Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a School District
School District · Aurora, Colorado
Avg Rating
6.2
out of 10
Schools
57
37 elem, 6 mid, 6 high
Enrollment
38,178
Student-Teacher Ratio
16.4:1
Avg Rating
6.2
out of 10
Schools
57
37 elem, 6 mid, 6 high
Enrollment
38,178
Student-Teacher Ratio
16.4:1
How this district compares
Colorado rank
#71 of 155
districts by avg. composite
Vs. state average
-0.2
below Colorado avg
Per-pupil spending
$18,118
+$2,960 vs Colorado median
District size
38,178 students
Much larger than Colorado median
The short answer
Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a ranks #71 of 155 Colorado districts by overall school rating. Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a's schools with real test data average 6.3/10 across 52 schools. Its top-rated schools are Aurora Academy Charter School (9.2/10), Aurora Quest K-8 (9.1/10), and Lotus School for Excellence (8.4/10). Schools with estimated (proxy) scores are excluded from this ranking.
Rates 9.2/10 despite 81% of students being economically disadvantaged. That's about 2.9 points higher than its student-poverty level predicts. Roughly as clean a case of strong results without an affluent-ZIP price tag as you'll find among Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a schools.
Top-Rated Schools in Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a
Ranked by MySchoolScout composite rating using only schools with real test data (52 of 57). "Value" = points above what student poverty predicts. Estimated (proxy) scores are excluded.
| # | School | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aurora Academy Charter School | 9.2 / 10 |
| 2 | Aurora Quest K-8 | 9.1 / 10 |
| 3 | Lotus School for Excellence | 8.4 / 10 |
| 4 | Elkhart Elementary School | 8.4 / 10 |
| 5 | Dartmouth Elementary School | 8.4 / 10 |
| 6 | Harmony Ridge P-8 | 7.6 / 10 |
| 7 | Aurora Frontier K-8 | 7.5 / 10 |
| 8 | Rocky Mountain Prep: Fletcher | 7.5 / 10 |
| 9 | Aurora Science & Tech Middle School | 7.5 / 10 |
| 10 | Crawford Elementary School | 7.3 / 10 |
See all 57 schools — including those with estimated data — in the full directory below. How we rate schools.
About Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a
Aurora Joint District No. 28, spanning Adams and Arapahoe counties in Colorado, serves 38,178 students across 58 schools. With 56 ranked schools averaging a score of 5.7 out of 10, the district sits in a competitive range for a large urban district — giving parents a clear baseline when weighing individual school options against district-wide performance.
The top-rated school in the district is Harmony Ridge P-8, scoring 8.3 out of 10, placing it well above the district average and making it one of the stronger elementary options in the region. Murphy Creek K-8 follows closely at 8.1, alongside Aurora Science & Tech Middle School, which earns the same score and stands out as the district's leading middle school choice. Clara Brown Entrepreneurial Academy and Aurora Quest K-8 both score 7.8, rounding out a group of five schools that consistently perform above the district mean — a meaningful cluster in a system of 58 schools.
The gap between the district average of 5.7 and its top performers in the 7.8–8.3 range signals real variation across schools. For parents, that spread matters: school selection within the district can significantly affect the academic environment a child enters. The presence of specialized programs — including an entrepreneurial academy and a science and technology middle school — gives families options beyond the traditional neighborhood school model.
Aurora Joint District No. 28 is a large, diverse system where overall averages tell only part of the story. Parents who research individual schools rather than relying on district-wide figures will find a set of high-performing campuses that outpace the average by a substantial margin. Starting with the five schools rated 7.8 or above is a practical entry point for any family beginning their search.
District Map
Schools in Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a, colored by MySchoolScout rank. Click a pin for details.
District Average Test Scores
Average proficiency across all schools in Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a with test data.
Schools in Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a
57 schoolsElementary Schools37
Middle Schools6
High Schools6
District Details
- State
- Colorado
- City
- Aurora
- Total Enrollment
- 38,178
- Teachers (FTE)
- 2,332
- District spending per student
- $18,118NCES F-33 · FY 2023 · This annual source is three years behind the current year.
- Child poverty rate
- 15.8%Census SAIPE · 2024
- District directory year
- 2023
Frequently Asked Questions
How many schools are in Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a?
Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a has 57 schools in total — 37 elementary, 6 middle, and 6 high schools. You can explore each school's ratings and details on this page.
What is the average rating for Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a?
The average composite rating for Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a is 6.2/10. This score is calculated from the individual ratings of all schools with academic data in the district.
What is the district spending per student in Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a?
Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a's district-level spending was $18,118 per student in fiscal year 2023, according to NCES F-33. This is district context, not an individual-school expense.
What is the student-teacher ratio in Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a?
The average student-teacher ratio in Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a is 16.4:1.
What is the top-rated school in Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a?
Aurora Academy Charter School is the highest-rated school in Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a with a composite score of 9.2/10.
What are the test scores in Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a?
Across schools in Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a with test data, the average math proficiency is 26.1% and the average ELA (reading/writing) proficiency is 32.7%. These figures represent the percentage of students meeting or exceeding grade-level standards.
How does Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a compare to other districts in Colorado?
Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a has an average school rating of 6.2/10 across 57 schools. Families can compare this to other districts in Colorado by visiting individual district pages. Factors like school size, available programs, and community demographics also play a role in choosing the right fit.
How does MySchoolScout rate schools?
MySchoolScout ratings blend student growth, poverty-adjusted academic performance, and learning environment — plus college readiness for high schools. Weights vary by school level, and equity data is shown for context without being factored into the score. Learn more about our rating system on our methodology page.
District Averages
- Overall Rating
- 6.2/10
- Math Proficiency
- 26.1%
- ELA Proficiency
- 32.7%
How we rate schools
A clear 1–10 score built from public data — growth, academics, and learning environment. No hidden criteria, no pay-to-play.
See how we rateOther School Districts in CO
Compare Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a with neighboring districts in the state.
- School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C (197)
- Jefferson County School District No. R-1 (148)
- Douglas County School District No. Re 1 (89)
- Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah (70)
- Colorado Springs School District No. 11 in the County of E (58)
- Boulder Valley School District No. Re2 (56)
- Adams 12 Five Star Schools (54)
- St. Vrain Valley School District No. Re1j (54)
- Poudre School District R-1 (52)
- Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 (46)
- State Charter School Institute (44)
- Academy School District No. 20 in the County of EL Paso an (39)
- Pueblo School District No. 60 in the County of Pueblo and (35)
- Greeleyschool District No. 6 in the County of Weld and Sta (34)
- School District 27j (33)
- Thompson School District R-2j (32)
- EL Paso County Colorado School District 49 (30)
- Harrison School District No. 2 in the County of EL Paso an (28)
- Pueblo County School District 70 (27)
- Eagle County School District No. Re 50 (21)
- Littleton School District No. 6 in the County of Arapahoe (20)
- Mapleton School District No. 1 in the County of Adams & St (20)
- School District No. 3 in the County of EL Paso and State of (18)
- Westminster Public Schools (18)
Data from NCES Common Core of Data, Colorado Dept. of Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.
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