The top reported proficiency rate is 68% in Math. The lowest is 55% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on French American School of Denver
The French American School of Denver is a public charter elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in the city of Denver. It sits within Denver Public Schools, the large urban district that covers the consolidated city and county of Denver. The school's enrollment is notably small for a public elementary school, and its student body is predominantly white, with a smaller share of students who identify as two or more races, a smaller share of Black students, and a smaller share of Hispanic students. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is low.
This is a school where academic performance stands out sharply from the district average. On the Colorado Measures of Academic Success assessments, overall proficiency across the tested subjects and grades places the French American School of Denver in the top quartile relative to other districts in Denver County. In math, a strong majority of students scored proficient or above. In English language arts, roughly half of students reached that same threshold. Science scores, which are assessed only in fifth grade, also show a strong majority of students scoring proficient. These results signal that this school's academic program, as measured by state tests, is performing at a level well above the typical Denver County public school. A parent looking into this school should consider that its relatively high test scores reflect the performance of its enrolled student population, which is less economically diverse than the county as a whole.
The school's mission and identity are built around language immersion. As a charter school, it operates with autonomy from the district in its curriculum and programming, and families must choose it through Denver Public Schools' unified enrollment system, which was introduced for the 2024-2025 school year. The school's grade band covers only the elementary years, so there is no high school graduation rate to report, nor is there data on chronic absenteeism or discipline. The school did not report data on students with individualized education programs or English learners, so a parent with a child who receives special education services or who is learning English would want to inquire directly about what supports are available.
The school is located in Denver, a major consolidated city and state capital that functions as the commercial and transportation hub of the Rocky Mountain region. Denver's economy spans telecommunications, aviation, software, financial services, health care, and tourism, with the headquarters of several Fortune firms in the city and a large employer in Denver International Airport. The city has experienced sustained population growth, and its housing market reflects that demand. The typical home value in the school's zip code is above the average for the state of Colorado and well above the national average, and the typical monthly rent is also above the national figure. Home values in the area have seen a modest decline in the most recent year, but the overall affordability picture is that buying a home requires a household income well above the national median. For a family renting, the typical rent consumes a little over a quarter of the national median household income.
The Denver Public Schools district has been active in recent years. Voters approved a significant bond measure in 2024, the largest in district history, for facility improvements, safety upgrades, technology, and new school construction. A mill levy override was passed in 2022 to increase teacher pay and mental health services. The district also shifted to a literacy curriculum aligned with the science of reading, starting in the 2023-2024 school year. These district-level changes affect the French American School of Denver as a member school, but as a charter school it may implement them with some degree of independence. A parent considering this school should note that the school's small size, language-immersion program, and above-average test scores create a particular profile that may be a good fit for a family seeking an elementary school with strong academic results in a choice-driven, urban public school system. The low economic diversity of the student body is a fact of the school's enrollment, not a judgment on it, but it is a characteristic parents should weigh alongside academic outcomes.
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