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North Star Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

884^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 950 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 7% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

North Star Elementary School is a public elementary school in Denver, Colorado, serving 331 students in grades PK-5 and part of the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district.

North Star Elementary School faces significant challenges, with consistently high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 27.7% to 46.5% over the past few years, well above the district and state averages. Academically, the school consistently performs below the district and state averages in CMAS assessments for English Language Arts and Math, with only 15.7% of students proficient or better in ELA in the 2024-2025 school year, compared to 42.2% for the district and 44.8% for the state. The school also has a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 79.44% to 92.15%, suggesting a high concentration of students from low-income families.

When compared to nearby schools within the same district, such as McElwain Elementary and North Mor Elementary, the performance gap is evident, with these schools generally performing better than North Star in CMAS assessments. Additionally, the analysis includes data from several magnet schools in the surrounding area, such as STEM Launch and Welby Community School of the Arts, which tend to outperform North Star Elementary School in both academic achievement and student demographics, suggesting that the magnet school model may be a more effective approach for the community.

320

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,137

Per pupil spending ?

86.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8740 North Star Drive
Denver, CO 80260-4322

(720) 972-5560

District: Adams 12 Five Star Schools

Students who attend North Star Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Thornton Middle School
High:	Northglenn High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

82.8%

White:

9.7%

African American:

4.7%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 6th percentile in 2014 → 7th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (17% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (48% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school17%

District avg41%

Colorado avg44%

884^th of 950

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 7%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

30^th of 33Elementary Schools in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools

52^nd 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
2025	10.2	884 of 950	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.9	862 of 933	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	789 of 921	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.2	681 of 710	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.9	886 of 965	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.6	868 of 917	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	9.5	890 of 929	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	7.4	897 of 914	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	10.6	896 of 938	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	9.6	900 of 962	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	5.3	921 of 954	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	9.2	863 of 935	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	11.1	839 of 935	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	8.4	855 of 925	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	8.8	805 of 872	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	3.6	828 of 849	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	4.3	822 of 852	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	4.6	798 of 829	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	3.9	796 of 823	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	7.0	756 of 808	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	11.2	711 of 758	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	23.3	232 of 270	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	8.5	738 of 764	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)14th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2019)6th percentile~ school

Male (2019)3rd percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

Math19%-22 vs state

English Language Arts16%-29 vs state

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Schools Near North Star Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CMAS English Language Arts (2025)							CMAS Math (2025)							CMAS Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
North Star Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8740 North Star Drive	Denver	80260	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%)	10.2	884^th of 950 public elementary schools	6.9%					(n/a)	23.1	15.4	9.3				15.7	19.0									$20,137
Sherrelwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8095 Kalamath Drive	Denver	80221	Adams County	Westminster Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 428-5353	204	14	15.1	85.3%	20 (9.8%)	0 (0.0%)	172 (84.3%)	5 (2.5%)	1 (0.5%)	3 (1.5%)	3 (1.5%)	18.6	757^th of 950 public elementary schools	20.3%		23.6	691^st of 943 public elementary schools	26.7%	66	27.3	23.5	20.0				23.7		29.4					23.7	10.0		$22,759
North Mor Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	9580 Damon Drive	Northglenn	80260	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%)	12.3	855^th of 950 public elementary schools	10.0%		12.7	837^th of 943 public elementary schools	11.2%	18	28.3	14.6	25.0				23.0	16.7	7.0	14.6				12.9	14.6		$18,609
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%)								(n/a)			13.8					14.9						8.0			$19,061
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%)	26.8	648^th of 950 public elementary schools	31.8%		21.3	726^th of 943 public elementary schools	23.0%	78	29.7	34.3	30.5	24.0	52.3	44.4	36.8	26.6	30.0	30.5	13.1	12.8	24.7	21.9	37.0	33.0	$15,878
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%)	9.2	904^th of 950 public elementary schools	4.8%		8.1	912^th of 943 public elementary schools	3.3%	8	17.4	16.1	15.1				16.1		12.7					9.6			$19,844
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%)	26.6	651^st of 950 public elementary schools	31.5%		21.7	721^st of 943 public elementary schools	23.5%	70	34.6	12.5	31.0	30.6			25.7	42.6	14.0	16.7	41.0			28.6	17.1		$14,629
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%)	13.6	827^th of 950 public elementary schools	12.9%		7.9	914^th of 943 public elementary schools	3.1%	87	14.3	8.0	33.3				19.3	10.3	11.5	19.7				14.0	24.6		$18,735
Metropolitan Arts Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	2341 Sherrelwood Drive	Denver	80221	Adams County	Westminster Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 428-1884	302	20	15.0	80.5%	25 (8.3%)	4 (1.3%)	255 (84.4%)	6 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	9 (3.0%)	20.7	732^nd of 950 public elementary schools	22.9%		13.5	829^th of 943 public elementary schools	12.1%	97			37.8	28.6	44.0	46.4	30.3		14.8	27.0	10.2		28.6	16.4	21.6	35.7	$19,102
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)	25.0						25.0	26.8						26.8			$18,184

Frequently Asked Questions about North Star Elementary School

Is North Star Elementary School a good school?

North Star Elementary School ranks in the bottom 6.9% of Colorado elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of North Star Elementary School attend?

Students who attend North Star Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Thornton Middle School
High : Northglenn High School

What is the racial makeup of North Star Elementary School?

Students at North Star Elementary School are 83% Hispanic, 10% White, 5% African American, 2% Two or more races.

What district is North Star Elementary School in?

Adams 12 Five Star Schools

How many students attend North Star Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 320 students attended North Star Elementary School.

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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.