The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in English language arts. The lowest is 23% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Adams Elementary School
Adams Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Westminster, Colorado, within Jefferson County School District No. R-1. The school sits in a largely car-dependent suburban section of the city, one that has historically lacked a traditional downtown but is now seeing the construction of a new mixed-use core called Downtown Westminster, with housing, retail, parks, and office space. Westminster itself is a large, sprawling suburb north of Denver that grew rapidly over the late twentieth century and is home to major employers like Ball Corporation, Maxar, and St. Anthony’s North Hospital. The city’s auto-oriented character means most families drive to school, though a network of trails (including the Big Dry Creek Trail) and the RTD B Line commuter rail provide some transportation alternatives.
The school’s student body is predominantly White, with a substantial share of Hispanic students and smaller numbers of students who are Asian, Black, of two or more races, or American Indian or Alaska Native. Just under half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on the shares of students receiving special education services or classified as English learners were not available; a parent may want to ask the school directly about these supports.
Academically, state testing results from the most recent year show that about a quarter of students in grades three through five scored at the proficient or advanced level in math, and about three in ten did so in English language arts. On the fifth-grade science assessment, a quarter of students scored proficient or advanced. These rates fall well below the state average, giving an indication that students at Adams Elementary, as a group, are performing at lower levels than many of their peers across Colorado. The school’s participation rates on the tests were high, so the results reflect nearly all enrolled students in those grades.
Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report, and the data did not include measures like chronic absenteeism or disciplinary statistics. The school’s performance could not be compared against other schools in Jefferson County, as the comparison cohort was too small to produce a meaningful benchmark.
In the broader district context, Adams Elementary operates under a Jefferson County school board that has seen significant recent turnover. Three board members were recalled in November 2024 and replaced in a special election driven by concerns over transparency and the handling of school consolidation plans. The same month, voters approved a major bond measure for capital improvements, safety upgrades, and technology—the first such bond passed in the district in over a decade. The district also adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum aligned with the science of reading, rolling it out in the 2023-24 school year. Meanwhile, a Regional Opportunities and Consolidation Committee formed in 2024 is studying enrollment trends and capacity, which means families may face potential school closures or boundary changes in the coming years.
Housing in the surrounding area is priced at levels roughly in line with the state overall, though the local market has seen a slight softening recently. A household earning the national median income would find buying a home here a stretch relative to that income, while renting would also consume a sizeable share of typical earnings. The area is a mix of residential neighborhoods, employment centers, and retail, with a modest decline in home values and rents reported over the past year.
For a family considering Adams Elementary, the central questions are about academic support. The proficiency rates on state tests are low, and a parent would want to understand what targeted interventions, tutoring, or enrichment programs the school offers to move those numbers. The school’s size is moderate for an elementary, and its grade span from pre-K through fifth means it feeds into a middle school elsewhere in the district. The ongoing district-level uncertainty around school consolidation adds another layer for families weighing a long-term commitment to this particular attendance area.
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