Turman Elementary School

Turman Elementary School is a small PK–5 school in Colorado Springs' Harrison School District No. 2, serving 185 students in a predominantly low-income community where about 72% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. With a student-teacher ratio of 10.5:1 — the lowest among nearby elementary schools — Turman offers small class sizes that allow for more individualized attention.

Academically, Turman had a breakout year in 2025-26. Its ELA proficiency jumped from 26.8% to 44.9%, essentially tying the state average (44.7%) and far exceeding the district average (32.8%). Math proficiency rose from 25.9% to 35.4%, close to the state average (37.3%) and well above the district (24.8%). Among nearby Harrison schools, only Soaring Eagles Community School posted higher math scores, and Turman outperformed schools like James Irwin Elementary School - Astrozon in both reading and math, despite having higher poverty and absenteeism rates. Turman's state ranking improved from 719th to 507th, its best showing since 2017-18. Upper-grade reading is a particular strength — 4th-grade ELA proficiency hit 53.6%, above the state — though 3rd-grade reading (33.3%) and upper-elementary math remain areas for growth.

Science is Turman's clearest weakness: only 14.3% of 5th graders were proficient, well below the district (22.0%) and state (36.1%), and it was the only subject that declined from the prior year. Chronic absenteeism affects 30.6% of students — better than the district average (33.1%) but above the state (28.4%) and much higher than top-performing neighbors like James Irwin (8.4%). The school's performance has been volatile over the years, so the key question is whether it can sustain this momentum. With small classes, strong literacy gains, and a supportive trajectory, Turman stands out as a relative bright spot in a low-performing district cluster, though targeted work in science and early literacy could push it even higher.