Best Public Schools in Zip Code 80011

Zip code 80011 in Aurora, Colorado is home to 12 schools serving nearly 8,300 students from elementary through high school, in an area marked by concentrated poverty and significant academic challenges. Most of these schools belong to Aurora Joint District No. 28, which ranks in the 8th percentile of Colorado districts, with free/reduced lunch rates exceeding 80% at 11 of the 12 schools. The exception is Academy of Advanced Learning, a charter school under the State Charter School Institute (57th percentile district) with a much lower poverty rate of 46.3%.

A few schools stand out. Academy of Advanced Learning posts the strongest middle-grade math results in the zip — 39.3% proficient in 8th grade math, above the state average — and the lowest poverty rate. William Smith High School, a small school of 410 students, has remarkably low chronic absenteeism (16.6% vs. a 40% average across the zip) and strong PSAT reading scores, along with a reported 96.7% graduation rate. Elkhart Elementary School achieves the best elementary math proficiency (26.2%) despite having the highest poverty rate in the zip at 98.3% FRL, and has climbed from the 6th to the 21st percentile in state rankings. Clyde Miller K-8 offers consistent, above-district results with moderate absenteeism. On the opposite end, Altura Elementary School ranks 943rd out of 943 Colorado elementary schools, and Del Mar Academy ranks 941st with a 54% chronic absenteeism rate.

Chronic absenteeism is the strongest differentiator: schools with lower absenteeism consistently outperform those with higher rates, and the district-wide average of 38.9% far exceeds the state's 28.4%. East Middle School is a particular vulnerability, with the worst student-teacher ratio (26.4:1), very low proficiency, and a 3rd-percentile ranking. Hinkley High School, the largest school with 1,527 students, struggles with 53.9% chronic absenteeism and a 79.3% graduation rate, though its SAT math exceeds William Smith's. Overall, poverty alone doesn't determine outcomes — Elkhart outperforms wealthier schools — and the improvement momentum at Elkhart, William Smith, and Hinkley suggests targeted efforts can work even in challenging circumstances.