The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in English language arts. The lowest is 55% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Inspire Elementary
Inspire Elementary is a regular public school within Denver Public Schools, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Though it sits inside a city that manages its own school district, the school itself occupies a neighborhood in northeast Denver. Its enrollment places it on the larger side for an elementary school, drawing families from the surrounding area.
The student body is predominantly white, with a notable Hispanic population and smaller shares of students who are Black, Asian, or identify as two or more races. Roughly one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that is low compared with many Denver elementary schools. That economic profile suggests a relatively affluent enrollment, though the school does serve a mixed-income community rather than an exclusively high-income one.
On state assessments administered by Colorado, Inspire Elementary posts results that are strong across the board. In math, a clear majority of tested students scored at the proficient or advanced level. In English language arts, the proficiency rate was a bit higher. In fifth-grade science, just over half of students met or exceeded the standard. These proficiency numbers place the school in the top quartile among Denver County districts, a comparison that underscores consistently above-average academic performance. Participation rates for testing were high, though not universal, which a parent may want to follow up on if they have questions about how all students are accounted for. The school tested a sufficient number of students to give the proficiency rates solid footing.
Because Inspire serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and no data on chronic absenteeism was available. Multi-year trend data was also absent, so a parent cannot yet see whether the strong results are stable or shifting. That is a gap worth noting, especially for families who track longitudinal performance when evaluating a school.
The school operates as a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and no special designations such as Title I status were reported. Program offerings were not listed in the available data, so it is unclear what enrichment or intervention options exist beyond the standard curriculum. Discipline records and staff qualifications were also omitted from the public data we reviewed, leaving open questions about classroom climate and teacher experience that a family would want to investigate directly with the school.
Denver, the city where Inspire is located, is the state capital and the dominant economic center of the Rocky Mountain region. The economy is diverse, spanning telecommunications, aerospace, financial services, health care, and software. Eight Fortune 500 firms are headquartered in the city, and Denver International Airport is a major employer. The housing market in the school’s zip code reflects the city’s elevated costs: home values are well above the state median, and rents are similarly high. Both prices have seen a modest decline recently, but the area remains expensive by Colorado standards, meaning homebuyers and renters should expect a significant housing cost to live in the attendance zone.
Denver Public Schools, the district overseeing Inspire, has been through several notable changes recently. In 2024, voters approved a historically large bond measure, the biggest in the district’s history, to fund facility upgrades, safety improvements, technology, and new school construction. That bond carries implications for property taxes and physical infrastructure across the entire district. A separate mill levy override passed in 2022 boosted teacher pay and expanded mental health services in schools. On the curriculum side, the district adopted a new elementary literacy program aligned with the science of reading starting in the 2023–2024 school year, which will shape how all young students, including those at Inspire, learn to read. And for the 2024–2025 year, the district moved to a unified enrollment system, consolidating how families apply to and select schools. These district-level shifts are worth noting for any parent considering the school, as they affect what happens inside classrooms and how families navigate school choice.
For a family looking at Inspire Elementary, the picture is one of a well-performing school in a high-cost city, housed within a large district undergoing substantial changes. The academic results are strong relative to other Denver elementary schools, and the student population is comparatively low in economic disadvantage. Missing details on programs, discipline, and teacher staffing mean a visit and a conversation with the principal would be essential to fill out the story.
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