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Whittier Ece-8 School

Public Grades PK, KG-8

915^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 950 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Whittier Ece-8 School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-8 in Denver, Colorado, with 214 students enrolled. However, the school faces significant challenges, including consistently underperforming compared to district and state averages in academic proficiency, high dropout rates, and extremely high chronic absenteeism rates.

Whittier Ece-8 School's academic performance is a major concern, with only 17.6% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and just 7% proficient in Math, compared to district averages of 41.9% and 32.9%, respectively. The school's dropout rates have ranged from 1.9% to 3.8% in recent years, and its chronic absenteeism rate reached as high as 50.7% in the 2023-2024 school year. These issues likely contribute to the school's declining performance, with its statewide ranking dropping from 643 out of 917 Colorado elementary schools in 2017-2018 to 915 out of 950 in 2024-2025.

Compared to nearby schools, Whittier Ece-8 School performs significantly worse than most, including Dora Moore Ece-8 School, University Prep - Steele St., Polaris Elementary School, and Downtown Denver Expeditionary School, which generally have higher proficiency rates and lower chronic absenteeism and dropout rates. The stark contrast with high-performing schools like Polaris Elementary School, which ranks 1st out of 950 Colorado elementary schools, suggests that significant improvements are possible at Whittier Ece-8 School, but will require a concerted effort to support the students and families.

242

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,737

Per pupil spending ?

88.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2480 Downing Street
Denver, CO 80205-5239

(720) 424-3040

District: School District No. 1

Students who attend Whittier Ece-8 School usually attend:

Middle:	DSST: Cole Middle School
	Manual Middle School
High:	East High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

50.4%

Hispanic:

29.8%

Two or more races:

12.0%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Whittier Ece-8 School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 15th percentile in 2012 → 4th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (12% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (51% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school12%

District avg37%

Colorado avg40%

915^th of 950

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 17 pts since 2015

From bottom 20% (2015) to bottom 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

93^rd 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	8.3	915 of 950	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.7	895 of 921	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.2	736 of 965	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.9	643 of 917	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	23.3	704 of 929	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	27.1	641 of 914	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	20.4	746 of 938	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	24.7	747 of 962	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	22.7	766 of 954	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	16.4	795 of 935	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	8.7	862 of 935	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	4.5	898 of 925	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	12.9	773 of 872	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	10.7	771 of 849	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	7.2	800 of 852	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	2.7	814 of 829	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	5.9	781 of 823	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	18.6	681 of 808	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2022	11.2	410 of 448	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	42.9	216 of 424	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	31.4	293 of 436	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	14.6	405 of 461	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	21.4	371 of 454	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	17.7	362 of 425	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	13.2	375 of 422	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	7.6	384 of 409	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	19.5	324 of 377	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	21.5	305 of 362	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	11.8	325 of 360	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	2.5	339 of 346	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	12.3	304 of 340	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	50.9	169 of 336	49.7%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts18%-27 vs state

Math7%-29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Whittier Ece-8 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 (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	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 6th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	Total
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%)	8.3	915^th of 950 public elementary schools	3.7%					(n/a)	15.4		15.4		47.8	17.6		12.5		13.0	7.0		$21,737
Polaris Elementary School	Public	1-5	410 Park Avenue West	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-7860	350	18	19.6	17.4%	198 (56.6%)	15 (4.3%)	49 (14.0%)	34 (9.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (15.4%)	99.3	1^st of 950 public elementary schools	99.9%		99.6	1^st of 943 public elementary schools	99.9%		90.8	94.9	96.2			94.0	84.4	97.4	95.1		92.4	95.0	$16,759
French American School of Denver	Public, Charter	K-6	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%)	81.4	159^th of 950 public elementary schools	83.3%		82.2	149^th of 943 public elementary schools	84.2%	10	48.8		61.9			54.7	73.2	60.9			68.4	66.7	$11,986
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)			20.9			13.6					7.9	9.3	$23,197
University Prep - Arapahoe St.	Public, Charter	K-5	2409 Arapahoe Street	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 292-0463	313	27	11.7	89.8%	15 (4.8%)	155 (49.5%)	124 (39.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	3 (1.0%)	12 (3.8%)	13.8	822^nd of 950 public elementary schools	13.5%		11.4	862^nd of 943 public elementary schools	8.6%	40	12.1	16.7	22.4			16.8	16.9	31.6	16.7		20.7		$18,826
Downtown Denver Expeditionary School	Public, Charter	K-5	1860 Lincoln St	Denver	80203	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	No	(720) 424-2350	263	17	15.2	34.2%	134 (51.0%)	19 (7.2%)	78 (29.7%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	26 (9.9%)	48.6	451^st of 950 public elementary schools	52.5%		47.6	471^st of 943 public elementary schools	50.1%	20	40.0	45.7	38.5			41.7	51.7	47.8	41.0		46.5	17.9	$16,918
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%)	48.2	459^th of 950 public elementary schools	51.7%		19.2	750^th of 943 public elementary schools	20.5%	291	48.9	28.0	51.6			44.6	42.2	12.0	39.3		33.7	46.4	$19,233
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%)	21.8	714^th of 950 public elementary schools	24.8%					(n/a)	24.3	18.8	14.3			20.0	13.6	35.3	39.1		26.7		$15,338
International Academy of Denver at Harrington	Public	PK, KG-5	2401 East 37th Avenue	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-6420	152	17	9.0	92.1%	4 (2.6%)	28 (18.4%)	109 (71.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.9%)	5 (3.3%)								(n/a)			14.3			13.6							$29,373
Dora Moore Ece-8 School	Public	PK, KG-8	846 Corona Street	Denver	80218	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-5300	349	21	16.5	65.3%	108 (30.9%)	55 (15.8%)	135 (38.7%)	4 (1.1%)	4 (1.1%)	4 (1.1%)	38 (10.9%)	21	724^th of 950 public elementary schools	23.8%		25.6	670^th of 943 public elementary schools	29.0%	54	18.9	19.4	39.4	25.0		30.6	19.4	11.4	27.3		17.0	36.7	$18,380

Frequently Asked Questions about Whittier Ece-8 School

What is the racial makeup of Whittier Ece-8 School?

Students at Whittier Ece-8 School are 50% African American, 30% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 5% White, 1% American Indian, 1% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Whittier Ece-8 School attend?

Students who attend Whittier Ece-8 School usually go on to attend:

Middle : DSST: Cole Middle School
Middle : Manual Middle School
High : East High School

What district is Whittier Ece-8 School in?

School District No. 1

Is Whittier Ece-8 School a good school?

Whittier Ece-8 School ranks in the bottom 3.7% of Colorado elementary schools.

How many students attend Whittier Ece-8 School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 242 students attended Whittier Ece-8 School.

Rate Whittier Ece-8 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.