The top reported proficiency rate is 83% in English language arts. The lowest is 79% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Superior Elementary School
Superior Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in the town of Superior, a residential suburb along the US 36 corridor between Boulder and Denver. The town has a history as a coal mining community that shrank after the mine closed, then expanded dramatically with new subdivisions in the 1990s. That growth continues. A mixed-use Downtown Superior project is adding a central plaza and commercial units, and new residential construction is underway. The town is also recovering from the 2021 Marshall Fire, which destroyed hundreds of structures including an entire subdivision. The home high school for students after fifth grade is Monarch High in neighboring Louisville.
The school is part of the Boulder Valley School District No. Re2, which recently authorized a major bond issue funding safety upgrades, mental health spaces, and classroom additions across all schools, as well as a new elementary school in Erie. The district also approved a property-tax-funded mill levy override to support teacher and staff compensation. At the same time, the district has seen a decline in enrollment over the past decade and voted to close two small elementary schools due to high per-pupil costs, a context a parent may want to consider as the district manages its footprint.
Superior Elementary’s student body is predominantly white, with Asian students forming the next largest group and Hispanic students also present in meaningful numbers. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is very small, a detail that gives a sense of the overall income profile of the families served. The school enrolls several hundred students in total, spread across grades kindergarten through five with fairly balanced class sizes. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent looking into special education services or language support programs would need to follow up directly with the school.
On state assessments, Superior Elementary posted strong results across all tested subjects. In both math and English language arts, a large majority of students scored at or above the proficient level. Science, tested only in fifth grade, also showed high proficiency. When compared to other schools within Boulder County, the school’s overall proficiency across subjects placed it near the top of the range among those with available data. These are clearly high academic numbers for an elementary school. Participation rates on the assessments were very high, which means the results reflect nearly the entire student body rather than a select group.
The school did not report data on chronic absenteeism or discipline, so there is no readily available information about attendance patterns or behavioral referrals. A parent concerned about school climate in those areas would want to ask the school directly.
The housing market in the area is expensive relative to national norms. Homes in Superior’s ZIP code carry a high price tag, and rents are also elevated. The combination of high housing costs and low poverty enrollment at the school suggests a community where securing housing is a significant financial commitment. For a family looking at the tradeoffs, the academic performance is clearly strong, but the cost of entry into the neighborhood is high.
This is a school that fits a family already living in or moving to Superior who values high academic proficiency at the elementary level and wants a school where the vast majority of students meet state expectations. The setting is suburban and car-oriented, with an extensive trail network and parks, and the town is adding a more walkable downtown element as development continues. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it serves its neighborhood attendance zone within the broader district structure.
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