The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in Math. The lowest is 57% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Prairie Winds Elementary School
Prairie Winds Elementary School, a regular public school in the Lewis-Palmer 38 district, sits on the suburban fringe of Monument at the base of the Rampart Range. It serves students from preschool through sixth grade, and the enrollment is on the larger side for an elementary school serving this grade band. This is a school whose student body is primarily white, with the next largest group being students who identify as two or more races, followed by a noticeably smaller share of Hispanic students. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is low.
On the Colorado Measures of Academic Success assessments, Prairie Winds posted proficiency rates that sit comfortably above the midpoint among elementary schools in El Paso County. In both math and English language arts, roughly three out of five students scored in the proficient or advanced range, a rate that places the school among the higher-performing schools in the county. Science results, tested at the fifth-grade level, show a similar pattern, with a proficiency rate just above the school’s own math and ELA marks. These are solid results for a school with a low-poverty profile and a student population that is predominantly white, and they align with what you would expect from a well-resourced suburban elementary school in a high-opportunity area.
Monument itself has experienced very rapid population growth in recent decades, shifting from a small railroad stop into a substantial suburban community along the I-25 corridor between Denver and Colorado Springs. The town retains a semi-rural mountain character, with Pike National Forest to the west and open plains to the east. The school’s neighborhood reflects that character: housing values in the area are elevated relative to state and national benchmarks, and rents are also on the higher side, which reinforces the picture of an affluent area where household income is well above the national median. The town’s few schools and civic facilities are spread across separate campuses rather than concentrated in a single downtown center.
A parent considering Prairie Winds will find a school that returns strong academic outcomes in a context where most families have significant resources. The combination of high test scores, a low share of students in poverty, and a location in a fast-growing, higher-cost housing market suggests that the school is well positioned to continue performing at this level. For families who value a school that serves a largely homogenous student body in a semirural setting with easy highway access to Colorado Springs, this is a straightforward fit. The district did not report any recent major changes, and the school’s standing appears stable. There is no graduation rate because the school does not serve high school grades, and no chronic absenteeism data was available. The school has no special charter or magnet status, nor is it a Title I school, which fits its economic profile.
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