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Riverdale Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

740^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 950 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 22% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Riverdale Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 394 students in grades PK-5 in Thornton, Colorado, which is part of the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district. While the district is ranked 52 out of 115 in Colorado, Riverdale Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Colorado elementary schools, maintaining a 1-2 star rating from SchoolDigger over the past 10 years.

Riverdale Elementary struggles with its performance for specific student subgroups, with rankings for female, male, and white student subgroups all in the bottom 25% of Colorado elementary schools. The school also has very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 23.6% to 31.1% over the past 3 years, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, Riverdale's proficiency rates on the CMAS assessments are well below the district and state averages across all grades and subjects, with only 17.4% of students proficient in math in 2024-2025 compared to 34.2% for the district and 35.9% for the state.

While Riverdale Elementary faces significant challenges, its performance is not entirely stagnant, with some modest improvements in proficiency rates and rankings over the past few years. However, the school still underperforms most of the other nearby schools in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district, including Glacier Peak Elementary School, Skyview Elementary School, Leroy Elementary, and Cherry Drive Elementary School. The one exception is Hulstrom K-8, a high-performing magnet school in the district that ranks in the top 1% of Colorado elementary schools.

372

Students ?

16.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,202

Per pupil spending ?

66.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

10724 Elm Drive
Thornton, CO 80233-4561

(720) 972-5580

District: Adams 12 Five Star Schools

Students who attend Riverdale Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Shadow Ridge Middle School
High:	Thornton High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

55.6%

White:

34.7%

Two or more races:

4.3%

See top rated Colorado elementary schools

Compare Riverdale Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 30th percentile in 2014 → 22nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (24% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg38%

Colorado avg40%

740^th of 950

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 22%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

22^nd 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	20.1	740 of 950	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.2	728 of 943	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	796 of 933	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.8	583 of 921	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.3	601 of 965	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.3	487 of 917	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.8	531 of 929	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	27.7	631 of 914	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	20.7	743 of 938	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	32.5	678 of 962	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	36.2	653 of 954	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	44.3	572 of 935	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	40.4	603 of 935	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	44.9	556 of 925	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	51.7	464 of 872	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	58.5	390 of 849	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	46.5	500 of 852	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	48.2	469 of 829	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	54.5	417 of 823	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2004	61.1	341 of 808	57.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	26.9	492 of 694	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.2	591 of 684	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.8	597 of 642	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	28.9	423 of 595	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.4	425 of 758	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.6	461 of 690	33.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	36.0	148 of 247	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.2	168 of 242	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.2	163 of 270	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	80.0	20 of 172	88.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	20.0	291 of 337	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.6	268 of 365	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.2	239 of 265	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	51.9	81 of 203	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.0	232 of 332	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.4	117 of 308	62.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	10.0	647 of 700	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.6	593 of 683	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.1	579 of 649	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.0	442 of 594	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.8	511 of 764	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.1	394 of 693	43.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2023	5.9	517 of 525	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.9	421 of 454	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.6	488 of 596	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)40th percentile+18 vs school

Female (2025)29th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)14th percentile-8 vs school

Male (2025)8th percentile-15 vs school

White (2023)2nd percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts30%-15 vs state

Science23%-16 vs state

Math17%-19 vs state

4.0

4 ratings · 1 written review

5★2

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1★0

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Tuesday, May 8, 2018

This school has no concern for the safety of children. When a child is bullied they tell them "What are you going to do about it". People drive like lunatics when the kids are going into the school in the morning. The school reprimands parents who speak up rather than the crazy drivers. This has been going on for years. Close Quote

Schools Near Riverdale 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
Riverdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	10724 Elm Drive	Thornton	80233	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-5580	372	23	16.1	66.9%	129 (34.7%)	11 (3.0%)	207 (55.6%)	8 (2.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.3%)	20.1	740^th of 950 public elementary schools	22.1%		21.2	728^th of 943 public elementary schools	22.8%	12	33.3	20.8	36.4				29.9	28.2	16.7	10.7				17.4	23.2		$17,202
Cherry Drive Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	11500 Cherry Drive	Thornton	80233	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-5300	325	20	16.2	59.7%	99 (30.5%)	9 (2.8%)	191 (58.8%)	15 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.4%)	28.6	628^th of 950 public elementary schools	33.9%		21.1	730^th of 943 public elementary schools	22.6%	102	27.5	25.5	33.3				28.5	25.0	34.0	38.9				32.5	23.5		$17,955
Woodglen Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	11717 Madison Street	Thornton	80233	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-5700	383	23	17.0	65.8%	123 (32.1%)	11 (2.9%)	208 (54.3%)	25 (6.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.7%)	23.3	689^th of 950 public elementary schools	27.5%		25.9	666^th of 943 public elementary schools	29.4%	23	40.8	29.5	29.6				33.3	22.4	13.3	25.9				20.9	20.4		$17,809
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%)	23.6	684^th of 950 public elementary schools	28.0%		10.7	868^th of 943 public elementary schools	8.0%	184	40.4	25.5	22.4		17.0		22.4	37.3	25.5	12.5		5.7		15.3	10.2		$13,402
Glacier Peak Elementary School	Public	K-5	12060 Jasmine Street	Brighton	80605	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-5940	412	25	16.8	47.6%	167 (40.5%)	6 (1.5%)	189 (45.9%)	29 (7.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.4%)	27.8	638^th of 950 public elementary schools	32.8%		38	542^nd of 943 public elementary schools	42.5%	96	19.7	40.7	40.8				33.2	14.5	28.8	28.6				23.4	31.0		$16,204
Skyview Elementary School	Public	K-5	5021 East 123rd Avenue	Thornton	80241	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-5620	326	25	13.2	57.7%	119 (36.5%)	14 (4.3%)	161 (49.4%)	17 (5.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.3%)	22.1	707^th of 950 public elementary schools	25.6%		31.4	600^th of 943 public elementary schools	36.4%	107	24.5	32.7	31.6				29.6	18.9	21.6	22.8				21.1	28.1		$18,808
Leroy Elementary	Public	K-5	1451 East Leroy Drive	Northglenn	80233	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 972-5460	435	29	15.0	78.9%	80 (18.4%)	11 (2.5%)	288 (66.2%)	24 (5.5%)	3 (0.7%)	5 (1.1%)	24 (5.5%)	11.6	861^st of 950 public elementary schools	9.4%		11.1	866^th of 943 public elementary schools	8.2%	5	22.4	10.7	22.5				18.0	16.9	11.4	15.3				14.3	20.8		$17,968
Hulstrom K-8	Public	K-8	11551 Wyco Drive	Northglenn	80233	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-5400	663	37	17.9	11.5%	352 (53.1%)	13 (2.0%)	122 (18.4%)	84 (12.7%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	85 (12.8%)	98.7	6^th of 950 public elementary schools	99.4%		97.4	12^th of 943 public elementary schools	98.7%	6	88.6	93.2	91.9	93.5	93.3	90.0	91.8	85.7	90.4	79.5	74.4	78.7	85.5	82.2	87.3	95.6	$15,591
Stellar Elementary School	Public	K-5	3901 East 124th Avenue	Thornton	80241	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-2340	418	25	16.7	67.9%	133 (31.8%)	8 (1.9%)	234 (56.0%)	22 (5.3%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.3%)	46.8	472^nd of 950 public elementary schools	50.3%		40.6	520^th of 943 public elementary schools	44.9%	48	45.7	21.7	53.4				39.6	46.5	22.9	45.8				38.0	42.4		$16,011
Meadow Community School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	9150 Monroe St	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	Yes	No	Yes	(303) 853-1500	378	22	17.1	74.9%	50 (13.2%)	11 (2.9%)	286 (75.7%)	22 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.4%)	16.7	785^th of 950 public elementary schools	17.4%		12.3	848^th of 943 public elementary schools	10.1%	63	15.9			35.0	25.0	15.2	19.4	6.8			20.0	11.4		8.8		6.7	$14,289

Frequently Asked Questions about Riverdale Elementary School

How many students attend Riverdale Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 372 students attended Riverdale Elementary School.

Is Riverdale Elementary School a good school?

Riverdale Elementary School ranks in the bottom 22.1% of Colorado elementary schools.

What district is Riverdale Elementary School in?

Adams 12 Five Star Schools

What is the racial makeup of Riverdale Elementary School?

Students at Riverdale Elementary School are 56% Hispanic, 35% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% African American, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Riverdale Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Shadow Ridge Middle School
High : Thornton High 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.