Best Public Schools in Zip Code 80237

ZIP code 80237 in Denver is served by three schools within School District No. 1: two elementary schools — Southmoor Elementary School and Samuels Elementary School — and one high school, Thomas Jefferson High School, together educating 2,353 students. The district ranks 71st out of 115 Colorado districts, placing it in the 38th percentile with a 2-star rating. There are no middle schools in this ZIP code, so students in grades 6-8 must leave the area.

Southmoor Elementary School is the clear standout, ranking in the 68th percentile with a 3-star rating. It has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (23.1%), the lowest economic need (36.9% free/reduced lunch), and the best student-teacher ratio (17.3:1) in the ZIP code. Southmoor exceeds both district and state averages in ELA, math, and science, and its math proficiency (47.9%) is double that of Samuels Elementary School (21.9%). Samuels, by contrast, ranks in the 23rd percentile with a 1-star rating, and its science proficiency plunged from 25.6% to just 13.5% in one year. Thomas Jefferson High School ranks in the 48th percentile with a 2-star rating, but posts a strong 87.3% graduation rate — above district and state — and 63% SAT reading/writing proficiency, though only 36% of students are proficient in SAT math.

The gap between these schools tracks closely with poverty and attendance. Samuels Elementary School has 86.5% free/reduced lunch eligibility and 44.1% chronic absenteeism, while Southmoor Elementary School has 36.9% and 23.1%, respectively. Both Thomas Jefferson High School (41.4%) and Samuels (44.1%) have chronic absenteeism well above the state average of 28.4%. Ranking trends are mostly flat or declining: Southmoor slipped from the 77th percentile in 2023-24 to the 68th, and Thomas Jefferson fell from the 54th to the 48th percentile. Despite these challenges, Thomas Jefferson still graduates students at a strong rate, though its dropout rate of 3.0% is nearly double the state rate of 1.6%. Parents will find a high-performing option at Southmoor, a solid secondary choice at Thomas Jefferson, and a school at Samuels that needs significant support.