The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in Math. The lowest is 17% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Audubon Elementary School
Audubon Elementary School is a regular public school serving preschool through fifth grade in the Colorado Springs School District 11. It sits in the central part of the city, drawing from a neighborhood with a mix of older homes and apartment buildings. The school enrolls a student body that is economically diverse, with a substantial share of families qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, a rate that points to a high-poverty environment. Racially and ethnically, the school is roughly half white, with a large Hispanic population and smaller shares of students who identify as two or more races, Black, Asian, or American Indian. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and its Title I status was not reported in the available data.
Academically, state testing results from the Colorado Measures of Academic Success provide a picture of how students perform in math and English language arts across grades three through five, and in science for grade five alone. The proficiency rates in math and ELA both fall in a range that could be described as moderate, meaning roughly two out of every five students met the state’s proficiency benchmarks. When compared to other districts across El Paso County, Audubon’s overall proficiency index, which averages the reported rates across tested subjects and grades, sits above the midpoint of the county’s districts. That is a meaningful strength: the school’s performance is better than many of its county peers, even while serving a student body with significant economic need.
The science proficiency rate at grade five is notably lower, with only a modest share of students reaching the standard. Since science is tested only at that single grade level and the number of students tested is smaller, this result may be less stable from year to year. Still, parents with an eye on this subject may want to ask the school about how science instruction is delivered across the elementary grades and whether any targeted support is available.
The school’s grade span ends at fifth grade, so there is no graduation rate to report. Likewise, data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, and course access were not available in the materials reviewed, so a full picture of school climate cannot be drawn here.
Audubon sits within Colorado Springs School District 11, the city’s largest public school system. Publicly reported developments show that the district has raised starting teacher pay significantly in an effort to improve retention, and it has reduced the number of schools on state turnaround or priority improvement status by roughly two-thirds. These are systemic changes that could affect teacher quality and school stability over time. The district also created a promise scholarship with a local state college allowing high school students to take college courses at no cost, though this program does not directly touch an elementary school.
The neighborhood around Audubon is part of a sprawling, car-dependent city that is home to multiple military installations, a large aerospace and defense sector, and a growing tourism industry. Home values in the school’s zip code are close to the national median, and rents are moderate relative to incomes, though the area has seen a slight decline in home values recently while rents have edged up. Mortgage costs currently outpace rents, making renting a more common near-term option for many families. The city continues to grow slowly, with a population that has expanded steadily over the past two decades.
For families considering Audubon Elementary, the school offers a solid academic standing relative to its county peers, particularly given its demographic context. The student population is diverse and economically mixed. The low science scores and the lack of certain operational data are areas a parent would want to explore further with the school or district. The broader community context is that of a large, expanding city with a strong military and aerospace presence, where schools are part of a district that has been actively working on teacher pay and school improvement.
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