The top reported proficiency rate is 18% in English language arts. The lowest is 9% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Joe Shoemaker School
Joe Shoemaker School serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Denver, operating as a regular public school within the School District No. 1 in the county of Denver and State of Colorado. The school enrolls a student body that reflects the broader city’s diversity, with a substantial share of students identifying as Hispanic, a substantial share as Black, and smaller but present shares of White, Asian, multiracial, and Indigenous students. Most students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context. The grade band stops at fifth, so there is no high school graduation rate to report; the school feeds into middle and high schools elsewhere in the district.
On the Colorado Measures of Academic Success assessments, Joe Shoemaker’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Denver County. The school’s state test results, which are one available measure of academic performance, show that the proportion of students reaching proficient or above in English language arts and in mathematics fell well below the district’s median. Science results in fifth grade were also very low. Participation rates on these assessments were moderate, meaning results reflect most but not all enrolled students. These numbers represent a soft spot, and a parent considering the school would want to understand what academic support and intervention systems are in place for students who are not meeting grade-level benchmarks.
Denver Public Schools has introduced several district-wide changes that reach Shoemaker. A new unified enrollment system, rolled out for the 2024-2025 school year, consolidated the school choice process for families across the district, which affects how students are assigned to or choose Shoemaker. In the 2023-2024 school year, the district adopted a literacy curriculum aligned with the science of reading across elementary grades, a shift designed to standardize early reading instruction. Voters have also approved a recent mill levy override to increase teacher pay and expand mental health resources, and a substantial bond measure for facility improvements and new construction, the largest in district history. These investments contribute to the fiscal and programming environment in which Shoemaker operates.
The school is located in Denver, a major consolidated city-county and state capital that serves as the principal commercial and transportation hub for the Rocky Mountain West. The city’s economy spans telecommunications, aviation, software, financial services, health care, and tourism, with eight Fortune-ranked firms headquartered here. The built environment ranges from a dense downtown core with cultural institutions like the Denver Art Museum and the Denver Performing Arts Complex to sprawling residential neighborhoods. Parks and bicycle paths are extensive. Denver has experienced sustained population growth, and post-war suburban development has created a nearly continuous urban corridor along the Front Range. The city presents families with a wide array of school choice options, given the district’s scale and the unified enrollment system.
Housing in the school’s zip code area had seen a decline in typical home values and rental rates from a year prior, though these remain in a range consistent with a major metropolitan market. The ratio of home prices to incomes was elevated nationally, and estimated monthly mortgage costs were higher than typical rents. These conditions shape the economic context for families who live in the attendance zone or who are choosing the school through the district’s choice process. For a family weighing Joe Shoemaker, the core consideration is whether its academic supports, literacy approach, and community fit their child’s needs, especially given the school’s test performance and the broader district investments.
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