked them to be quiet in the hall the louder they were. Even one of the home room teachers was no help. She was even loud walking her class in the hall. The AP and principal DID NOT help. All they care is about getting the test scores higher. If they did something about discipline, then maybe the scores would be higher. They didn't even give me positive feedback from teaching and the growth that I was able to show. I'm a former teacher and it was hard to teach because of this. I'm happily going to another district and school where I was told by several people ,for example parents, and an AP at the near by high school that I will be happy and they don't put up with students acting like that and the Administration is VERY SUPPORTIVE. Close Quote

Schools Near Swansea 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 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
Swansea Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4650 Columbine Street	Denver	80216	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-3630	381	27	14.3	86.4%	16 (4.2%)	25 (6.6%)	331 (86.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.6%)	11	876^th of 946 public elementary schools	7.4%		8	920^th of 950 public elementary schools	3.2%	44	708.0	707.0	16.0				14.6	23.5	15.6	13.5				17.6			$21,359
University Prep - Steele St.	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	3230 East 38th Avenue	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 329-8412	334	29	11.4	89.2%	15 (4.5%)	94 (28.1%)	206 (61.7%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	5 (1.5%)	10 (3.0%)	28	645^th of 946 public elementary schools	31.8%		23.2	694^th of 950 public elementary schools	26.9%	49	31.6	31.1	21.6				28.4	38.6	42.6	21.2				34.7	11.5		$18,565
Wyatt Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	3620 Franklin Street	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 292-5515	240	18	13.6	81.3%	22 (9.2%)	43 (17.9%)	166 (69.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	7 (2.9%)	20.1	741^st of 946 public elementary schools	21.7%		21.8	714^th of 950 public elementary schools	24.8%	27	12.1	30.6	31.1				25.4	27.3	11.1	33.3				24.6	714.0		$15,338
Cole Arts and Science Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	1350 E 33rd Ave	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-9120	275	21	13.0	83.6%	29 (10.5%)	41 (14.9%)	189 (68.7%)	3 (1.1%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	9 (3.3%)								(n/a)	695.0	696.0	715.0				7.6	12.9	705.0	707.0				6.8	694.0		$23,197
Garden Place Academy	Public	PK, KG-6	4425 Lincoln Street	Denver	80216	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-7220	385	28	13.9	86.0%	41 (10.6%)	27 (7.0%)	295 (76.6%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.9%)	11.1	874^th of 946 public elementary schools	7.6%		11.2	867^th of 950 public elementary schools	8.7%	7	26.9	27.0	16.7				22.9	15.4	10.9	15.0				13.6	10.3		$21,757
Columbine Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2540 East 29th Ave	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-8510	346	25	14.0	42.2%	157 (45.4%)	62 (17.9%)	85 (24.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.0%)	33 (9.5%)	37.6	545^th of 946 public elementary schools	42.4%		48.2	459^th of 950 public elementary schools	51.7%	86	40.0	51.1	37.8				43.4	40.0	33.3	16.7				30.6	22.2		$19,233
Stedman Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2940 Dexter Street	Denver	80207	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-3800	447	23	19.0	41.2%	160 (35.8%)	124 (27.7%)	125 (28.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.8%)	54.7	403^rd of 946 public elementary schools	57.4%		56.4	394^th of 950 public elementary schools	58.5%	9	51.5	44.4	53.7				50.0	43.7	43.1	37.3				41.4	36.5		$16,359
French American School of Denver	Public, Charter	K-5	2350 N. Gaylord Street	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	No	(720) 506-4589	230	18	12.7	20.0%	163 (70.9%)	19 (8.3%)	22 (9.6%)	4 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (9.6%)	70.1	265^th of 946 public elementary schools	72.0%		81.4	159^th of 950 public elementary schools	83.3%	106	25.0	71.8	83.3				57.3	35.3	59.0	78.9				54.3	78.9		$11,986
Whittier Ece-8 School	Public	PK, KG-8	2480 Downing Street	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-3040	242	17	14.2	88.4%	13 (5.4%)	122 (50.4%)	72 (29.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	3 (1.2%)	29 (12.0%)	9.9	889^th of 946 public elementary schools	6.0%		8.3	915^th of 950 public elementary schools	3.7%	26	19.2	13.0	19.0	13.0	38.9	31.3	21.3	710.0	714.0	19.0	708.0	15.8	710.0	10.2	710.0	722.0	$21,737
Smith Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3590 Jasmine Street	Denver	80207	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-4000	457	29	15.6	88.8%	30 (6.6%)	117 (25.6%)	280 (61.3%)	4 (0.9%)	8 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.9%)	14	828^th of 946 public elementary schools	12.5%		12.9	839^th of 950 public elementary schools	11.7%	11	18.9	25.0	34.7				27.0	18.2	14.3	10.2				14.4	18.0		$19,955

Frequently Asked Questions about Swansea Elementary School

Is Swansea Elementary School a good school?

Swansea Elementary School ranks in the bottom 7.4% of Colorado elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Swansea Elementary School?

Students at Swansea Elementary School are 87% Hispanic, 7% African American, 4% White, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Swansea Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 381 students attended Swansea Elementary School.

What district is Swansea Elementary School in?

School District No. 1

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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.