Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

University Prep - Steele St.

Q: Is University Prep - Steele St. a good school?

University Prep - Steele St. ranks 694 th of 950 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades PK, KG-5

694^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 950 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 27% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

University Prep - Steele St. is a public charter elementary school serving 333 students in grades PK-5 in Denver, Colorado. The school is part of School District No. 1, which is ranked 76 out of 115 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

University Prep - Steele St. has consistently underperformed compared to the district and state averages on CMAS tests, with proficiency rates significantly lower in English Language Arts, Math, and Science. The school has also struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 27.7% to 37.1% in recent years, which is much higher than the state average. Additionally, the school has a very high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 90.16% to 90.99%, indicating a high-poverty student population.

When compared to nearby schools in the same district, University Prep - Steele St. generally underperforms academically. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Columbine Elementary School and Stedman Elementary School had significantly higher proficiency rates in ELA and Math compared to University Prep - Steele St. The school's academic performance has also fluctuated over the years, suggesting it has struggled to maintain consistent progress.

334

Students ?

11.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,620

Per pupil spending ?

89.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3230 East 38th Avenue
Denver, CO 80205-3726

(303) 329-8412

District: School District No. 1

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

61.7%

African American:

28.1%

White:

4.5%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare University Prep - Steele St. to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 6th percentile in 2013 → 27th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 21 percentile points since 2013

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (25% vs 40% meeting standards)

!Science scores 24 pts below the Colorado average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school25%

District avg37%

Colorado avg40%

694^th of 950

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 27%▲ up 24 pts since 2015

From bottom 3% (2015) to bottom 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

50^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	23.2	694 of 950	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.4	696 of 943	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.2	771 of 933	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.9	724 of 921	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.8	656 of 965	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.1	520 of 917	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	50.3	417 of 929	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	9.6	908 of 938	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	7.4	927 of 962	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	7.7	895 of 954	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	6.1	904 of 935	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	4.6	911 of 935	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	19.1	769 of 925	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	9.8	800 of 872	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	8.5	787 of 849	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	5.7	809 of 852	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	6.2	785 of 829	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	15.2	714 of 823	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	7.8	751 of 808	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	66.6	12 of 43	72.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	28.1	481 of 694	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.6	343 of 684	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	25.8	551 of 758	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	66.4	63 of 242	74.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	19.6	550 of 700	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.8	524 of 683	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.2	575 of 764	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2024)74th percentile+48 vs school

English Language Learner (2019)72nd percentile+40 vs school

Female (2025)31st percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)21st percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

Math31%-5 vs state

English Language Arts22%-23 vs state

Science15%-24 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate University Prep - Steele St. and help other families decide.

Rate University Prep - Steele St.

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near University Prep - Steele St.

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 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
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%)	23.2	694^th of 950 public elementary schools	26.9%		23.4	696^th of 943 public elementary schools	26.2%	2	32.7	14.3	16.2		22.0	38.2	24.0	28.2		30.6	15.4	$15,620
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							$30,063
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	$18,364
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%)	8	920^th of 950 public elementary schools	3.2%		9.2	898^th of 943 public elementary schools	4.8%	22			18.4		14.0	17.5	7.4	9.1		10.7		$19,943
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		$15,765
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%)	56.4	394^th of 950 public elementary schools	58.5%		57.9	382^nd of 943 public elementary schools	59.5%	12	58.9	40.9	51.1		49.7	39.1	42.4	34.0		39.0	50.0	$17,018
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	$22,133
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	$11,902
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%)	12.9	839^th of 950 public elementary schools	11.7%		22.2	708^th of 943 public elementary schools	24.9%	131	10.3	15.1	35.3		21.0	23.2	7.4	11.8		14.3	17.0	$19,457
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		$22,160

Frequently Asked Questions about University Prep - Steele St.

What is the racial makeup of University Prep - Steele St.?

Students at University Prep - Steele St. are 62% Hispanic, 28% African American, 4% White, 3% Two or more races, 1% Pacific Islander.

Is University Prep - Steele St. a good school?

University Prep - Steele St. ranks 694^th of 950 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend University Prep - Steele St.?

In the 2024-25 school year, 334 students attended University Prep - Steele St..

What district is University Prep - Steele St. in?

School District No. 1

Rate University Prep - Steele St.!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

COColorado Elementary School Rankings

COColorado District Rankings

Schools in Denver, CO

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for University Prep - Steele St.!

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.