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Thornton Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

923^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 943 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Thornton Elementary School serves 387 students in grades PK–5 in Thornton, Colorado, and is part of Adams 12 Five Star Schools. The school's state ranking has been persistently very low, sitting at the 2nd percentile in 2025-2026 (923rd out of 943 Colorado elementary schools) with a 0-star rating, a pattern that has held for the past five years. Test scores are far below district and state averages — just 12.3% of students scored proficient in math in 2025-2026, compared with 35.5% in the district and 37.3% statewide. Reading proficiency is similarly low, with only 16.1% of students proficient in ELA in 2024-2025, versus 42.2% in the district.

One of the most striking findings for parents is that nearby schools with similar student populations perform much better. STEM Launch, only 1.64 miles away and in the same district, ranks at the 34th percentile with 23.1% math proficiency and a chronic absenteeism rate of just 19.9%. Thornton's chronic absenteeism rate, meanwhile, is 45.9% — nearly half of all students — and has risen from 40.2% the year before. Several other nearby schools, including Explore Pk-8 (31st percentile) and Clayton Partnership School (26th percentile), also outperform Thornton despite serving comparable high-poverty communities. Notably, Thornton has the lowest student-teacher ratio (13.8) of all the schools in its immediate area, yet these other schools achieve better results with larger class sizes.

Thornton serves a high-poverty population, with 88.1% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. There are small signs of improvement — math proficiency rose from 4.3% in 2023-2024 to 12.3% in 2025-2026, and ELA proficiency improved from 10.5% to 16.1% — but the school remains near the bottom of Colorado's elementary school rankings. Chronic absenteeism is the most urgent area of concern, given its strong link to achievement and the fact that much higher-performing neighbor STEM Launch has an absenteeism rate below 20%. The success of nearby schools like STEM Launch, Explore, and Clayton shows that better outcomes are possible for students in this community.

387

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,216

Per pupil spending ?

88.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

900 Eppinger Boulevard
Thornton, CO 80229-3504

(720) 972-5660

District: Adams 12 Five Star Schools

Students who attend Thornton Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Thornton Middle School
High:	Thornton High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

73.1%

White:

11.6%

Asian:

9.0%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Thornton Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 7th percentile in 2015 → 2nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (12% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (46% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school12%

District avg38%

Colorado avg39%

923^rd of 943

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 8% (2016) to bottom 2% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

34^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	6.8	923 of 943	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.2	904 of 950	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.1	912 of 943	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.7	899 of 933	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.9	854 of 921	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.6	921 of 965	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.1	862 of 917	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	14.5	810 of 929	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	12.0	843 of 914	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.6	872 of 938	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	7.9	920 of 962	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.7	905 of 954	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	4.1	925 of 935	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	5.8	889 of 935	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	5.6	884 of 925	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	4.4	840 of 872	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	5.6	811 of 849	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	9.7	781 of 852	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	9.7	749 of 829	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	12.5	732 of 823	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	4.3	772 of 808	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	6.4	678 of 694	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.2	737 of 758	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.8	686 of 690	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	5.4	691 of 700	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.6	719 of 764	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.1	632 of 693	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2025)2nd percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)1st percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

Math12%-25 vs state

English Language Arts11%-34 vs state

★

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Schools Near Thornton 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	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
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	923^rd of 943 public elementary schools	2.1%		9.2	904^th of 950 public elementary schools	4.8%	19	6.7		17.4					9.8	13.0	14.6				12.3			$23,216
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	783^rd of 943 public elementary schools	17.0%		18.8	755^th of 950 public elementary schools	20.5%	28	23.1	26.2	34.2			16.7	21.9	26.3	19.0	23.7		16.2		16.8	7.5	14.9	$16,406
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%)	22.9	696^th of 943 public elementary schools	26.2%		20.8	729^th of 950 public elementary schools	23.3%	33		31.0	34.5	19.1		23.2	22.4	35.0	35.7	20.4			12.5	17.6	13.0	14.3	$16,754
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%)	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
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	918^th of 943 public elementary schools	2.7%					(n/a)	6.5	19.6	22.2				16.2	10.9							8.9		$20,169
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%)	23.1	694^th of 943 public elementary schools	26.4%		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			17.2	18.4		$15,176
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%)	11.6	862^nd of 943 public elementary schools	8.6%		10.2	884^th of 950 public elementary schools	6.9%	22	21.3	17.8	25.0				21.2	20.8						14.2	9.5		$21,664
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	917^th of 943 public elementary schools	2.8%		13.6	827^th of 950 public elementary schools	12.9%	90	6.4	15.5	21.2				14.6	14.9	5.2	11.5				10.2	13.5		$19,730
Explore Pk-8	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	10310 York St	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	Yes	No	Yes	(303) 853-1300	557	28	19.7	62.8%	108 (19.4%)	8 (1.4%)	378 (67.9%)	40 (7.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (3.8%)	27.8	647^th of 943 public elementary schools	31.4%		23.6	684^th of 950 public elementary schools	28.0%	37	25.0	35.2	51.1	24.0	28.0	25.5	31.1	26.8	38.9	27.7	13.7	5.9	16.4	21.7	17.0	13.0	$15,618
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Thornton Elementary School

Is Thornton Elementary School a good school?

Thornton Elementary School ranks in the bottom 2.1% of Colorado elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Thornton Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Thornton Middle School
High : Thornton High School

How many students attend Thornton Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 387 students attended Thornton Elementary School.

What district is Thornton Elementary School in?

Adams 12 Five Star Schools

What is the racial makeup of Thornton Elementary School?

Students at Thornton Elementary School are 73% Hispanic, 12% White, 9% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American.

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 CMAS, PSAT10, PSAT9 & SAT test scoresNewAug 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.