The top reported proficiency rate is 17% in English language arts. The lowest is 13% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Barney Ford Elementary School
Barney Ford Elementary School is a regular public school in Denver’s far east side, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Denver Public Schools. The school is zoned for a residential section of the city near the intersection of Interstate 70 and E-470, an area that sits within a large, consolidated city-county that functions as Colorado’s capital and commercial hub. Denver’s economy spans telecommunications, aviation, software, financial services, health care, and tourism, and the city has seen sustained population growth over recent decades. The school’s immediate housing market, measured by the zip code it sits in, shows home values slightly below the state average and rents rising at a pace that outpaces the national trend, though the overall cost of housing in the Denver area remains high relative to incomes.
Ford’s enrollment is large for an elementary school, and the student body is heavily Hispanic, with a modest share of Black students and very small numbers of White, Asian, multiracial, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a school community where most families face economic constraints. The school does not have charter or magnet status and is a traditional neighborhood elementary school.
Academically, proficiency rates on Colorado’s state assessments for math, English language arts, and science are low. The school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other schools in Denver County. In math, about one in seven students scored at the proficient or advanced level, while in reading the figure was slightly higher, at roughly one in six. Science results for fifth graders were similar, with about one in eight students reaching proficiency. Participation rates on all three tests exceeded the state’s typical threshold, so the results reflect nearly the whole tested population. There is no multi-year trend data available, so it is not possible to see whether these numbers are improving or declining.
The school serves only elementary grades, so there are no graduation rate, chronic absenteeism, or high school course access figures to consider. Data on special education identification and English learner status were not provided, nor were discipline or staffing details. A parent wanting a fuller picture of student supports would need to contact the school directly.
Housing in the zip code carries a moderate price-to-income ratio compared to the broader national context, and the estimated monthly cost of owning is higher than renting in this area, which is a typical pattern across the Denver region. The school itself sits within a district that has recently made several large-scale investments. Denver voters approved a record bond measure in 2024 funding facility improvements, safety upgrades, technology, and new school construction across the district. A mill levy override passed in 2022 has been directed toward teacher pay and mental health services. Additionally, the district shifted to a unified enrollment system for the 2024-2025 school year, changing how families apply to schools, and implemented a district-wide literacy curriculum aligned with the science of reading beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. These changes apply across DPS, including at Ford, and represent a district-level commitment to upgrading infrastructure and instructional approaches.
For a family considering Barney Ford Elementary, the core picture is of a large, economically diverse-by-circumstance neighborhood school serving a predominantly Hispanic student population, with state test scores that are low relative to other schools in Denver County. The district is investing heavily in facilities and literacy instruction, but the current academic outcomes are a clear soft spot that a parent would want to discuss directly with the school. The surrounding area offers the full civic and economic infrastructure of Denver, including parks, cultural institutions, and a diversified job market, though the commute from this far east side location to downtown would be longer than from closer-in neighborhoods.
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