Best Public Schools in Zip Code 80019

Zip code 80019 in Aurora, CO contains 2 schools, both PK-8 elementary schools serving a combined 1,152 students, with both campuses serving predominantly lower-income families where over 60% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. The two schools, High Point Academy and Aurora Highlands K-8, have similar grade spans and economic profiles but deliver very different academic results.

Aurora Highlands K-8 is the clear academic standout in the area. It outperforms High Point Academy in nearly every subject and grade level, with all-grade ELA proficiency of 34.8% compared to High Point's 23.9%, and math proficiency of 24.4% versus 13.7%. Aurora Highlands also has a smaller student-teacher ratio of 15.2:1 versus High Point's 19.1:1, lower chronic absenteeism at 25.2% (below the state average of 28.4%) versus High Point's 37.2%, and a steadily improving state ranking that rose from the 19th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 27th percentile in 2025-2026. High Point Academy, despite being larger with 680 students, has seen its state ranking drop to the 8th percentile and trails significantly in upper-grade performance, with 8th-grade ELA proficiency at just 22.5% compared to Aurora Highlands' 45.5%.

One notable paradox is that High Point Academy belongs to the State Charter School Institute, a district ranked in the 57th percentile, while Aurora Highlands K-8 is part of Aurora Joint District No. 28, which ranks in only the 8th percentile. Yet at the school level, the results are reversed, showing that district ratings can be misleading. Since both schools have nearly identical poverty rates (60.3% vs. 61.0% free/reduced lunch), income alone does not explain the achievement gap. Chronic absenteeism and class size are likely contributing factors. Science proficiency is a concern at both schools, with 5th-grade science at 6.8% for High Point and 14.5% for Aurora Highlands, both far below the state average of 36.1%. For families in this area, Aurora Highlands K-8 currently offers the stronger overall academic environment.