The top reported proficiency rate is 33% in English language arts. The lowest is 14% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Mcmeen Elementary School
McMeen Elementary School serves Denver’s Hilltop and Virginia Village neighborhoods from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within Denver Public Schools. It is not a charter school. The school is large for an elementary, with an enrollment across all grades that reaches well into the hundreds. More than six out of ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a substantial share that signals a school serving many families with lower household incomes.
The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a very strong White population and a material Black student presence. Smaller shares of students are Asian, two or more races, or American Indian or Alaska Native. Data on English learner and special education enrollment was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school about the share of students receiving those supports directly.
McMeen’s academic performance on the Colorado Measures of Academic Success is on the weak side compared with other Denver County schools, falling in the bottom quartile of the county’s districts when measured by overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. In English language arts, about three in ten students in grades three through five scored at the proficient level or above on the state test. In math, the rate was below two in ten. Science proficiency among fifth graders was lower still, with a small share of students meeting the standard. The school’s participation rate on all three tests was very high, above ninety-seven percent, so the results are a full picture of student performance, not a selective sample. A parent should be aware that these figures represent a significant challenge for the school in bringing most students to grade-level benchmarks.
Denver itself is a major consolidated city-county and state capital with a dense downtown core, sprawling residential neighborhoods, and a diversified economy anchored in telecommunications, aerospace, software, financial services, health care, tourism, and government. Eight Fortune [a figure] firms are headquartered here, and both Denver International Airport and the U.S. Mint are major employers. The city has sustained population growth over decades, and its metropolitan area extends into the foothills and across the high plains. Denver Public Schools, McMeen’s district, has seen several recent parent-relevant changes. Voters approved a [a sum] bond measure (Measure 4A) in November 2024, the largest in district history, funding facility improvements, safety upgrades, and technology. A [a sum] mill levy override (Measure 5A) passed in 2022 to increase teacher pay and expand mental health services. The district also moved to a unified enrollment system for school choice starting in the 2024-2025 school year, changing how families apply to and select schools. And in the 2023-2024 school year, Denver Public Schools adopted a new K-5 literacy curriculum aligned with the science of reading, a shift that already affects how McMeen’s youngest students are taught.
The housing market around McMeen reflects Denver’s expensive home values. The typical home in the school’s zip code is valued above the state median, though home prices in the area have seen a modest year-over-year decline. Rents are similarly high but have softened recently. Renting a typical home in this area costs less per month than buying a median-priced home with a twenty percent down payment and a current mortgage rate, a gap that matters for families deciding whether to buy or rent. The local unemployment rate is at a level consistent with a tight labor market, and median household income nationally has held fairly steady, though the Denver data here is national rather than local.
This is a large, diverse elementary school in a high-cost city, serving a student body where many families face economic constraints. The academic results are clearly below the county average, and a parent considering McMeen would reasonably want to understand what interventions and supports the school offers for students reading below grade level. The district’s recent investment in literacy curriculum and a unified enrollment system, along with new funding for facilities and mental health, are contextual developments that may affect the school’s trajectory going forward.
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