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Federal Heights Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

861^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 943 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 9% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Federal Heights Elementary School is a PreK-5 school in Denver, Colorado, within the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district, serving about 430 students from a very high-poverty community. With 93.5% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch in 2024-2025, the school has the highest poverty rate in its immediate comparison cluster, exceeding nearby Rocky Mountain Elementary School (90.9%), Mesa Elementary School (89.9%), North Star Elementary School (86.3%), and Crown Pointe Charter Academy (61.6%).

Academically, Federal Heights has historically ranked near the bottom of Colorado elementary schools, placing in the 9th percentile statewide in 2025-2026 with a 0-star rating. That said, the school is improving from a low base: ELA proficiency has risen from 13.8% to 21.6% and math from 4.3% to 11.9% since 2022-2023. Math remains the most urgent challenge, with proficiency well below the district (35.5%) and state (37.3%). ELA results, however, are comparable to peer schools: North Star Elementary School (21.2%), Hillcrest Elementary School (20.9%), and North Mor Elementary School (20.9%). An unexpected bright spot is 5th-grade science proficiency (19.6%), which exceeds several higher-ranked schools like Westview Elementary School (17.2%) and Mesa Elementary School (16.3%).

Chronic absenteeism affects 38.8% of students, above the district (32.2%) and state (28.4%) averages, though North Star Elementary School (48.4%) and Rocky Mountain Elementary School (48.5%) have higher rates. The school's student-teacher ratio of 14.3 is comparatively favorable, suggesting staffing is not the primary obstacle to student progress. Recent trends offer cautious optimism: the school's state rank has moved from the 3rd percentile in 2023-2024 to the 9th/10th percentile in the last two years. Reducing chronic absenteeism could be one of the most effective ways to accelerate the school's improving trajectory. Students, teachers, and families at Federal Heights are working toward meaningful gains from an understandably challenging starting point.

430

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,124

Per pupil spending ?

93.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2500 W 96th Avenue
Denver, CO 80221-5701

(720) 972-5360

District: Adams 12 Five Star Schools

Students who attend Federal Heights Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Northglenn Middle School
High:	Northglenn High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

91.4%

White:

6.3%

African American:

0.7%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Federal Heights Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 1st percentile in 2014 → 9th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (17% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (39% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school17%

District avg39%

Colorado avg41%

861^st of 943

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 9%▲ up 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 3% (2016) to bottom 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

25^th of 34Elementary Schools in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools

50^th of 115Adams 12 Five Star Schools 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	11.6	861 of 943	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.4	853 of 950	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.1	911 of 943	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.5	710 of 710	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.1	915 of 965	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.1	911 of 917	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	7.4	913 of 929	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.0	889 of 914	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	7.7	929 of 938	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	4.8	950 of 962	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	4.0	939 of 954	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	5.4	909 of 935	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	7.5	876 of 935	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	10.1	842 of 925	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	12.2	781 of 872	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	5.5	812 of 849	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	9.0	789 of 852	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	10.6	743 of 829	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	10.9	745 of 823	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	7.2	754 of 808	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	6.9	679 of 692	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.2	668 of 694	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.4	661 of 684	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.2	750 of 758	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.3	681 of 690	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	13.4	617 of 694	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.4	580 of 700	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	6.2	670 of 683	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.6	720 of 764	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.8	688 of 693	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)11th percentile~ school

Female (2026)2nd percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts22%-23 vs state

Science20%-16 vs state

Math12%-25 vs state

2.5

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★0

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Tuesday, May 28, 2013

A little history: This school has had a revolving door of administrators for nearly a decade, most of whom did nothing towards improving the morale or efficacy of the staff much less made any serious attempts to provide opportunities for students to be successful.

Fast forward to 3 years ago, when the current administration team was put in place. Since that time, the following changes have taken place at FHE: content specialized instruction for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade, which has benefitted both teachers ( by allowing them to focus on teaching and planning to their areas of strength) and students, an increase in the free and reduced lunch designation which basically guarantees that benefit for all students, breakfast in the classroom and fresh fruit/vegetables daily for all students, two fully operational computer labs running 60 total computers which is available to teachers, students and the community, an operational and growing PTO ( for the first time in the school's history), several community outreach events throughout the school year ( including free breakfasts and barbecues), a mobile iPad lab, a variety of after school tutoring and club opportunities for students, summer lunches and literacy classes...

My point is simple: schools like FHE do not change overnight, but this administration at least has some vision and a high level of staff support to turn the ship around. There have been pockets of resistance to some of the changes, but these are growing smaller every year. Bad experiences still happen, but everyone at FHE is committed to doing what's best for our students. Close Quote

by a parent on FaceBook
Saturday, May 25, 2013

The VERY LOW test scores reflect the Administration of this school. If you have poor leaders the school will follow. The Principal is terrible and has no interest in improving the quality of this school which oviously means the District does not either by keeping him around. My kids have since left this school (thank God for choice enrollment) and their grades have soared. Close Quote

Schools Near Federal Heights 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
Federal Heights Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2500 W 96th Avenue	Denver	80221	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 972-5360	430	30	14.3	93.5%	27 (6.3%)	3 (0.7%)	393 (91.4%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	11.6	861^st of 943 public elementary schools	8.7%		12.4	853^rd of 950 public elementary schools	10.2%	8	18.7	15.6	34.8				21.6	9.3	10.9	17.4				11.9	19.6		$19,124
STEM Launch	Public, Magnet	K-8	9450 Pecos Street	Thornton	80260	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(720) 972-5120	677	46	14.7	78.6%	134 (19.8%)	5 (0.7%)	496 (73.3%)	11 (1.6%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.1%)	30.1	620^th of 943 public elementary schools	34.3%		26.8	648^th of 950 public elementary schools	31.8%	28	19.1	31.9	37.0	30.2	29.0	40.6	32.2	21.3	27.5	41.9	16.0	9.2	29.4	23.1	39.7	25.5	$17,923
Sunset Ridge Pk-8	Public	PK, KG-8	9451 Hooker Street	Westminster	80030	Adams County	Westminster Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 426-8907	449	21	21.3	87.8%	49 (10.9%)	1 (0.2%)	380 (84.6%)	5 (1.1%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.9%)	8 (1.8%)	13.4	833^rd of 943 public elementary schools	11.7%		12.9	840^th of 950 public elementary schools	11.6%	7	16.3	34.5	16.3	16.3	30.8	18.5	22.5	25.6	14.5	16.3	8.3	7.7	14.8	14.3		16.7	$17,212
Rocky Mountain Elementary School	Public	K-5	3350 West 99th Avenue	Westminster	80030	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 972-5600	318	22	14.4	90.9%	45 (14.2%)	5 (1.6%)	257 (80.8%)	8 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	9.5	891^st of 943 public elementary schools	5.5%		10.7	874^th of 950 public elementary schools	8.0%	17	17.4	18.2	22.5				19.2			15.0				9.8	7.5		$21,602
Mesa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	9100 Lowell Boulevard	Westminster	80030	Adams County	Westminster Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 428-2891	317	21	14.9	89.9%	59 (18.6%)	8 (2.5%)	232 (73.2%)	8 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	8 (2.5%)	10.9	874^th of 943 public elementary schools	7.3%		13.6	825^th of 950 public elementary schools	13.2%	49	8.5	9.3	29.5				15.7			18.2				10.4	16.3		$19,472
Hillcrest Elementary School	Public	K-5	10335 Croke Drive	Northglenn	80221	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 972-5380	338	25	13.5	84.3%	40 (11.8%)	8 (2.4%)	262 (77.5%)	11 (3.3%)	3 (0.9%)	2 (0.6%)	12 (3.6%)	11.2	868^th of 943 public elementary schools	8.0%		8.1	918^th of 950 public elementary schools	3.4%	50	11.8	22.2	27.6				20.9	15.7	9.4	19.0				14.5	15.5		$19,865
Crown Pointe Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	2900 West 86th Avenue	Westminster	80031	Adams County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 428-1882	461	27	17.3	61.6%	105 (22.8%)	4 (0.9%)	313 (67.9%)	26 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.8%)	37.9	542^nd of 943 public elementary schools	42.5%		41.1	521^st of 950 public elementary schools	45.2%	21	38.5	42.6	43.1	26.5	64.7	47.8	43.9	38.5	31.5	31.4	22.4	29.4	37.0	31.7	37.3	37.0	$13,866
North Mor Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	9580 Damon Drive	Northglenn	80221	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 972-5540	304	19	16.0	79.3%	47 (15.5%)	5 (1.6%)	227 (74.7%)	13 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.9%)	9.4	892^nd of 943 public elementary schools	5.4%		12.3	855^th of 950 public elementary schools	10.0%	37		24.5					20.9		10.0					8.9	7.5		$20,127
John E. Flynn A Marzano Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	8731 Lowell Boulevard	Westminster	80030	Adams County	Westminster Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(303) 428-2161	354	20	17.2	76.0%	70 (19.8%)	2 (0.6%)	246 (69.5%)	26 (7.3%)	6 (1.7%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	16.8	790^th of 943 public elementary schools	16.2%		16.8	778^th of 950 public elementary schools	18.1%	12	17.5	22.6	21.6	28.2	44.1	20.7	25.7	20.0	12.9	28.9	17.9	14.7	24.1	19.9	18.9	24.1	$16,914
Westview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 Roseanna Drive	Northglenn	80234	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 972-5680	402	27	14.7	71.6%	117 (29.1%)	5 (1.2%)	241 (60.0%)	16 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.5%)	27.1	655^th of 943 public elementary schools	30.5%		18.3	762^nd of 950 public elementary schools	19.8%	107	17.0	32.8	48.3				33.7	15.2	33.3	32.8				28.0	17.2		$20,038

Frequently Asked Questions about Federal Heights Elementary School

How many students attend Federal Heights Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 430 students attended Federal Heights Elementary School.

Is Federal Heights Elementary School a good school?

Federal Heights Elementary School ranks in the bottom 8.7% of Colorado elementary schools.

What district is Federal Heights Elementary School in?

Adams 12 Five Star Schools

What is the racial makeup of Federal Heights Elementary School?

Students at Federal Heights Elementary School are 91% Hispanic, 6% White.

What schools do graduates of Federal Heights Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Federal Heights Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Northglenn Middle School
High : Northglenn 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.