The top reported proficiency rate is 11% in English language arts. The lowest is 5% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Tollgate Elementary School of Expeditionary Learni
Tollgate Elementary School of Expeditionary Learning sits within the Aurora Joint District No. 28, serving kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school. Its name points to an expeditionary learning approach, though the available data does not describe how that model operates in the classroom. The school is large for an elementary, with an enrollment that spans a full six-grade span. The student body reflects the diversity of its Aurora neighborhood: a majority of students are Hispanic, with smaller shares of Black, white, Asian, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
State testing results place Tollgate in a difficult position relative to other elementary schools in Arapahoe County. Across math, English language arts, and fifth-grade science, the share of students scoring proficient or advanced is low. The school’s overall proficiency index lands in the bottom quartile when measured against other districts in the county. Participation rates for the state assessments were strong, so the results reflect nearly all enrolled students. For a parent, these numbers raise a clear question: what academic support does the school provide to move its students toward grade-level benchmarks? The data does not speak to interventions, class sizes, or staffing ratios, so a family would want to ask the school directly about how it addresses this challenge.
Because Tollgate only goes through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to consider, and the data does not include information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or special education and English learner counts. Those last two gaps are notable given that a school with a high share of students qualifying for income-based meal support likely serves many English learners and students with individualized education plans. A parent should inquire about those programs and how they are resourced.
The community around Tollgate is the city of Aurora, Colorado’s third-largest city, sprawling across hundreds of subdivisions and major commercial corridors. It is a car-dependent suburb, served by light rail lines but not built for foot traffic. Housing values in the area are below the Colorado average, making it a relatively accessible market within the Denver metro region. Rents are also lower than the state typical, though for many households they still represent a sizable portion of income. Major employers include Buckley Space Force Base, the Anschutz Medical Campus, and the school district itself, which means the local economy has institutional anchors.
The broader district is in a period of change. Voters approved a bond measure in 2022 to fund facility improvements, safety upgrades, and modernization across Aurora Public Schools. At the same time, the district is consolidating and repurposing underutilized school buildings, which will affect feeder patterns and which campuses remain open. Families living near Tollgate should watch how these decisions might redraw attendance boundaries or shift resources among schools.
For a parent weighing whether Tollgate fits their child, the picture is mixed. The school serves a large, diverse student population in a community that is more affordable than many parts of the Denver area. The district is investing in its facilities. But the academic proficiency numbers are low, and the available data does not show what interventions are in place. Any family considering Tollgate would want to visit, ask about instructional supports, and understand how the school uses its expeditionary learning framework to help students progress.
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