Harris Park Elementary School

Harris Park Elementary School is a small, high-poverty PK-5 school in Westminster, CO, serving 234 students as part of Westminster Public Schools. The school has historically ranked in the bottom 10% of Colorado elementary schools, currently sitting at the 10th percentile statewide (849th of 943) with a 1-star rating. About 79% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and 37.3% of students are chronically absent—a high rate in absolute terms, though slightly better than the district average of 38.9% and a modest improvement over the prior year.

Academically, the school's most urgent challenge is math. Only 8.1% of students are proficient in math on the CMAS, compared to 17.6% districtwide and 37.3% statewide. ELA proficiency is also low at 20.2%, well below the state's 44.7%, but closer to the district's 24%. Science is a relative bright spot: 18.4% of 5th graders are proficient in science, outperforming the district's 15.4% and several nearby schools. The school's student-teacher ratio of 16:1 is moderate—lower than some peers like Colorado Preparatory Academy Elementary School (29.6:1) but higher than Westminster Academy for International Studies (14.3:1).

The contrasts with nearby schools are stark. Cotton Creek Elementary School, just 0.08 miles away but in Adams 12 Five Star Schools, posts 57.8% ELA and 51.3% math proficiency. Colorado STEM Academy, only 0.8 miles away and in the same district, achieves 61.1% ELA and 59.2% math proficiency. Both have much lower poverty rates and chronic absenteeism. Meanwhile, the school's chronic absenteeism is lower than several high-poverty neighbors like Josephine Hodgkins Leadership Academy (44.5%) and Swanson Elementary School (45.4%). The school's relative strengths—science, modest attendance gains, and a lower student-teacher ratio than some peers—offer building blocks, but the success of nearby schools demonstrates that improvement is possible even in the same geographic and district context.