Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the Counties of Adams and a School District

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.