Best Schools in Aurora, Colorado

Aurora, Colorado has 100 ranked public schools, giving families a wide field to evaluate. The city's average school score sits at 5.7 out of 10, which means performance varies considerably across the metro — but the range runs high enough that strong options exist for families willing to search. Twenty schools, or 20% of the total, score 7 or above, a meaningful concentration of high-performers for a city this size.

The top of the rankings is anchored by elementary schools. Black Forest Hills Elementary leads the city at 9.0 out of 10, followed closely by Fox Hollow Elementary and Altitude Elementary, both scoring 8.9. Harmony Ridge P-8 (8.4) and Aurora Quest K-8 (8.2) round out the top five, with the latter two extending through middle grades — an advantage for families who want to settle into a school community past fifth grade. Five of Aurora's five highest-ranked schools are at the elementary level, which suggests the early-grades options punch above the citywide average even if middle and high school options require more scrutiny.

The 5.7 citywide average signals that roughly half of Aurora's schools perform below that midpoint. Parents researching middle school and high school placements should pay closer attention to individual school scores rather than relying on Aurora's overall reputation — the spread between the top 20% and the bottom of the rankings is wide enough to matter in a real school decision.

Practically, the highest-concentration of strong schools sits in the upper tier — that 20% of 7-plus scorers represents 20 schools across a city with real geographic spread. Families with young children have the most options near the top of the ratings. Those entering middle or high school years should filter by score and map location carefully, as quality distribution is uneven. Aurora rewards targeted research over broad assumptions about district performance.