The top reported proficiency rate is 85% in Math. The lowest is 81% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Stone Mountain Elementary
Stone Mountain Elementary serves students from preschool through sixth grade in Highlands Ranch, part of the Douglas County School District No. Re 1. The school is a regular public elementary school, not a charter, and draws on a surrounding community that is heavily residential and car-dependent, with no traditional downtown. Highlands Ranch is a master-planned suburb that experienced dramatic growth from its founding and is now approaching buildout, meaning the student population is likely to be relatively stable rather than expanding rapidly. Homes in the area carry a high price tag relative to national benchmarks, and rents are similarly elevated, which reflects the affluent character of the community.
Enrollment is moderate for an elementary school serving these grades. The student body is predominantly white, with a modest share of students who are Asian or of two or more races and a smaller share of Hispanic students. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is very low, placing the school in a high-income demographic context. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent wanting to understand the school's special education and language support programs would need to inquire directly.
State assessment results are strong across the board. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above is well into the high range, and the participation rate is solid. In English language arts, the proficiency rate is also high. Science results, which are tested at fifth grade, show a similarly strong performance. These scores place the school in a position of clear academic strength relative to state averages. The neighbor comparison data was not able to position the school among other Douglas County districts because the cohort of comparable elementary schools in the county at this level was too small, so the primary benchmark is state-level performance.
Because this is a PK-6 school, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school environment data sections for discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance were not available. Chronic absenteeism data, which can give a sense of engagement, was also absent from the data provided. A parent may want to ask the school about these areas directly.
The district itself has made recent investments relevant to families. In late 2024, voters approved a bond for new school construction, safety upgrades, technology, and facility renovations, as well as a mill levy override for teacher and staff recruitment and retention. The 2022 mill levy override that passed before that funded teacher compensation, mental health support, and social-emotional learning programs. At the elementary level, the district rolled out a new evidence-based literacy curriculum beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, emphasizing phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. These district-level moves suggest a system investing in teacher pay and instructional consistency, which may matter to a family considering the school.
Highlands Ranch has no downtown core, so daily errands require driving, but the community features an extensive network of trails and parks, four recreation centers, and open-space areas. The built environment is suburban sprawl with segmented neighborhoods. The school sits in a community where housing is expensive and the population is largely settled, meaning families moving into the area are likely making a deliberate choice about the school's academic reputation and the district's direction. The school's strong test scores and low poverty rate create a context where a parent can expect a student body with high average academic readiness, but a family seeking more economic diversity or a broader range of student backgrounds would want to consider what that profile means for their own child's experience.
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