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Riverdale Elementary School

Q: Is Riverdale Elementary School a good school?

Riverdale Elementary School ranks 636 th of 943 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

636^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 943 Colorado Elementary Schools

Better than 33% of Colorado elementary schools

Summary

Riverdale Elementary School is a PK–5 school in Thornton, CO, serving 372 students within the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district. The school serves a predominantly low-income population, with 66.9% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, yet attendance is a relative strength: chronic absenteeism was 26.1% in 2024–25, better than both the district (32.2%) and state (28.4%) averages. Riverdale has also been climbing in statewide rankings, moving from the 15th percentile in 2022–23 to the 33rd percentile in 2025–26 and earning a 2-star rating.

Reading scores have risen steadily for four straight years, from 20.8% proficient in 2022–23 to 37.7% in 2025–26, narrowing the gap to the state average from roughly 23 points to just 7 points. Math, however, remains a serious weakness: proficiency was 24.6% in 2025–26, well below the state average, with the largest gap in 3rd grade (22% vs. 41.5% statewide). Science has been flat at around 21–23% for four years. Grade-level results show 5th grade is the brightest spot, with ELA proficiency nearly matching the state average, while 4th grade lags significantly. Among nearby schools, Riverdale outranks Leroy Elementary, Woodglen Elementary, Meadow Community School, and Explore Pk-8 in most subjects, but trails Stellar Elementary — which has nearly the same poverty rate — in all three tested areas.

Outcomes vary notably across student groups. Female students rank at the 39th percentile statewide, while male students sit at the 14th percentile, and students from low-income households score well below the school's overall average. These gaps suggest the instructional model is working better for some groups than others, and closing them could be key to continued improvement. Riverdale is not realistically competing with nearby magnet options like Hulstrom K-8 or STEM Lab, which serve far fewer low-income students; a fairer benchmark is demographically similar Stellar Elementary. With strong attendance and consistent reading gains, Riverdale is on an upward trajectory — but math, science, and internal achievement gaps will determine how far it can go.

372

Students ?

16.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,716

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: Improving — 21st percentile in 2015 → 33rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (30% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Science scores 14 pts below the Colorado average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school30%

District avg39%

Colorado avg41%

636^th of 943

Colorado public elementary schools ?

Bottom 33%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

20^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	28.6	636 of 943	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	35.6	425 of 692	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	43.2	125 of 249	49.8%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	15.5	597 of 694	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
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 (2026)50th percentile+17 vs school

Female (2026)39th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)14th percentile-19 vs school

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

White (2023)2nd percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts38%-7 vs state

Math25%-13 vs state

Science22%-14 vs state

4.0

4 ratings · 1 written review

5★2

4★1

3★0

2★1

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

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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
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%)	28.6	636^th of 943 public elementary schools	32.6%		20.1	740^th of 950 public elementary schools	22.1%	104	37.3	26.5	46.7				37.7	22.0	20.6	31.1				24.6	22.2		$18,716
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%)	34.8	574^th of 943 public elementary schools	39.1%		28.6	628^th of 950 public elementary schools	33.9%	54	40.4	47.6	32.6				40.0	29.8	38.1	33.3				33.6	13.6		$19,602
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%)	16.3	795^th of 943 public elementary schools	15.7%		23.3	689^th of 950 public elementary schools	27.5%	106	23.5	33.3	27.5				28.0	13.7	16.7	23.5				18.0	15.7		$18,496
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
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%)	31.5	604^th of 943 public elementary schools	35.9%		27.8	638^th of 950 public elementary schools	32.8%	34	39.1	46.4	41.3				42.3	31.3	31.9	15.4				26.5	14.1		$17,104
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%)	33	588^th of 943 public elementary schools	37.6%		22.1	707^th of 950 public elementary schools	25.6%	119	40.4	25.4	42.9				35.6	34.6	27.1	30.6				30.6	30.6		$20,673
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%)	9	896^th of 943 public elementary schools	5.0%		11.6	861^st of 950 public elementary schools	9.4%	35	15.9	22.0	15.9				17.8	20.6	15.0	5.6				13.3	9.9		$18,799
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%)	98.8	4^th of 943 public elementary schools	99.6%		98.7	6^th of 950 public elementary schools	99.4%	2	98.7	93.4	88.9	86.7	93.7	93.1	92.5	97.4	90.8	77.8	84.0	77.2	84.7	85.4	80.6	88.9	$16,154
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%)	35.6	566^th of 943 public elementary schools	40.0%		46.8	472^nd of 950 public elementary schools	50.3%	94	31.4	43.3	48.5				41.0	32.9	29.9	27.7				30.2	28.8		$17,682
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%)	12.5	845^th of 943 public elementary schools	10.4%		16.7	785^th of 950 public elementary schools	17.4%	60	17.5	22.4	25.5	26.3	34.0	26.2	25.5	17.9			10.5	12.8	12.2	11.3	9.8	9.8	$15,465

Frequently Asked Questions about Riverdale Elementary School

Is Riverdale Elementary School a good school?

Riverdale Elementary School ranks 636^th of 943 Colorado elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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

What district is Riverdale Elementary School in?

Adams 12 Five Star Schools

How many students attend Riverdale Elementary School?

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

Rate Riverdale Elementary School!

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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.