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McElwain Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

921^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 946 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

McElwain Elementary School is a K-5 school in Thornton, Colorado, serving 361 students in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district, where roughly 90% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school has been ranked among the lowest-performing elementary schools in Colorado for over a decade, currently placing at 918 out of 943 schools statewide (3rd percentile) with a 0-star rating.

Academically, McElwain's test scores are far below district and state averages. In the 2025–2026 school year, just 16.2% of students were proficient in English Language Arts, compared to 42.3% district-wide and 44.7% statewide. Math is especially concerning: only 8% of students were proficient in 2024–2025, and 3rd-grade math proficiency was 10.9% versus 41.5% statewide. Nearby schools serve similar populations but see better results — Sherrelwood Elementary School in Westminster Public Schools (85% FRL) posts 27% ELA proficiency, and Welby Community School of the Arts in Mapleton School District No. 1 (73% FRL) reaches 33% ELA proficiency.

Chronic absenteeism is a major challenge, with 45.5% of students missing significant school in 2024–2025 — well above the state average of 28.4% and the district average of 32.2%. While McElwain's student-teacher ratio of 14.4 is lower (better) than several higher-performing neighbors, the combination of extreme poverty and high absenteeism creates significant barriers. The data suggest that improving attendance and strengthening math instruction and early literacy could make a meaningful difference, but the school has shown no sustained improvement over the past decade and will likely need systemic, long-term support.

361

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,169

Per pupil spending ?

90%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1020 Dawson Drive
Thornton, CO 80229-4909

(720) 972-5500

District: Adams 12 Five Star Schools

Students who attend McElwain Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Thornton Middle School
High:	Thornton High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

51.2%

Asian:

31.0%

White:

13.3%

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Compare McElwain Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 5th percentile in 2013 → 3rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (14% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (45% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school14%

District avg39%

Colorado avg41%

921^st of 946

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

33^rd of 34Elementary Schools in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools

49^th of 114Adams 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	7.2	921 of 946	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.6	928 of 933	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.5	905 of 921	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.3	877 of 965	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.8	908 of 917	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.7	918 of 929	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	7.5	895 of 914	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	7.5	931 of 938	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	6.5	939 of 962	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.8	903 of 954	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	5.4	910 of 935	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	4.3	913 of 935	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	5.3	888 of 925	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	4.6	838 of 872	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	2.4	838 of 849	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	2.9	838 of 852	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	4.2	805 of 829	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	13.0	725 of 823	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	4.1	774 of 808	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	7.1	747 of 758	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	26.4	218 of 270	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	13.9	684 of 764	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2019)19th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2019)10th percentile~ school

Female (2019)1st percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts16%-28 vs state

Science9%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near McElwain 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
McElwain Elementary School	Public	K-5	1020 Dawson Drive	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 972-5500	361	25	14.4	90.0%	48 (13.3%)	3 (0.8%)	185 (51.2%)	112 (31.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.6%)	7.2	921^st of 946 public elementary schools	2.6%					(n/a)	6.5	19.6	22.2				16.2	10.9	707.0	715.0				711.0	8.9		$20,169
Coronado Hills Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8300 Downing Drive	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 972-5320	412	28	14.7	81.3%	37 (9.0%)	7 (1.7%)	349 (84.7%)	8 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (2.2%)	7.4	920^th of 946 public elementary schools	2.7%		13.6	827^th of 950 public elementary schools	12.9%	93	6.4	15.5	21.2				14.6	14.9	5.2	11.5				10.2	13.5		$19,730
Monterey Community School	Public	K-8	2210 McElwain Blvd	Denver	80229	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 853-1360	440	23	18.8	78.6%	54 (12.3%)	0 (0.0%)	364 (82.7%)	11 (2.5%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	23.2	694^th of 946 public elementary schools	26.6%		13.4	830^th of 950 public elementary schools	12.6%	136	25.8	34.3	25.6	28.6	24.4	20.9	26.5	25.8	39.4	20.5	16.7	712.0	700.0	17.2	18.4	706.0	$15,176
Thornton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	900 Eppinger Boulevard	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 972-5660	387	28	13.8	88.1%	45 (11.6%)	9 (2.3%)	283 (73.1%)	35 (9.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.4%)	6.8	927^th of 946 public elementary schools	2.0%		9.2	904^th of 950 public elementary schools	4.8%	23	6.7	716.0	17.4				713.0	9.8	13.0	14.6				12.3	708.0		$23,216
Welby Community School of the Arts	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	1200 E 78th Ave	Denver	80229	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	Yes	No	Yes	(303) 853-1700	308	19	16.2	72.7%	59 (19.2%)	0 (0.0%)	235 (76.3%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.2%)	29.6	629^th of 946 public elementary schools	33.5%		29.8	617^th of 950 public elementary schools	35.1%	12	16.3	45.0	53.6	30.3			33.1	23.3	726.0	734.0	27.3			23.4	721.0		$16,929
Clayton Partnership School	Public, Magnet	K-8	8970 York St	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	Yes	No	Yes	(303) 853-1460	430	23	18.5	77.7%	33 (7.7%)	5 (1.2%)	375 (87.2%)	9 (2.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	23	697^th of 946 public elementary schools	26.3%		20.8	729^th of 950 public elementary schools	23.3%	32	712.0	31.0	34.5	19.1	720.0	23.2	22.4	35.0	35.7	20.4	713.0	716.0	12.5	17.6	13.0	14.3	$16,754
Achieve Academy	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	9100 Poze Blvd	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	Yes	No	Yes	(303) 853-1300	370	21	17.6	75.7%	31 (8.4%)	5 (1.4%)	308 (83.2%)	17 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.4%)	17.3	786^th of 946 public elementary schools	16.9%		18.8	755^th of 950 public elementary schools	20.5%	31	23.1	26.2	34.2	724.0	722.0	16.7	21.9	26.3	19.0	23.7	712.0	16.2	707.0	16.8	7.5	14.9	$16,406
North Star Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8740 North Star Drive	Denver	80221	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 972-5560	320	22	14.5	86.3%	31 (9.7%)	15 (4.7%)	265 (82.8%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.9%)	11.6	865^th of 946 public elementary schools	8.6%		10.2	884^th of 950 public elementary schools	6.9%	19	21.3	17.8	25.0				21.2	20.8	719.0	712.0				14.2	9.5		$21,664
Adventure Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	7725 Conifer Rd	Denver	80221	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	Yes	No	Yes	(303) 853-1410	429	23	19.0	69.9%	31 (7.2%)	5 (1.2%)	380 (88.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.3%)	25.9	670^th of 946 public elementary schools	29.2%		26.6	651^st of 950 public elementary schools	31.5%	19	30.0	21.2	28.6	37.8			28.5	715.0	26.9	722.0	38.5			22.8	7.1		$15,968
Global Primary Academy	Public	PK, KG-3	7480 Conifer Road	Denver	80221	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 853-1170	272	16	17.5	72.1%	18 (6.6%)	3 (1.1%)	243 (89.3%)	5 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)								(n/a)	29.2						29.2	27.1						27.1			$19,928

Frequently Asked Questions about McElwain Elementary School

Is McElwain Elementary School a good school?

McElwain Elementary School ranks in the bottom 2.6% of Colorado elementary schools.

How many students attend McElwain Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 361 students attended McElwain Elementary School.

What district is McElwain Elementary School in?

Adams 12 Five Star Schools

What schools do graduates of McElwain Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Thornton Middle School
High : Thornton High School

What is the racial makeup of McElwain Elementary School?

Students at McElwain Elementary School are 51% Hispanic, 31% Asian, 13% White, 4% Two or more races.

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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.