The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in English language arts. The lowest is 35% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Douglass Valley Elementary School
Douglass Valley Elementary School is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade, located on the grounds of the United States Air Force Academy in El Paso County, Colorado. Because the Academy is a federal military installation and service academy rather than a conventional town, the school sits within a campus defined by cadet dormitories, academic halls, and military infrastructure—essentially a controlled institutional environment, not a residential neighborhood. There is no private commercial district or typical street life; the nearest civic anchors are the Cadet Chapel, visitor center, and the Academy’s own dining and library facilities. Families who send their children here are likely connected to the base or the surrounding area, and housing is not part of the installation itself but in nearby Colorado Springs or unincorporated parts of the county.
Academically, Douglass Valley’s state testing results place it among the stronger elementary schools in the county. The school’s overall proficiency index across math, English language arts, and science falls in the top quartile relative to districts in El Paso County, a broad and varied region that includes some of the state’s highest-performing districts as well as more challenged ones. That position suggests that a substantial majority of students are meeting or exceeding grade-level expectations in the core subjects. On the most recent Colorado Measures of Academic Success assessments, math and ELA proficiency were reported at roughly half of test-takers, with science proficiency lower—around a third of fifth graders scored at the proficient level. Science is tested only at grade five, so the sample is narrower; a parent may want to follow up with the school about how science instruction is structured and what supports are available for students who need extra help. The school’s participation rates on state tests were high, above nine in ten for math and about nine in ten for ELA.
The student body is moderately sized for an elementary school and reflects the military-connected community. The largest racial and ethnic group is white, making up about half of enrollment, followed by Hispanic students at roughly a quarter, with smaller shares of students identifying as two or more races, Black, Asian, and Native American. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that is relatively low compared to many Colorado elementary schools. Data on students with Individualized Education Programs and English learner status was not provided, so it is not possible to speak to the school’s special education or language support programs from this information. Similarly, no information on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, or staffing ratios was available.
The school is part of Academy School District 20, which covers a large portion of northern Colorado Springs and the Air Force Academy area. In 2024, the district passed a bond to rebuild schools located on the Academy, leveraging additional funding from the U.S. Department of Defense for those projects. That investment points to district-level attention to the physical condition of schools on the base. No recent program offerings—such as gifted and talented, STEM, or arts specializations—were detailed in the data, so families interested in those features would need to contact the school directly.
This is a school that fits a particular family profile—most likely one with ties to the Air Force Academy, nearby military installations, or the broader northern Colorado Springs area. The academic performance is solid to strong relative to the county, and the setting is stable and federally maintained. The missing pieces on special populations and program depth mean that parents with a child who has specific learning needs or a strong interest in enrichment should ask those questions when exploring the school.
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