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Denver Language School

Public, Charter Grades K-8
149th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 950 Colorado Elementary Schools
Better than 84% of Colorado elementary schools
Summary

Denver Language School is a public charter elementary and middle school serving 924 students in grades K-8 in the School District No. 1 in Denver, Colorado. The school has consistently ranked in the top 20-25% of Colorado elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Denver Language School significantly outperforms the district and state averages on CMAS tests across all grade levels and subjects. In 2024-2025, 64.8% of Denver Language School students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 41.9% for the district and 44.8% for the state. In math, 65.6% of Denver Language School students were proficient or better, compared to 32.9% for the district and 35.9% for the state. The school also excels in serving its diverse student population, ranking in the top 25 Colorado elementary schools for Hispanic students and top 5 for multi-racial students in recent years.

When compared to other nearby schools in the same district, Steck Elementary also performs well and ranks in the top 10% of Colorado elementary schools. However, other nearby schools like Ashley Elementary, Montclair School of Academics and Enrichment, and McMeen Elementary struggle to match Denver Language School's academic outcomes. The school's success can be attributed to a combination of factors, including its academic focus, effective teaching practices, and relatively advantaged student demographics.

930
Students ?
16.1
Student/teacher ratio ?
$13,312
Per pupil spending ?
20.6%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 451 Newport Street
       Denver, CO  80220-6019

(303) 557-0852

District: School District No. 1

Racial breakdown:

White:
41.0%
Hispanic:
30.8%
Two or more races:
17.0%
more
 See top rated Colorado elementary schools

 Compare Denver Language School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Improving — 72nd percentile in 2015 → 84th in 2025
Strengths
Test scores above the Colorado average (66% vs 40% meeting standards)
Ranks in the top 16% of Colorado elementary schools
Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2015
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school66%
District avg36%
Colorado avg40%
Elementary school
149th of 950
Colorado public elementary schools ?
Top 16%▲ up 13 pts since 2015
From top 28% (2015) to top 16% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
Middle school
20th of 469
Colorado public middle schools ?
Top 4%▲ up 7 pts since 2016
From top 12% (2016) to top 4% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
19th of 99Elementary Schools in the School District No. 1
76th 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202582.2149 of 95084.3%★★★★☆
202475.5205 of 94378.3%★★★★☆
202380.0166 of 93382.2%★★★★☆
202283.4127 of 92186.2%★★★★☆
202179.7158 of 71077.7%★★★★☆
201985.4114 of 96588.2%★★★★☆
201880.6164 of 91782.1%★★★★☆
201777.1190 of 92979.5%★★★★☆
201661.1313 of 91465.8%★★★☆☆
201567.7265 of 93871.7%★★★★☆
201467.2306 of 96268.2%★★★☆☆
201365.7334 of 95465.0%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202578.8115 of 69483.4%★★★★☆
202467.9200 of 68470.8%★★★★☆
202372.9156 of 64275.7%★★★★☆
202272.2144 of 59575.8%★★★★☆
202168.5123 of 35165.0%★★★☆☆
201980.8112 of 75885.2%★★★★☆
201872.2162 of 69076.5%★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202527.7108 of 1199.2%★☆☆☆☆
202432.179 of 9113.2%★☆☆☆☆
202373.217 of 8279.3%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202583.022 of 24791.1%★★★★★
202471.852 of 24278.5%★★★★☆
202384.317 of 19791.4%★★★★★
202280.511 of 15392.8%★★★★★
202181.55 of 3083.3%★★★★☆
201992.94 of 27098.5%★★★★★
201871.532 of 17281.4%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202462.4114 of 36568.8%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202574.5156 of 70077.7%★★★★☆
202469.6189 of 68372.3%★★★★☆
202374.4144 of 64977.8%★★★★☆
202282.286 of 59485.5%★★★★☆
202175.199 of 35271.9%★★★★☆
201982.4103 of 76486.5%★★★★☆
201877.5132 of 69381.0%★★★★☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202583.71 of 887.5%★★★★★
202471.24 of 633.3%★★★☆☆
202381.11 of 785.7%★★★★★
202287.21 of 250.0%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202570.3139 of 55174.8%★★★★☆
202469.4139 of 53974.2%★★★★☆
202372.2123 of 52576.6%★★★★☆
202275.894 of 45479.3%★★★★☆
202162.8117 of 28859.4%★★★☆☆
201976.2106 of 59682.2%★★★★☆
201872.879 of 33776.6%★★★★☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202594.920 of 46995.7%★★★★★
202482.268 of 48586.0%★★★★☆
202392.429 of 48094.0%★★★★★
202292.525 of 44894.4%★★★★★
202184.243 of 36988.3%★★★★☆
201986.547 of 45889.7%★★★★☆
201788.040 of 42490.6%★★★★★
201683.246 of 40088.5%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202589.328 of 34791.9%★★★★★
202470.988 of 35074.9%★★★★☆
202387.436 of 36390.1%★★★★★
202288.129 of 32691.1%★★★★★
202184.525 of 25490.2%★★★★★
201980.454 of 35284.7%★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202570.429 of 13278.0%★★★★☆
202459.063 of 12650.0%★★★☆☆
202375.320 of 12584.0%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202596.17 of 21896.8%★★★★★
202478.923 of 19988.4%★★★★☆
202394.88 of 19896.0%★★★★★
201982.424 of 22089.1%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202594.916 of 35295.5%★★★★★
202486.138 of 35789.4%★★★★☆
202390.827 of 35692.4%★★★★★
202291.020 of 32893.9%★★★★★
202171.954 of 24978.3%★★★★☆
201983.944 of 34387.2%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202592.812 of 27595.6%★★★★★
202478.545 of 27383.5%★★★★☆
202384.929 of 28689.9%★★★★★
202284.132 of 26587.9%★★★★☆
202177.133 of 20383.7%★★★★☆
201981.634 of 28388.0%★★★★☆
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)
Elementary school
Hispanic (2025)91st percentile+7 vs school
Multi-racial (2025)88th percentile+3 vs school
Female (2025)83rd percentile~ school
Male (2025)78th percentile-7 vs school
White (2025)75th percentile-10 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2024)69th percentile-9 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2025)9th percentile-75 vs school
Middle school
Hispanic (2025)97th percentile~ school
White (2025)96th percentile~ school
Male (2025)95th percentile~ school
Female (2025)92nd percentile-4 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2025)78th percentile-18 vs school
By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?
Science69%+31 vs state
Math66%+30 vs state
English Language Arts65%+20 vs state

1.0
1 rating · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a parent
Thursday, September 24, 2020

Open Quote Please take a look at this charter schools waiver on file with DPS. The Denver Language School has very little accountability to their promise of language immersion. They have waived their responsibility to hire teachers and administrators that are qualified to Colorado public school standards. They have no obligation to support SPED or GT students in the immersion program. DLS’s charter allows them to operate without transparency or accountability to students, teachers, parents, and DPS. Review the board documents on the DLS website and you will begin to see that this school has broad and deep institutional disfunction. There is a huge problem with student attrition and staff turnover that is beyond the norm for an immersion program. The teachers are not appropriately qualified or supported and basic classroom management is not attainable. The pedagogical strategy and curriculum at DLS is overly reliant on worksheets and devices. The police and ambulances have come to this school because of teachers hitting children. Ask questions, ask follow up questions, and verify the information given to you from this school. It will become clear that DLS has been and continues to fail at delivering on its promises. Above all, if your child is struggling or telling you concerning things BELIEVE THEM!! Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Denver Language School

In the 2024-25 school year, 930 students attended Denver Language School.

Denver Language School ranks 149th of 950 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Denver Language School are 41% White, 31% Hispanic, 17% Two or more races, 7% Asian, 4% African American.

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Latest Colorado data All new data »
2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026
2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 13, 2026
2024–25 attendance dataAug 27, 2025
2024–25 CMAS, PSAT10, PSAT9 & SAT test scoresAug 21, 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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