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Maxwell Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5
939th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 943 Colorado Elementary Schools
Better than 0% of Colorado elementary schools
Summary

Maxwell Elementary School is a PK–5 school in Denver's 80239 area, enrolling 638 students as part of School District No. 1. The school serves an extremely economically disadvantaged population — roughly 93% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, one of the highest rates in the area. Academically, Maxwell has ranked near the very bottom of Colorado elementary schools in recent years, including a 0-star rating in 2025–26 that placed it 939th out of 943 schools statewide.

In 2025–26, Maxwell's proficiency rates were far below district and state averages: 14.1% in ELA, 6.3% in math, and 7.7% in science. Math is the most severe concern — fewer than 5% of 3rd and 4th graders scored proficient, the lowest math score among nearby schools. This is not simply a poverty story. Nearby John H. Amesse Elementary has similar poverty levels and the same student-teacher ratio, yet posted much higher scores (21.7% ELA, 16.4% math). Academy 360, despite a chronic absenteeism rate above 64%, also outperforms Maxwell in both ELA and math, and Lena Archuleta Elementary School, just over a mile away, more than doubles Maxwell's proficiency rates.

Maxwell's chronic absenteeism improved to 42.9% in 2024–25, but test scores did not follow. The school's English Language Learner subgroup performance has also declined sharply over the past five years, falling from the 40th to the 7th percentile. With a student-teacher ratio of 16.3 — tied for the highest in the cluster — Maxwell faces serious, compounding challenges. The bright spots are modest: a stable ELA rate after a recent drop and improving attendance. Still, targeted intervention in early-grade math and ELL support will be needed to change the school's trajectory.

638
Students ?
16.3
Student/teacher ratio ?
$19,838
Per pupil spending ?
92.9%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 14390 East Bolling Drive
       Denver, CO  80239-6416

(720) 424-5740

District: School District No. 1

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
83.1%
African American:
10.2%
White:
3.1%
more
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 Compare Maxwell Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 5th percentile in 2015 → <1st in 2026
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Colorado average (9% vs 41% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (<1st percentile)
!High chronic absenteeism (43% vs 28% Colorado)
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school9%
District avg38%
Colorado avg41%
939th of 943
Colorado public elementary schools ?
Bottom 1%▼ down 10 pts since 2016
From bottom 11% (2016) to bottom 1% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
98th of 99Elementary Schools in the School District No. 1
71st 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
20265.3939 of 9430.4%☆☆☆☆☆
20255.7942 of 9500.8%☆☆☆☆☆
202412.6841 of 94310.8%★☆☆☆☆
20237.0921 of 9331.3%☆☆☆☆☆
20227.2909 of 9211.3%☆☆☆☆☆
201913.6862 of 96510.7%★☆☆☆☆
201820.1723 of 91721.2%★☆☆☆☆
201711.4857 of 9297.8%☆☆☆☆☆
201614.0815 of 91410.8%★☆☆☆☆
201510.7895 of 9384.6%☆☆☆☆☆
201411.8877 of 9628.8%☆☆☆☆☆
20136.7906 of 9545.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20127.1891 of 9354.7%☆☆☆☆☆
20115.4895 of 9354.3%☆☆☆☆☆
20107.9862 of 9256.8%☆☆☆☆☆
200911.7784 of 87210.1%★☆☆☆☆
200813.0756 of 84911.0%★☆☆☆☆
200718.7713 of 85216.3%★☆☆☆☆
200614.1724 of 82912.7%★☆☆☆☆
200519.1690 of 82316.2%★☆☆☆☆
200414.0710 of 80812.1%★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202426.714 of 156.7%★☆☆☆☆
201940.726 of 4339.5%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
20248.1655 of 6844.2%☆☆☆☆☆
20225.5592 of 5950.5%☆☆☆☆☆
201912.6699 of 7587.8%☆☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202410.7638 of 6836.6%☆☆☆☆☆
20224.4592 of 5940.3%☆☆☆☆☆
201918.9622 of 76418.6%★☆☆☆☆
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)
English Language Learner (2024)7th percentile-4 vs school
Male (2024)7th percentile-4 vs school
Female (2024)4th percentile-7 vs school
By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts14%-31 vs state
Science8%-28 vs state
Math6%-31 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Maxwell Elementary School

Students at Maxwell Elementary School are 83% Hispanic, 10% African American, 3% White, 2% Pacific Islander, 1% Two or more races.

Maxwell Elementary School ranks in the bottom 0.4% of Colorado elementary schools.

In the 2024-25 school year, 638 students attended Maxwell Elementary School.

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Latest Colorado data All new data »
2025–26 CMAS, PSAT10, PSAT9 & SAT test scoresNewAug 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.

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