The top reported proficiency rate is 75% in Math. The lowest is 60% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cottonwood Creek Elementary School
Cottonwood Creek Elementary School sits in the Cherry Creek School District, serving students in prekindergarten through fifth grade. The school draws from a slice of Englewood, a city whose character varies by quadrant. The southeast portion of the city, where Cottonwood Creek is located, is almost purely residential and newer than the older northwest downtown and the industrial southwest. The Hampden Hills neighborhood nearby has one of the largest concentrations of apartment complexes in the metro area and is described as the newest and wealthiest part of the city. The area around the school is stable, built out primarily during and after the post-war period, with most recent growth taking the form of infill and redevelopment rather than new subdivisions.
The school itself is a regular public elementary school, and it enrolls a population that is substantially larger than many elementary schools in the area. The student body is predominantly white, with a sizeable Asian population and a smaller share of students who identify as two or more races. The Hispanic population is present but smaller in proportion. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure well below the district average and a signal that the school draws from a relatively affluent attendance zone.
Academically, the school posts strong results on the Colorado Measures of Academic Success. In both math and English language arts, the share of students scoring at the proficient or advanced level is well above the state median. Science proficiency, assessed at fifth grade, is also solid. The school’s overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among schools in Arapahoe County. This is a school where a large majority of students are meeting or exceeding grade-level expectations, and the academic floor is high. A parent considering the school can expect a learning environment where the norm is proficiency, not remediation.
Participation rates on the state assessments were high, which lends confidence to the results. The grade levels are balanced, with a slightly larger cohort in the upper elementary grades than in kindergarten and first grade. The school does not appear to serve a high proportion of students with special needs or English learners, based on the data available for those categories, though that information was not complete in the records.
The school’s setting is suburban and well-established. It is part of Cherry Creek School District, a large and well-regarded suburban district. The immediate neighborhood around the school is residential, and the city’s walkable core is located farther northwest near CityCenter Englewood and the light rail station. A free trolley connects that station to downtown and the medical district, but the school itself is on a separated campus and families typically rely on cars or buses for transportation.
Housing in the area is expensive, with values that reflect the desirability of the Cherry Creek district. Rental costs are high as well. The area’s dominant employers are healthcare institutions, led by Swedish Medical Center and Craig Hospital, which anchor the city’s economy. This is a place where many families are established professionals, and the school reflects that stability.
For a family looking for an elementary school with consistently strong test scores, a low rate of economic disadvantage, and a setting in a well-regarded district, Cottonwood Creek is a straightforward fit. It is not a school that serves a wide range of economic or linguistic diversity, and a family seeking that kind of peer environment would want to look elsewhere. The academic profile is clear: this is a high-performing school where proficiency is the baseline.
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