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Welchester Elementary School

Q: Is Welchester Elementary School a good school?

Welchester Elementary School ranks 457 th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

457^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 52% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Welchester Elementary School in Golden, CO, serves 293 students in grades PK-5 and is part of the Jefferson County School District No. R-1, a 4-star district ranked 24th out of 115 in Colorado. The school itself currently holds a 3-star rating, ranking 457th out of 943 Colorado elementary schools (52nd percentile) in the 2025–2026 school year. About 72% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student-teacher ratio is 15.2.

The most notable story at Welchester Elementary School is its steady climb. In 2018–2019, the school ranked in the 2nd percentile with a 0-star rating. Since then, it has risen nearly every year—from the 15th percentile in 2020–2021 to the 52nd percentile today. Math proficiency has more than doubled, jumping from 17.9% in 2022–2023 to 35.4% in 2025–2026, with a peak of 39.2% the year before. Fifth-grade science has surged from 14.7% to 40.6%, now above the state average, and ELA proficiency (44.2%) essentially matches the state average (44.7%). Welchester also outperforms nearby schools with similar poverty levels: Slater Elementary (72.5% FRL) sits 150 places lower in the state rankings, and Eiber Elementary (75.7% FRL) ranks 823rd, with ELA proficiency nearly 20 points lower than Welchester's.

Grade-level results show a clear bright spot in 5th grade, where math proficiency (53.1%) beats the state average (39.3%) and science exceeds it as well. Fourth grade, however, is the school's biggest challenge, with math proficiency at just 19% compared to the state's 39%. Chronic absenteeism (29.2%) has improved but remains above district and state averages, and top-performing nearby schools like Dennison Elementary, Kyffin Elementary, and Maple Grove Elementary all have far lower rates. For parents, Welchester is a school clearly on the rise: it's beating the odds for a high-poverty school, closing toward state averages, and showing that students can reach strong proficiency by 5th grade. The 4th-grade dip and absenteeism are the areas to watch as the school continues its upward trend.

293

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,432

Per pupil spending ?

72.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13000 West 10th Avenue
Golden, CO 80401-4202

(303) 982-7342

District: Jefferson County School District No. R-1

Students who attend Welchester Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Bell Middle School
High:	Golden High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.6%

Hispanic:

34.8%

African American:

5.1%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Welchester Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 33rd percentile in 2016 → 52nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 19 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Colorado median (52nd percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg49%

Colorado avg41%

457^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Top 48%▲ up 19 pts since 2016

From bottom 33% (2016) to top 48% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

59^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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	46.8	457 of 946	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.3	532 of 950	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.6	583 of 943	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.6	585 of 933	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.3	652 of 921	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.8	603 of 710	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	7.4	942 of 965	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.6	733 of 917	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	23.5	701 of 929	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	29.6	613 of 914	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	32.7	596 of 938	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	28.7	712 of 962	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	37.6	637 of 954	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	30.8	683 of 935	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	45.1	559 of 935	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	44.3	558 of 925	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.1	528 of 872	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	34.2	604 of 849	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	25.5	666 of 852	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	29.4	627 of 829	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	44.3	507 of 823	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	36.6	549 of 808	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	54.7	282 of 694	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	17.1	598 of 690	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2018	25.5	257 of 308	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	29.5	466 of 700	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	15.5	603 of 693	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	40.4	339 of 551	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	12.5	316 of 337	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)59th percentile+15 vs school

White (2025)38th percentile-6 vs school

Male (2025)33rd percentile-11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2018)17th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts44%~ state avg

Science41%+4 vs state

Math35%~ state avg

2.1

7 ratings · 6 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★5

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, May 19, 2022

The PK program has been excellent. My child has thrived and her teachers clearly care for her wellbeing, both academically and emotionally. Close Quote

by a teacher
Saturday, February 8, 2020

The culture and community at this school initially presents as positive and growing. The truth of matter is there is a lot of undercurrents of blame, negativity and compliance aimed at the teachers. Teachers are expected to manage students behaviors that have been tolerated for years. This creates an extremely stressful environment where many teachers don't feel that their voice is being heard, concerns taken seriously or given support and encouragement in improving the environment for students and teachers alike. There is a high turnover rate of teachers at this school. I don't think the principal has had any experience directly teaching in a classroom and therefore doesn't really understand how to effectively lead, support and encourage staff and students. Administration seems more concerned with how they look in reviews and on academic growth rather than understanding that the social, emotional and behavior goals must be addressed before student learning and growth can take place. Close Quote

by a teacher
Monday, September 2, 2019

Go to another school Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, April 17, 2017

Students are harassed by other children and by teachers constantly. The principal does nothing about it. The school has zero communication unless it is for money then you will get calls texts and emails. My child was injured very badly at this school and I didn't even get a call. My child told me later on. The principal needs to be replaced she has no business there. This used to be a great school. Even parents don't want to be involved in the school because of the staff. Pretty sad. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Welchester's current principal has little to no effective communications skills. When things get out of hand, or when called on her lack of communication, she uses the district bureaucracy as a bludgeon.

What was once a great neighborhood school has become little more than a shadow of its former self. Close Quote

by a parent
Saturday, March 30, 2013

Welchester is a horrible school. The principal needs to be replaced. He is rude and does NOT care about the students. If you want your child to succeed then don't send them to this school. I would give this school negative stars if I could. Close Quote

Schools Near Welchester 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
Welchester Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	13000 West 10th Avenue	Golden	80401	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 982-7342	293	19	15.2	72.4%	154 (52.6%)	15 (5.1%)	102 (34.8%)	4 (1.4%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (5.1%)	46.8	457^th of 946 public elementary schools	51.7%		39.3	532^nd of 950 public elementary schools	44.0%	75	43.6	33.3	59.4				44.2	38.5	19.0	53.1				35.4	40.6		$19,432
Kyffin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	205 North Flora Way	Golden	80401	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-5760	503	29	17.5	10.5%	406 (80.7%)	1 (0.2%)	50 (9.9%)	14 (2.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.0%)	93.6	40^th of 946 public elementary schools	95.8%		95.3	28^th of 950 public elementary schools	97.1%	12	78.0	74.4	81.4				78.0	68.7	67.9	81.2				72.8	61.9		$17,291
Stober Elementary School	Public	K-5	2300 Urban Street	Lakewood	80215	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-7610	348	22	15.8	27.6%	242 (69.5%)	2 (0.6%)	79 (22.7%)	7 (2.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.6%)	73	229^th of 946 public elementary schools	75.8%		68.4	283^rd of 950 public elementary schools	70.2%	54	51.2	65.6	63.8				61.3	53.7	48.3	45.8				48.8	52.5		$18,053
Free Horizon Montessori	Public	PK, KG-8	15920 W 10th Ave	Golden	80401	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-5921	382	21	18.3	24.1%	285 (74.6%)	1 (0.3%)	64 (16.8%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (7.1%)	48.9	441^st of 946 public elementary schools	53.4%		46.4	475^th of 950 public elementary schools	50.0%	34	35.5	44.4	50.0				42.0	35.5	38.9	41.2				36.2	44.1		$17,299
Maple Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3085 Alkire Street	Golden	80401	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-5808	390	23	16.8	13.6%	335 (85.9%)	2 (0.5%)	37 (9.5%)	6 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	8 (2.1%)	86.4	113^th of 946 public elementary schools	88.1%		87.2	109^th of 950 public elementary schools	88.5%	4	58.5	70.6	80.0				70.7	64.2	66.7	57.1				62.5	53.6		$15,929
Foothills Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	13165 West Ohio Avenue	Lakewood	80228	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 982-9324	363	28	13.1	60.6%	168 (46.3%)	14 (3.9%)	144 (39.7%)	17 (4.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.2%)	29	633^rd of 946 public elementary schools	33.1%		28.6	629^th of 950 public elementary schools	33.8%	4	56.3	20.7	30.2				34.9	38.3	16.1	30.2				27.4	14.3		$17,993
Eiber Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1385 Independence Street	Lakewood	80215	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 982-6406	255	19	13.1	75.7%	42 (16.5%)	16 (6.3%)	166 (65.1%)	3 (1.2%)	5 (2.0%)	8 (3.1%)	15 (5.9%)	14.2	826^th of 946 public elementary schools	12.7%		15	808^th of 950 public elementary schools	14.9%	18	26.3	36.0	15.6				25.0	17.6	22.5	9.1				16.8	12.1		$20,111
Dennison Elementary School	Public	K-6	401 Independence Street	Lakewood	80226	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-6382	575	27	21.5	12.7%	384 (66.8%)	3 (0.5%)	80 (13.9%)	64 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	43 (7.5%)	99	3^rd of 946 public elementary schools	99.7%		99	4^th of 950 public elementary schools	99.6%	1	84.0	96.7	92.4				90.9	85.1	94.4	87.0				88.8	84.8		$16,508
Prospect Valley Elementary School	Public	K-5	3400 Pierson Street	Wheat Ridge	80033	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-7535	583	33	17.8	29.3%	425 (72.9%)	4 (0.7%)	113 (19.4%)	8 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	30 (5.1%)	75.2	216^th of 946 public elementary schools	77.2%		72.3	254^th of 950 public elementary schools	73.3%	38	57.7	64.2	63.5				61.7	58.7	55.9	40.4				51.5	52.0		$17,919
South Lakewood Elementary School	Public	K-5	8425 West 1st Avenue	Lakewood	80226	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-7325	393	27	14.7	54.5%	172 (43.8%)	16 (4.1%)	173 (44.0%)	7 (1.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.1%)	37.1	551^st of 946 public elementary schools	41.8%		52.3	431^st of 950 public elementary schools	54.6%	120	41.4	47.5	37.9				42.4	29.3	40.0	31.0				33.5	17.2		$17,820

Frequently Asked Questions about Welchester Elementary School

What district is Welchester Elementary School in?

Jefferson County School District No. R-1

What is the racial makeup of Welchester Elementary School?

Students at Welchester Elementary School are 53% White, 35% Hispanic, 5% African American, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Welchester Elementary School a good school?

Welchester Elementary School ranks 457^th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Welchester Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 293 students attended Welchester Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Welchester Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Welchester Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bell Middle School
High : Golden High 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.