The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in Science. The lowest is 52% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Clear Sky Elementary
Clear Sky Elementary is a regular public school in Castle Rock, Colorado, serving students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade as part of the Douglas County School District No. Re 1. The student body is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic population and smaller shares of students who are Asian, Black, or of two or more races. About one-fifth of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure of economic need that is relatively low compared to many schools statewide. The school enrolls a substantial number of students for an elementary and middle-level school, creating a setting where class sizes and grade-level cohorts are large enough to support a full range of typical elementary programming.
Castle Rock itself is the county seat of Douglas County and a fast-growing suburb positioned roughly halfway between Denver and Colorado Springs along Interstate 25. The town has a historic downtown with local shops and restaurants, but it is largely car-dependent, with residential subdivisions and commercial corridors spread across a wide area. The Outlets at Castle Rock and other retail centers along the highway draw visitors from across the region. Population has grown rapidly in recent decades, and that growth continues to shape the community. The school district has responded with major capital investments: voters approved a substantial bond measure in 2024 to fund new school construction, safety upgrades, and technology infrastructure, alongside a mill levy override to support teacher and staff recruitment and retention. An earlier mill levy override approved in 2022 funded compensation increases and mental health support. These measures signal a district that is investing heavily in its facilities and workforce.
On the 2024-2025 Colorado Measures of Academic Success assessments, Clear Sky Elementary posted results that place it in a strong position. In English language arts, slightly more than half of students in grades three through six scored at the proficient or advanced level, and in math, just over half did the same. For fifth-grade science, about two-thirds of students met the state’s proficiency standard. These are solid proficiency rates that reflect a school where the majority of students are meeting grade-level expectations. Participation rates on the tests were high. The data available does not include breakdowns by student subgroup, so a parent interested in how specific populations are performing would need to follow up with the school directly.
The school serves grades pre-K through six, so there is no high school graduation rate or high school-level outcomes to report. That is a function of the grade band, not a gap in programming. No information was provided about special education or English learner populations, nor about discipline or attendance patterns. A parent considering the school for a child with specific learning needs may want to ask about those supports.
Clear Sky Elementary sits within a district that has made deliberate curriculum shifts, including a new evidence-based literacy program rolled out across all elementary schools beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, with an emphasis on phonics and comprehension. That district-wide change will affect every classroom, including Clear Sky’s. The school itself operates as a regular neighborhood school, not a charter or magnet, which means its attendance zone draws from the surrounding Castle Rock area.
Housing in the neighborhood reflects the broader Castle Rock market, where home values have been high relative to state and national benchmarks and have seen a modest recent decline. Rents have edged upward. The cost of entry to this attendance area is substantial, consistent with a suburban community that has experienced sustained demand.
See more original research from School Decision →