Best Public Schools in Zip Code 80003

ZIP code 80003 in Arvada, CO contains 7 schools serving about 2,530 students, including 5 elementary schools, 1 traditional middle school, and 1 alternative PK-12 charter school, with no traditional high school. The schools are split between Jefferson County School District No. R-1, which ranks in the top quarter of Colorado districts, and Westminster Public Schools, which ranks near the bottom. This is a high-poverty area, with a weighted free/reduced lunch rate of roughly 64.5% and chronic absenteeism around 34.3% — well above the state average of 28.4%. ZIP-wide proficiency averages are low: about 33.1% in ELA and 24.0% in math, versus state averages of 44.7% and 37.3%.

Hackberry Hill Elementary School is the clear standout, ranking in the 80th percentile with 4 stars and scoring above both district and state averages in ELA (63.6%) and math (56.8%), with the lowest chronic absenteeism (18.9%) and lowest poverty rate (34.65%) in the ZIP. At the opposite end, Swanson Elementary School has fallen from the 20th percentile in 2023-24 to the 1st percentile in 2025-26, with only 12.2% ELA and 6.5% math proficiency. Little Elementary School is the most improved, jumping from the 17th to 36th percentile in a year as ELA proficiency rose from 24.8% to 40.3%. Two Roads Charter School, the alternative PK-12 school, posts a 94.7% graduation rate — well above state averages — with a low 9.1:1 student-teacher ratio, though its test scores are modest.

Chronic absenteeism tracks closely with low performance. North Arvada Middle School, the only traditional middle school, has a 49.4% chronic absenteeism rate — the highest in the ZIP — with 23.7% ELA and 18.7% math proficiency. Secrest Elementary School (46.0% absenteeism) and Swanson (45.4%) also struggle. Math lags reading everywhere; Tennyson Knolls Preparatory School posts just 10.2% math proficiency with an 88.46% poverty rate. Since no traditional high school exists locally, most students leave 80003 for ninth grade. The clearest priorities are reducing chronic absenteeism, strengthening math instruction, and targeting resources to Swanson, Tennyson Knolls, and Secrest.