The brief
The top-rated elementary schools in Denver for 2026 are Westerly Creek Elementary (9.4/10), Willow Elementary School (9.4/10), and Carson Elementary School (9.3/10), based on MySchoolScout's analysis of 126 elementary schools with real test data included in this ranking. Schools with estimated (proxy) scores are excluded from this ranking.
Denver's elementary school landscape spans 128 ranked schools, giving families a wide range of options across the metro. French American School of Denver leads the field with a 9.3/10 composite score, followed closely by Edison Elementary, Valdez Elementary, and Inspire Elementary, all scoring 8.9/10. Centennial A School for Expeditionary Learning rounds out the top five at 8.8/10. The metro average sits at 6.5/10, but the distribution skews toward quality — 53 schools, or 41% of those ranked, score 7.0 or above. That means families have a solid pool of strong performers to evaluate, not just a handful of outliers at the top. The table below lets you sort by score, location, and other key factors to compare schools side by side. Start with the composite scores to identify top contenders, then dig into individual metrics to find the right fit.
Ranked by composite score; the tick is the score on the 1–10 axis.
- 19.4
- 29.4
- 39.3
- 49.3
- 59.2
- 69.2
- 79.1
- 89.0
- 99.0
- 108.8
All 126 ranked
Every ranked school on the axis, then the ledger.Top 25 of 126
Rating · students · student-teacher ratio · grades- 1Westerly Creek ElementarySchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 673student-teacher ratio 16.8:1grades Pre-K–5th
- 2Willow Elementary SchoolSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 565student-teacher ratio 16.6:1grades Pre-K–5th
- 3Carson Elementary SchoolSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 415student-teacher ratio 16.0:1grades Pre-K–5th
- 4Trevista at Horace MannSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 447student-teacher ratio 14.9:1grades Pre-K–5th
- 5Bromwell Elementary SchoolSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 290student-teacher ratio 15.3:1grades Pre-K–5th
- 6Edison Elementary SchoolSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 553student-teacher ratio 17.3:1grades Pre-K–5th
- 7Valdez Elementary SchoolSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 412student-teacher ratio 18.7:1grades Pre-K–5th
- 8Creativity Challenge CommunitySchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 295student-teacher ratio 19.7:1grades Kindergarten–5th
- 9Isabella Bird Community SchoolSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 420student-teacher ratio 16.2:1grades Pre-K–5th
- 10Steele Elementary SchoolSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 444student-teacher ratio 17.8:1grades Kindergarten–5th
- 11Lena Archuleta Elementary SchoolSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 497student-teacher ratio 15.5:1grades 1st–5th
- 12Odyssey School of DenvercharterSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 307student-teacher ratio 12.8:1grades Kindergarten–8th
- 13Kipp Northeast ElementarycharterSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 477student-teacher ratio 13.2:1grades Pre-K–4th
- 14Doull Elementary SchoolSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 348student-teacher ratio 15.1:1grades Pre-K–5th
- 15Lincoln Elementary SchoolSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 315student-teacher ratio 18.5:1grades Pre-K–6th
- 16University Prep - Steele St.charterSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 333student-teacher ratio 12.8:1grades Pre-K–5th
- 17Sherrelwood Elementary SchoolWestminster Public Schoolsstudents 199student-teacher ratio 13.3:1grades Pre-K–5th
- 18Brown International AcademySchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 518student-teacher ratio 15.2:1grades Pre-K–5th
- 19Bryant Webster Dual Language Ece-8 SchoolSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 426student-teacher ratio 17.0:1grades Pre-K–8th
- 20Academia Ana Marie SandovalSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 385student-teacher ratio 18.3:1grades Pre-K–6th
- 21Highline Academy SoutheastcharterSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 535student-teacher ratio 13.0:1grades Kindergarten–8th
- 22William (bill) Roberts Ece-8 SchoolSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 851student-teacher ratio 19.8:1grades Kindergarten–8th
- 23Rocky Mountain Prep CreeksidecharterSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 599student-teacher ratio 14.3:1grades Pre-K–5th
- 24Challenge SchoolCherry Creek School District No. 5 In the County of Arapahstudents 563student-teacher ratio 16.6:1grades Pre-K–8th
- 25Bradley International SchoolSchool District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of Cstudents 577student-teacher ratio 18.0:1grades Pre-K–5th
Scores are based on 2024-25 data from the NCES Common Core of Data and Colorado education department. Rankings are relative to all public elementary schools in Colorado. Learn about our methodology.
The map
The top 25 pinned; open a pin for the campus.Campus by campus
What each of the top ten reports.- 1
Westerly Creek Elementary
School District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of C
673 students · 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio · grades Pre-K–5th
Top 1% in Colorado
- Academics
- 9.9
- Growth
- 9.4
- Environment
- 8.9
- 2
Willow Elementary School
School District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of C
565 students · 16.6:1 student-teacher ratio · grades Pre-K–5th
Top 1% in Colorado
- Academics
- 9.6
- Growth
- 9.7
- Environment
- 8.5
- 3
Carson Elementary School
School District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of C
415 students · 16.0:1 student-teacher ratio · grades Pre-K–5th
Top 1% in Colorado
- Academics
- 9.6
- Growth
- 9.3
- Environment
- 8.7
- 4
Trevista at Horace Mann
School District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of C
447 students · 14.9:1 student-teacher ratio · grades Pre-K–5th
Top 1% in Colorado
- Academics
- 8.6
- Growth
- 10.0
- Environment
- 8.5
- 5
Bromwell Elementary School
School District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of C
290 students · 15.3:1 student-teacher ratio · grades Pre-K–5th
Top 1% in Colorado
- Academics
- 9.4
- Growth
- 9.0
- Environment
- 9.3
- 6
Edison Elementary School
School District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of C
553 students · 17.3:1 student-teacher ratio · grades Pre-K–5th
Top 1% in Colorado
- Academics
- 9.7
- Growth
- 9.0
- Environment
- 8.8
- 7
Valdez Elementary School
School District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of C
412 students · 18.7:1 student-teacher ratio · grades Pre-K–5th
Top 2% in Colorado
- Academics
- 9.6
- Growth
- 9.7
- Environment
- 6.8
- 8
Creativity Challenge Community
School District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of C
295 students · 19.7:1 student-teacher ratio · grades Kindergarten–5th
Top 3% in Colorado
- Academics
- 9.8
- Growth
- 9.8
- Environment
- 5.7
- 9
Isabella Bird Community School
School District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of C
420 students · 16.2:1 student-teacher ratio · grades Pre-K–5th
Top 3% in Colorado
- Academics
- 8.7
- Growth
- 9.6
- Environment
- 7.9
- 10
Steele Elementary School
School District No. 1 In the County of Denver and State of C
444 students · 17.8:1 student-teacher ratio · grades Kindergarten–5th
Top 4% in Colorado
- Academics
- 9.9
- Growth
- 8.5
- Environment
- 8.1
Questions
What is the best elementary school in Denver, Colorado?
According to MySchoolScout's 2026 rankings, Westerly Creek Elementary is the top-rated elementary school in Denver with a composite score of 9.4/10. The score blends student growth, poverty-adjusted academic performance, and school environment — plus college readiness for high schools — with equity shown as context, not scored.
How many elementary schools are in Denver, Colorado?
Denver has 164 elementary schools, including 21 charter schools. Of these, 153 have enough data for a full composite rating on MySchoolScout.
What is the average elementary school rating in Denver?
Among 153 Denver elementary schools with a composite score, the average is 6.7/10. Scores range from 1.0 (bottom of the state) to 10.0 (top 1% in Colorado).
How does MySchoolScout rate elementary schools?
Schools with enough data receive a 1-10 composite score that blends Student Growth, Poverty-Adjusted Academic Achievement, and School Environment — plus College Readiness for high schools. Weights vary by school level, with growth counting most in elementary and middle grades. Equity data is shown for context but not scored. All scores are computed within Colorado, so schools are compared to peers in the same state. Data comes from the NCES Common Core of Data and state education departments.
What is a good school rating on MySchoolScout?
A score of 7 or above means a school is in roughly the top 30% of its state. A 5 is average. Anything above 8 is exceptional. Our ratings are relative to other schools in Colorado, not a national comparison, because each state has different testing standards.
Are charter schools included in the Denver elementary school rankings?
Denver has 21 charter elementary schools in its directory. Charter schools that meet this ranking's data requirements are included alongside traditional public schools using the same composite scoring methodology.
How should I use this ranking?
Consider your child's learning style. Some children thrive in smaller settings (look for student-teacher ratios under 14:1), while others do well in larger, more social environments. The schools on this list range widely in size and approach.
Look beyond the composite score. A school ranked #15 might be the best fit if it excels in growth (improving student outcomes year over year) even if its raw academic score is lower. Click into individual school profiles to see the breakdown.
Visit your top choices. Walk the hallways during a school day. Watch how teachers interact with students. Ask about before- and after-school care, transportation, and parent involvement. These details matter more than any dataset.
Explore more
- Best middle schools in Denver2026 rankings and ratings
- Best high schools in Denver2026 rankings and ratings
- All 274 schools in DenverElementary, middle and high
- Colorado schoolsStatewide rankings and city comparisons
- Our methodologyHow we calculate school ratings