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Foster Dual Language Pk-8

Q: Is Foster Dual Language Pk-8 a good school?

Foster Dual Language Pk-8 ranks 616 th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

616^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 35% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Foster Dual Language Pk-8 in Arvada, CO, serves 454 students in pre-K through 8th grade as part of the Jefferson County School District R-1, a 4-star district ranked 24th out of 115 in Colorado. The school's dual-language program and PK-8 structure make it one of the only nearby schools where students can stay on a continuous language pathway through middle school. About half of Foster's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing it in the middle of its immediate neighbors — less economically challenged than Lawrence Elementary or Secrest Elementary, but serving more low-income families than Mountain Phoenix Community School or Centennial A School for Expeditionary Learning.

Attendance is a clear bright spot. Foster's chronic absenteeism rate of 21.0% is well below the district average of 26.6% and the state average of 28.4%, and dramatically better than nearby Stevens Elementary School (44.0%), Swanson Elementary School (45.4%), or Tennyson Knolls Preparatory School. Foster also outperforms several nearby schools with higher poverty in both reading and math — including Ricardo Flores Magon Academy, where only 10.6% of students are proficient in ELA compared to Foster's 35.8%.

The main academic concern is a sharp drop after 4th grade. While Foster's 4th graders exceeded the state ELA average (57.1% vs. 47.0%), 5th grade falls to 29.8% and stays low through 8th. Economically disadvantaged students also face significant challenges, ranking at the 3rd percentile statewide. However, Foster has shown steady long-term improvement — moving from the 10th percentile in 2014–2015 to the 35th percentile in 2025–2026 — and its strong attendance provides a solid foundation for continued growth.

454

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,040

Per pupil spending ?

50.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Colorado receive free school meals.

98.1%

Kindergartners fully immunized against measles (MMR) (2025-26)

Exemptions: 0% (MMR)

5300 Saulsbury Court
Arvada, CO 80002-3744

(303) 982-1680

District: Jefferson County School District No. R-1

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

76.0%

White:

18.9%

Two or more races:

3.7%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Foster Dual Language Pk-8 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 10th percentile in 2015 → 35th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 25 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (28% vs 40% meeting standards)

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

!Math scores 14 pts below the Colorado average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school28%

District avg49%

Colorado avg40%

Elementary school

616^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 35%▲ up 19 pts since 2016

From bottom 16% (2016) to bottom 35% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

331^st of 476

Colorado public middle schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 9 pts since 2022

From bottom 40% (2022) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

69^th of 84Elementary Schools in the Jefferson County School District No. R-1

24^th of 114Jefferson County School District No. R-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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	30.5	616 of 946	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.7	590 of 950	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.2	673 of 943	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.7	632 of 933	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.8	640 of 921	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.2	856 of 965	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.4	782 of 917	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	15.1	801 of 929	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	16.8	770 of 914	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	13.5	840 of 938	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	15.9	827 of 962	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	26.0	739 of 954	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	30.8	681 of 935	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	22.2	747 of 935	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	22.3	749 of 925	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	13.7	769 of 872	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	15.4	733 of 849	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	11.3	767 of 852	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	5.7	790 of 829	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	7.4	766 of 823	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	10.4	731 of 808	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	33.5	436 of 695	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.2	499 of 694	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.9	593 of 684	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.6	442 of 642	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	9.7	726 of 758	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	26.3	517 of 690	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	27.7	196 of 251	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.4	198 of 247	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.0	226 of 242	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.5	188 of 197	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	28.1	106 of 153	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.9	255 of 270	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.2	149 of 172	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	11.8	314 of 322	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.2	317 of 365	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.8	285 of 308	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	22.9	526 of 697	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.5	483 of 700	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.9	539 of 683	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.1	564 of 649	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.8	638 of 764	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.1	587 of 693	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	24.6	331 of 476	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.8	302 of 469	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.0	353 of 485	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.6	270 of 448	39.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	29.8	245 of 368	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.1	220 of 347	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	24.9	181 of 231	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	21.7	287 of 372	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.4	260 of 352	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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

Female (2026)37th percentile~ school

Male (2026)25th percentile-10 vs school

Hispanic (2026)22nd percentile-13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)2nd percentile-32 vs school

Middle school

Female (2026)33rd percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)23rd percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)22nd percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts36%-9 vs state

Math23%-14 vs state

Science23%-13 vs state

2.7

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★1

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Our son has attended Foster for the last 3 years. He is currently in second grade. Each of his 3 teachers so far have quite either during or immediately after the end of the school year. As if the statistics don't say enough,the administration was nearly impossible to work with. Foster is ranked 95th out of 98 schools academically in the Jefferson County R-1 district. They also rank in the bottom 11 percent in the state of Colorado. I implore you to reconsider any thoughts of sending your child to this terribly underachieving school. We are in the last week of this school year and are counting the days until we can move our son to a different school. Had we known the magnitude of Foster's academic failure sooner our son would not have wasted as much time there as he did. Please do not make the same mistake we did. Do your research before you send your child to a school that will hold them back. Close Quote

by a parent
Sunday, August 10, 2014

Love the staff but did not have a good experience at all for my daughters class. They spent too much time correcting all the other students. The principal, asst. principal and other teachers had to be called to the room to help talk to the class over a dozen times. She did have fantastic teacher that would help my child excel by getting extra work for her or challenging her when possible. The other students were an issue swearing every other word being completely disrespectful to the whole class and the teacher. My daughter did not know any swear words and now knows them all plus some. I must say, the staff is wonderful, the principal is fantastic. They are extremely friendly and supportive. The school has fabulous before & after school programs!! Things like jump rope club, basketball, circus club, drama, crocheting, spanish etc. My kids loved the clubs and never missed one!! Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, October 16, 2012

The principal and community at Foster are exemplary. Foster offers a well established dual language program. Many of the children enter with Spanish as their first language. My first language English speaking daughters have learned a new language and that people in out community do not always look or speak exactly the same way as us. The focus is on academics rather then clicks. Foster has great after school clubs and a strong parent body. The leadership for the school is excellent. There are many gifted children who attend foster and are challenged by the second language. Close Quote

Schools Near Foster Dual Language Pk-8

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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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CMAS English Language Arts (2026)							CMAS Math (2026)							CMAS Science (2026)		Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners fully immunized against measles (MMR)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Foster Dual Language Pk-8	Public	PK, KG-8	5300 Saulsbury Court	Arvada	80002	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 982-1680	454	28	15.9	50.2%	86 (18.9%)	0 (0.0%)	345 (76.0%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.7%)	30.5	616^th of 946 public elementary schools	34.9%		32.7	590^th of 950 public elementary schools	37.9%	26	43.6	57.1	29.8	28.9	31.3	30.4	35.8	23.1	34.0	27.7	15.2	20.8	17.8	23.3	19.1	26.1	98.1%	0%	$18,040
Lawrence Elementary School	Public	K-5	5611 Zephyr Street	Arvada	80002	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 982-1825	412	26	15.7	73.8%	156 (37.9%)	9 (2.2%)	214 (51.9%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.6%)	31.2	608^th of 946 public elementary schools	35.7%		35	572^nd of 950 public elementary schools	39.8%	36	28.8	40.3	45.6				37.2	28.8	33.9	29.8				30.7	19.3		88.9%	11.1%	$18,075
Secrest Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6875 West 64th Avenue	Arvada	80003	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 982-0760	334	23	14.6	66.5%	148 (44.3%)	6 (1.8%)	141 (42.2%)	10 (3.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.4%)	17.7	778^th of 946 public elementary schools	17.8%		22.7	699^th of 950 public elementary schools	26.4%	79	28.2	23.7	30.8				27.6	23.1	18.4	17.9				19.8	20.5		68.3%	0%	$17,996
Stevens Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4001 Reed Street	Wheat Ridge	80033	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 982-2198	469	36	13.0	65.9%	216 (46.1%)	10 (2.1%)	223 (47.5%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	15 (3.2%)	24.5	685^th of 946 public elementary schools	27.6%		16.7	784^th of 950 public elementary schools	17.5%	99	22.5	34.3	45.3				33.7	16.9	19.7	20.3				18.9	33.3		88.3%	0%	$18,474
Peak Expeditionary - Pennington	Public	PK, KG-5	4645 Independence Street	Wheat Ridge	80033	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 982-2083	316	18	17.6	40.5%	184 (58.2%)	4 (1.3%)	106 (33.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.6%)	62.4	332^nd of 946 public elementary schools	64.9%		60.1	358^th of 950 public elementary schools	62.3%	26	61.2	44.4	58.8				54.5	61.2	45.3	37.3				47.7	36.0		93.9%	6.1%	$17,192
Centennial A School for Expeditionary Learning	Public	PK, KG-5	4665 Raleigh Street	Denver	80212	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-8900	477	27	17.5	27.9%	304 (63.7%)	9 (1.9%)	124 (26.0%)	4 (0.8%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (5.9%)	66.6	294^th of 946 public elementary schools	68.9%		72.4	252^nd of 950 public elementary schools	73.5%	42	50.8	66.7	57.1				58.4	43.1	44.1	47.7				44.9	47.0		96%	0%	$17,352
Swanson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6055 West 68th Avenue	Arvada	80003	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 982-0891	283	20	14.2	72.4%	104 (36.7%)	11 (3.9%)	149 (52.7%)	9 (3.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.8%)	6	937^th of 946 public elementary schools	1.0%		7.8	924^th of 950 public elementary schools	2.7%	13	12.2	10.0	14.3				12.2	713.0	704.0	702.0				6.5	10.0		78%	2.4%	$19,459
Mountain Phoenix Community School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	4725 Miller Street	Wheat Ridge	80033	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 728-9100	533	43	12.5	27.8%	407 (76.4%)	1 (0.2%)	85 (15.9%)	4 (0.8%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (6.2%)	32.1	597^th of 946 public elementary schools	36.9%		45.5	484^th of 950 public elementary schools	49.1%	113	19.3	44.9	45.8	40.4	59.5	60.0	42.9	7.1	14.3	35.4	25.5	33.3	56.7	26.1	39.6	40.0	72.6%	27.3%	$11,719
Tennyson Knolls Preparatory School	Public	PK, KG-8	6330 Tennyson Street	Arvada	80003	Adams County	Westminster Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 429-4090	364	21	17.1	88.5%	55 (15.1%)	8 (2.2%)	276 (75.8%)	15 (4.1%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.6%)	10.4	882^nd of 946 public elementary schools	6.8%		10.7	873^rd of 950 public elementary schools	8.1%	9	15.6	17.9	16.3	33.3	30.6	38.9	25.1	9.4	709.0	712.0	12.5	11.4	16.7	10.2	7.0	22.9	96.8%	3.2%	$19,549
Ricardo Flores Magon Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	5301 Lowell Boulevard	Denver	80221	Adams County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 412-7610	292	18	16.3	83.6%	9 (3.1%)	4 (1.4%)	277 (94.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)								(n/a)	13.0	7.7	710.0	721.0	11.1	17.1	10.6	707.0	705.0	701.0	702.0	707.0	702.0	2.6	689.0	7.3	65%	0%	$16,889

Frequently Asked Questions about Foster Dual Language Pk-8

Is Foster Dual Language Pk-8 a good school?

Foster Dual Language Pk-8 ranks 616^th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Foster Dual Language Pk-8 in?

Jefferson County School District No. R-1

What is the racial makeup of Foster Dual Language Pk-8?

Students at Foster Dual Language Pk-8 are 76% Hispanic, 19% White, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Foster Dual Language Pk-8?

In the 2024-25 school year, 454 students attended Foster Dual Language Pk-8.

Rate Foster Dual Language Pk-8!

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance dataOct 6, 2026

2025–26 CMAS, PSAT10, PSAT9 & SAT test scoresAug 19, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

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.