The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in English language arts. The lowest is 23% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Burlington Elementary School
Burlington Elementary School is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fourth grade in the small, rural agricultural town of Burlington, the county seat of Kit Carson County on Colorado's eastern High Plains. The town sits at the easternmost I-70 interchange, just west of the Kansas state line. Its economy is anchored by agriculture—corn and wheat production are regionally significant—along with accommodation and food services, health care, and government employment. The built environment is typical of a rural county seat: low-density residential neighborhoods, highway-oriented commercial uses, and civic buildings including the county courthouse. Home values are modest relative to the Colorado state benchmark, making the area more affordable than many parts of the state. The town is experiencing slight population decline, a pattern consistent with many rural High Plains communities. No major new housing developments were identified in public reports.
The school enrolls a few hundred students, a size that fits a single elementary school serving this community. The student body is roughly evenly split between White students and Hispanic students, with very small shares from other racial groups. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that many families face economic pressures. Data on special education identification and English learner status was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports and programs. Information on chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, discipline, and course access was also missing from the data provided. The school’s website was listed but not searched for additional details.
Because Burlington Elementary serves only early elementary grades, state testing results come from grades three and four, the only tested grades in this building. On the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, about a quarter of students met state proficiency standards in math, and about three in ten did so in English language arts. These are modest attainment levels. However, when placed alongside other schools in Kit Carson County’s districts, this school’s overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint. That context matters: the comparison set consists of the five school districts in the county, and within that group this school performs better than several of its peers. A parent looking for a school with relatively stronger test results in this rural area may see this as a positive signal, though the absolute rates are moderate and warrant a conversation with the school about instructional strategies and student progress.
No programs such as gifted services, extracurricular offerings, or specialized academies were described in the available data, which is common for an elementary school that typically includes these as part of the regular day. The school is part of the Burlington Public School District No. RE-6J, a single-district system. The district’s public record shows no recent referendums, curriculum shifts, or property-tax changes; it appears to be operating on a steady, long-established footing.
For a family considering this school, the peer environment reflects the community’s racial and economic mix. The setting is rural and car-dependent; the commute is local within town. Housing is affordable compared to state averages, and the area’s slight population decline means the school’s enrollment likely remains stable. The academic pathway is a standard elementary curriculum through fourth grade, after which students move to Burlington Middle School and then Burlington High School within the same district. Parents seeking a small, community-anchored elementary school in a rural High Plains town, with modest but above-county-average test results, would find this school a straightforward match. Those concerned about the specific academic supports available for students performing below proficiency, or about the missing special-population data, would want to engage directly with school staff.
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