Soda Creek Elementary School

Soda Creek Elementary School in Steamboat Springs, CO, is a PK-5 school serving 379 students in the Steamboat Springs School District RE-2, with a strong statewide reputation that has kept it in the top quartile of Colorado elementary schools every year since 2016. The school has earned 4- or 5-star ratings in every recorded year and ranks 153rd out of 943 Colorado elementary schools (84th percentile) in 2025-26.

Math is the school's standout subject. In 2025-26, Soda Creek posted 60.2% proficiency in math on the CMAS, well above the district average of 55.9% and far above the state average of 37.3%. This continues a positive trend: the school's math proficiency has climbed from 45.7% in 2022-23 to 60.2% today, going from trailing its district to leading it by more than 4 points. Chronic absenteeism is another strength at just 12.2%, compared with 17.9% for the district and 28.4% statewide — only Strawberry Park Elementary School has better attendance among nearby schools. Compared with neighbors, Soda Creek outpaces Sleeping Giant School in both ELA and math, and beats Steamboat Montessori in math (60.2% vs. 56.3%), though North Routt Community Charter School edges it out in both subjects.

The school's clearest area for improvement is 5th grade. Science proficiency sits at 50%, well below the district's 60.4% and far behind Strawberry Park Elementary School's 74.1%. Math also drops sharply in 5th grade, falling from 63.8% in 3rd grade and 64.7% in 4th grade to 46.2% in 5th grade. There are a few other warning signs: female students' statewide ranking has slipped to the 68th percentile (vs. 85th for males), and the low-income student population has more than doubled since 2022-23 — yet overall scores have held steady while math improved significantly. Still, with small class sizes, strong attendance, and a history of top-quartile rankings, Soda Creek remains a strong choice; strengthening 5th-grade instruction would likely have the biggest impact.