The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in English language arts. The lowest is 11% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Burnham Wood Charter School District
Burnham Wood Charter School District in El Paso County operates a pre-K through 12 charter network with three schools: Howard Burnham Elementary, DaVinci School for Science and the Arts, and The Linguistic Academy of El Paso. The district serves a substantial population, enrolling students across all grade bands with a notably high concentration of Hispanic students and a small white student population. Specific enrollment counts and demographic breakdowns appear in the data sections, but the student body composition is heavily weighted toward Spanish-speaking families, which shapes the district's educational direction.
The district's academic performance tells a story of mixed and uneven results across grades and subjects. In the elementary grades, proficiency is stronger and more consistent. Fourth-grade English language arts shows solid performance, while fifth-grade English language arts reaches a higher level. Fifth-grade math sits at a moderate proficiency level. By middle school, results decline noticeably. Sixth-grade English and math both fall to lower ranges of proficiency. Seventh-grade math drops further, and eighth-grade math proficiency drops to a low level across the district. Eighth-grade English shows modest proficiency, while science and social studies at that grade level show weaker results. The trajectory suggests a meaningful gap opens between elementary and secondary performance.
A striking feature is the role of language of instruction in assessment results. Some grades were tested in Spanish and others in English in the same school year. Third and fourth grade Spanish-language math assessments report very low proficiency, though small test groups make those figures less stable. By contrast, upper elementary and middle school students tested in English show the proficiency patterns described above. Parents considering the district should understand that language-of-instruction choices and assessment availability may differ by campus and grade.
The Linguistic Academy of El Paso, one of the three schools, is a dual-language immersion campus serving pre-K through 5 with a two-way English-Spanish program. The school recently earned candidacy for International Baccalaureate (IB) authorization, a multi-year process signaling a shift toward inquiry-based, globally focused curriculum. A CREEED grant funded expansion of that campus's immersion program, adding capacity for additional students. For families seeking bilingual education with an international curriculum pathway, this campus represents the district's deepest specialized offering.
Across the district, chronic absenteeism sits in the top quartile among El Paso County districts, meaning the district has lower absenteeism than most of its neighbors. Per-pupil spending falls in the lower range compared to other county districts. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint among El Paso County districts. The district reported no four-year graduation rate data, likely because high school results are still emerging or the district is young in serving that grade band; a parent may want to ask the district directly about graduation outcomes.
For families drawn to the Linguistic Academy's bilingual program or the DaVinci school's specialized mission, the district offers alternative pathways not available in traditional public school settings. For those prioritizing strong secondary math or science outcomes, the current data suggests looking closely at how the district supports students as they advance into middle school, where proficiency gaps become apparent.
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