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Shelton Elementary School

Q: Is Shelton Elementary School a good school?

Shelton Elementary School ranks 398 th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

398^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 58% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Shelton Elementary School in Golden, CO serves 394 students in grades PK–5 and is part of Jefferson County School District R-1, a 4-star district ranked 24th out of 115 districts in Colorado. On the 2025-26 SchoolDigger state ranking, Shelton places in the 58th percentile (399th out of 943 Colorado elementary schools), earning a 3-star rating. That places it solidly above state averages in ELA, math, and science, but below district averages in all three subjects. What makes this notable is the neighborhood: seven of the ten nearby elementary schools rank in the 78th–97th percentile, making Shelton one of the lower-ranked schools in a high-performing cluster.

Academically, Shelton's proficiency rates trail the nearby average by double digits. In 2025-26, Shelton posted 47.0% proficiency in ELA and 43.6% in math, compared with nearby school averages of roughly 63.7% and 56.0%. Schools like Ralston Elementary (97th percentile) and Kyffin Elementary (96th percentile) post ELA scores in the high 70s to low 80s, while Hutchinson Elementary — which serves a similar demographic mix — still manages 62.5% ELA proficiency and a 78th percentile ranking. The recent decline is driven largely by a sharp drop in ELA, from 56.7% proficient in 2024-25 to 47.0% in 2025-26. Upper elementary grades are a particular concern, especially 5th grade math at 37.2% proficiency, ten points below the district average.

Shelton serves a more economically diverse student body than its high-performing neighbors — 36.8% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, versus single-digit rates at Ralston Elementary, Rooney Ranch Elementary, Red Rocks Elementary, and Kyffin Elementary. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 19.6% is better than the district (26.6%) and state (28.4%) averages, but roughly double the 7–11% rates at nearby high performers. The school does have a favorable student-teacher ratio of 14.2, better than most higher-ranked nearby schools. Subgroup results, however, show room for concern: low-income students rank in the 14th percentile statewide and gifted students in the 13th percentile. Shelton remains a solid, above-state-average school, but in a neighborhood of standout elementary schools, it is currently underperforming its potential.

394

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,852

Per pupil spending ?

36.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Colorado receive free school meals.

420 Crawford Street
Golden, CO 80401-4887

(303) 982-5686

District: Jefferson County School District No. R-1

Students who attend Shelton Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Bell Middle School
High:	Golden High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.3%

Hispanic:

22.8%

Asian:

4.3%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Shelton Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 80th percentile in 2016 → 58th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Colorado median (58th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg49%

Colorado avg41%

398^th of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Top 42%▼ down 22 pts since 2016

From top 20% (2016) to top 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

51^st 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	55.2	398 of 946	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.9	277 of 950	70.8%	★★★★☆
2024	62.2	341 of 943	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.9	271 of 933	71.0%	★★★★☆
2022	63.6	308 of 921	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.0	238 of 710	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.3	302 of 965	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.3	283 of 917	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	83.6	119 of 929	87.2%	★★★★☆
2016	76.2	181 of 914	80.2%	★★★★☆
2015	83.3	130 of 938	86.1%	★★★★☆
2014	64.0	342 of 962	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	62.1	374 of 954	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	71.8	263 of 935	71.9%	★★★★☆
2011	69.6	292 of 935	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	65.5	340 of 925	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	45.8	519 of 872	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	55.8	420 of 849	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	54.8	432 of 852	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	55.5	401 of 829	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	61.6	347 of 823	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2004	57.5	377 of 808	53.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	46.1	357 of 695	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.5	310 of 694	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.2	405 of 684	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.8	266 of 642	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.4	273 of 595	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.5	207 of 351	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.5	327 of 758	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.1	319 of 690	53.8%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	28.4	104 of 120	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	71.5	20 of 82	75.6%	★★★★☆
2019	29.4	97 of 110	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	51.1	54 of 84	35.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	22.1	276 of 322	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	38.8	204 of 337	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.6	240 of 365	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.6	227 of 265	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	54.3	131 of 332	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.8	162 of 308	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	46.7	351 of 697	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	70.6	183 of 700	73.9%	★★★★☆
2024	63.8	233 of 683	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.3	222 of 649	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.4	253 of 594	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.2	161 of 352	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.6	222 of 764	70.9%	★★★★☆
2018	64.7	199 of 693	71.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	40.7	336 of 547	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.6	303 of 551	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	60.3	215 of 539	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.3	194 of 525	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.8	243 of 454	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.4	169 of 288	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.2	309 of 596	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.3	142 of 337	57.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

Male (2026)50th percentile-8 vs school

Female (2026)49th percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)39th percentile-19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)14th percentile-44 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)13th percentile-45 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts47%~ state avg

Math44%+6 vs state

Science40%+4 vs state

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Schools Near Shelton 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/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	Total
Shelton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	420 Crawford Street	Golden	80401	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-5686	394	28	14.2	36.8%	265 (67.3%)	3 (0.8%)	90 (22.8%)	17 (4.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.3%)	55.2	398^th of 946 public elementary schools	57.9%		68.9	277^th of 950 public elementary schools	70.8%	121	46.9	45.9	48.1				47.0	47.6	47.5	37.2				43.6	40.5		$17,852
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
Mitchell Elementary School	Public	K-5	200 Rubey Drive	Golden	80403	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-5874	478	24	19.8	11.1%	403 (84.3%)	4 (0.8%)	34 (7.1%)	16 (3.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.2%)	92.1	54^th of 946 public elementary schools	94.3%		93.8	37^th of 950 public elementary schools	96.1%	17	71.2	71.3	86.9				76.6	61.6	66.7	69.0				66.0	72.6		$16,244
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
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
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
Ralston Elementary School	Public	K-5	25856 Columbine Glen	Golden	80401	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-4386	289	17	17.1	3.1%	243 (84.1%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (6.2%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (8.3%)	95.2	26^th of 946 public elementary schools	97.3%		95.4	25^th of 950 public elementary schools	97.4%	1	77.6	76.2	87.0				80.1	64.9	73.8	84.4				73.6	80.0		$18,181
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
Rooney Ranch Elementary School	Public	K-5	2200 South Coors Street	Lakewood	80228	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-9620	492	29	16.8	7.3%	404 (82.1%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (11.0%)	13 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.1%)	90.6	64^th of 946 public elementary schools	93.2%		89.1	82^nd of 950 public elementary schools	91.4%	18	73.0	76.4	75.6				75.1	63.5	68.5	62.2				64.8	62.2		$17,139
Hutchinson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	12900 West Utah Avenue	Lakewood	80228	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-9561	328	22	14.7	23.5%	255 (77.7%)	3 (0.9%)	45 (13.7%)	6 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (5.5%)	76.3	208^th of 946 public elementary schools	78.0%		74.8	228^th of 950 public elementary schools	76.0%	20	51.1	75.0	60.5				62.5	55.6	58.8	52.3				55.7	44.2		$17,175

Frequently Asked Questions about Shelton Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Shelton Elementary School?

Students at Shelton Elementary School are 67% White, 23% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Shelton Elementary School in?

Jefferson County School District No. R-1

How many students attend Shelton Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 394 students attended Shelton Elementary School.

Is Shelton Elementary School a good school?

Shelton Elementary School ranks 398^th of 946 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Shelton Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Shelton 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 attendance dataNewOct 6, 2026

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

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.