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Cougar Run Elementary School

Public Grades K-6

89^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 943 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 91% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Cougar Run Elementary School, a K-6 school serving 392 students in Highlands Ranch, CO, is part of the Douglas County School District RE-1 and currently ranks 89th of 943 Colorado elementary schools, placing it in the 91st percentile with a 5-star rating for the 2025-2026 school year. The school consistently outperforms district and state averages in both English Language Arts and math. ELA is a clear strength, with 74.1% of students proficient compared to 63.8% districtwide and 44.7% statewide. Math proficiency also impresses at 60.5%, well above the state average of 37.3%, and has climbed significantly from 44.7% in 2022-2023.

Despite these strengths, there are a few areas worth knowing about. Fifth-grade math stands out as a weak spot: only 50.0% of 5th graders were proficient in math, compared to 68.6% in 4th grade and 88.1% in 5th-grade ELA — a striking 38-point gap. Chronic absenteeism affects 13.9% of students, which is better than the district (16.6%) and state (28.4%) averages, but roughly double the rate at nearby Summit View Elementary School (6.3%) and Bear Canyon Elementary School (6.5%). The school also shows stronger results for female students than male students, a pattern worth exploring.

Cougar Run serves a somewhat more economically diverse population than many neighbors, with 20.7% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch — higher than schools like Redstone Elementary School (9.6%) and Heritage Elementary School (10.1%). Even so, its ELA scores are competitive with those top-tier schools, and it outperforms several nearby schools, including Summit View Elementary School and Fox Creek Elementary School, in both subjects. Where the school trails is math: Platte River Charter Academy, Redstone Elementary School, Bear Canyon Elementary School, Northridge Elementary School, and Heritage Elementary School all post notably higher math proficiency. With a steady upward trend in its statewide ranking over the past several years, Cougar Run is a strong, improving school. Closing the 5th-grade math gap and reducing absenteeism could push it into the very highest tier of Colorado elementary schools.

392

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,412

Per pupil spending ?

20.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8780 Venneford Ranch Road
Highlands Ranch, CO 80126-5046

(303) 387-6675

District: Douglas County School District No. Re 1

Students who attend Cougar Run Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Cresthill Middle School
High:	Highlands Ranch High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

68.6%

Hispanic:

18.1%

Two or more races:

7.7%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Cougar Run Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 81st percentile in 2016 → 91st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (67% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of Colorado elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school67%

District avg60%

Colorado avg41%

89^th of 943

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Top 9%▲ up 10 pts since 2016

From top 19% (2016) to top 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

19^th of 58Elementary Schools in the Douglas County School District No. Re 1

6^th of 115Douglas County School District No. Re 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	88.3	89 of 943	90.6%	★★★★★
2025	87.3	108 of 950	88.6%	★★★★☆
2024	84.3	130 of 943	86.2%	★★★★☆
2023	77.7	184 of 933	80.3%	★★★★☆
2022	82.2	142 of 921	84.6%	★★★★☆
2021	81.4	139 of 710	80.4%	★★★★☆
2019	83.4	132 of 965	86.3%	★★★★☆
2018	81.4	155 of 917	83.1%	★★★★☆
2017	77.8	182 of 929	80.4%	★★★★☆
2016	76.8	175 of 914	80.9%	★★★★☆
2015	83.0	133 of 938	85.8%	★★★★☆
2014	82.7	142 of 962	85.2%	★★★★☆
2013	85.5	111 of 954	88.4%	★★★★☆
2012	85.5	105 of 935	88.8%	★★★★☆
2011	83.3	131 of 935	86.0%	★★★★☆
2010	82.1	142 of 925	84.6%	★★★★☆
2009	76.9	187 of 872	78.6%	★★★★☆
2008	79.7	148 of 849	82.6%	★★★★☆
2007	78.8	150 of 852	82.4%	★★★★☆
2006	75.7	181 of 829	78.2%	★★★★☆
2005	80.7	122 of 823	85.2%	★★★★☆
2004	83.7	111 of 808	86.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	87.7	57 of 692	91.8%	★★★★★
2025	86.3	70 of 694	89.9%	★★★★★
2024	79.1	116 of 684	83.0%	★★★★☆
2023	76.5	128 of 642	80.1%	★★★★☆
2022	84.1	72 of 595	87.9%	★★★★☆
2021	76.9	85 of 351	75.8%	★★★★☆
2019	80.5	115 of 758	84.8%	★★★★☆
2018	70.3	176 of 690	74.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	76.1	146 of 694	79.0%	★★★★☆
2025	77.9	133 of 700	81.0%	★★★★☆
2024	78.6	124 of 683	81.8%	★★★★☆
2023	63.5	214 of 649	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.1	197 of 594	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.3	147 of 352	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.4	171 of 764	77.6%	★★★★☆
2018	78.7	128 of 693	81.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	66.8	168 of 546	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	74.6	110 of 551	80.0%	★★★★☆
2024	71.5	123 of 539	77.2%	★★★★☆
2023	69.1	144 of 525	72.6%	★★★★☆
2022	73.8	102 of 454	77.5%	★★★★☆
2021	69.5	96 of 288	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.1	146 of 596	75.5%	★★★★☆

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)

Female (2026)92nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)79th percentile-12 vs school

White (2026)69th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts74%+29 vs state

Math60%+23 vs state

Science60%+23 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Horrible bullying at this school. It was brought to the attention of the staff and they did nothing to stop it. These classrooms are overpacked. Although we did have a couple very pleasant teachers for my older child, one of the teachers we did have for my younger child for Kindergarten was TERRIBLE. I was tempted to pull my student out of school because the teacher was so unprofessional. She lost my child about 3 times! I don't understand how that even happens... My kindergarten student was scarred for life from the neglect of the staff. The Kindergarten teacher even forgot about my student during the graduation ceremony and it broke his heart. We ended up moving out of Highlands Ranch to get our children into a better school. If it weren't for the horrible experiences we witnessed at this school we would still be living in the community. The principle is very cold and seems to hate his job/role at this school. When I would inquire about questions or explanations of events that transpired here he would act like I was wasting his time and never answered my questions. I DO NOT recommend this school to anyone! They also forcibly held down my kindergartner for 2+ minutes and when I wanted to review the videotapes they refused. Seems like there are some very questionable staff members there that are harming/abusing the children without the parents knowledge. Very scary world we live in. If you want to keep your children safe, I do not recommend this school. Close Quote

Schools Near Cougar Run 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
Cougar Run Elementary School	Public	K-6	8780 Venneford Ranch Road	Highlands Ranch	80126	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 387-6675	392	25	15.6	20.7%	269 (68.6%)	6 (1.5%)	71 (18.1%)	15 (3.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.7%)	88.3	89^th of 943 public elementary schools	90.6%		87.3	108^th of 950 public elementary schools	88.6%	19	66.7	68.6	88.1	75.6			74.1	64.7	68.6	50.0	56.1			60.5	59.5		$22,412
Platte River Charter Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	4085 Lark Sparrow St.	Highlands Ranch	80126	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 221-1070	475	34	14.1	4.0%	321 (67.6%)	6 (1.3%)	36 (7.6%)	61 (12.8%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (10.1%)	96.4	18^th of 943 public elementary schools	98.1%		92.3	49^th of 950 public elementary schools	94.8%	31	80.8	90.0	78.8	66.0	81.6	83.0	80.0	86.3	90.0	84.6	66.0	68.0	78.7	79.0	76.9	70.2	$10,205
Sand Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	8898 South Maplewood Drive	Highlands Ranch	80126	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 387-6600	322	24	13.5	27.3%	203 (63.0%)	6 (1.9%)	58 (18.0%)	24 (7.5%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (9.0%)	68.3	279^th of 943 public elementary schools	70.4%		77	211^th of 950 public elementary schools	77.8%	68	48.5	70.4	50.0	59.4			56.2	54.3	70.4	42.1	65.6			56.8	28.6		$21,285
Heritage Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3350 Summit View Parkway	Highlands Ranch	80126	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 387-6725	377	26	14.4	10.1%	253 (67.1%)	3 (0.8%)	63 (16.7%)	28 (7.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.7%)	94.9	28^th of 943 public elementary schools	97.0%		95.9	19^th of 950 public elementary schools	98.0%	9	68.3	75.0	79.4	86.8			77.1	70.7	75.0	72.7	76.3			73.7	72.7		$19,000
Summit View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	10200 South Piedmont Drive	Highlands Ranch	80126	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 387-6800	350	24	14.6	10.0%	239 (68.3%)	5 (1.4%)	55 (15.7%)	20 (5.7%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (8.3%)	81.9	161^st of 943 public elementary schools	82.9%		91.3	60^th of 950 public elementary schools	93.7%	101	53.5	73.5	66.7	73.6			66.9	53.5	67.6	45.7	54.5			55.1	54.3		$19,867
Northridge Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	555 South Park Road	Highlands Ranch	80126	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 387-6525	560	37	15.3	15.4%	353 (63.0%)	8 (1.4%)	74 (13.2%)	78 (13.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	46 (8.2%)	90.5	65^th of 943 public elementary schools	93.1%		92.9	46^th of 950 public elementary schools	95.2%	19	56.5	82.4	86.4	72.6			75.3	67.2	62.4	69.8	50.0			62.4	76.6		$17,633
Fox Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	6585 Collegiate Drive	Highlands Ranch	80130	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 387-7000	436	29	15.0	17.7%	311 (71.3%)	5 (1.1%)	64 (14.7%)	17 (3.9%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	34 (7.8%)	83.4	144^th of 943 public elementary schools	84.7%		79.5	181^st of 950 public elementary schools	80.9%	37	67.4	73.8	65.0	76.5			70.7	50.0	53.8	57.6	53.1			53.9	59.3		$18,200
Arrowwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	10345 Arrowwood Drive	Highlands Ranch	80130	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 387-6875	390	25	15.8	22.3%	248 (63.6%)	7 (1.8%)	80 (20.5%)	23 (5.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.9%)	76	209^th of 943 public elementary schools	77.8%		68.8	279^th of 950 public elementary schools	70.6%	70	58.5	63.2	71.8	62.2			63.8	56.1	76.3	56.4	40.0			56.4	30.8		$18,608
Bear Canyon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	9660 Salford Lane	Highlands Ranch	80126	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 387-6475	368	23	16.0	12.8%	278 (75.5%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (13.3%)	15 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (7.1%)	92.8	44^th of 943 public elementary schools	95.3%		94.7	32^nd of 950 public elementary schools	96.6%	12	64.4	76.1	89.7	82.9			77.8	84.4	60.9	73.8	58.5			69.5	61.5		$17,076
Redstone Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	9970 Glenstone Circle	Highlands Ranch	80130	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 387-7300	398	28	14.4	9.5%	262 (65.8%)	4 (1.0%)	50 (12.6%)	52 (13.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.3%)	95.6	23^rd of 943 public elementary schools	97.6%		95.4	27^th of 950 public elementary schools	97.2%	4	68.7	78.5	86.7				77.6	76.8	74.2	76.7				75.9	75.0		$18,971

Frequently Asked Questions about Cougar Run Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Cougar Run Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Cougar Run Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cresthill Middle School
High : Highlands Ranch High School

What is the racial makeup of Cougar Run Elementary School?

Students at Cougar Run Elementary School are 69% White, 18% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 2% African American.

What district is Cougar Run Elementary School in?

Douglas County School District No. Re 1

Is Cougar Run Elementary School a good school?

Yes. Cougar Run Elementary School ranks in the top 9.4% of Colorado elementary schools.

How many students attend Cougar Run Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 392 students attended Cougar Run Elementary School.

Rate Cougar Run Elementary School!

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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.