The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 16%.
Original Research by School Decision on North Star Elementary School
North Star Elementary School, a regular public school serving preschool through fifth grade, sits in the Adams 12 Five Star School District. The school is part of Denver’s broader civic fabric, drawing from a neighborhood within a major city that serves as Colorado’s capital and a commercial and transportation hub for the Rocky Mountain West. The school’s address on North Star Drive places it inside the Denver city limits, within Adams County.
The student body is predominantly elementary-aged, with enrollment spread fairly evenly from kindergarten through fifth grade, plus a pre-kindergarten cohort. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making this a school where economic need is the norm rather than the exception. The racial and ethnic composition is shaped by a clear majority of Hispanic students, with smaller shares of white students, Black students, and students identifying as two or more races; Asian students make up a modest presence, and the data shows no Native American or Native Hawaiian students enrolled. Information on the share of students receiving special education services or classified as English learners was not available in the source data, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
On state testing, the picture is mixed and incomplete. In English language arts, about a sixth of students scored at the proficient or above level on the Colorado Measures of Academic Success. That is a low rate, and it places the school’s overall proficiency on tested subjects below the midpoint when compared against other elementary schools in Adams County school districts. In math, the proficiency rate was suppressed in the source data, meaning it is not available for public reporting, though students did take the test and participation was strong. Science results for fifth graders were also suppressed. With suppressed results for two of the three tested subjects, a family cannot get the full academic picture from these numbers alone; asking the school for its internal assessment data or recent school performance framework may be a useful next step. What can be said is that the average scale scores for math and for science landed below the state proficiency cut points, consistent with the low ELA proficiency rate. The school’s test participation rates were high across all subjects, so the reported figures reflect nearly all enrolled students.
There is no multi-year trend data available for this school, which means a parent cannot see whether performance has been improving or declining over time. The school has no charter or magnet designation and is a regular public school within a larger district. No discipline, staffing, or attendance data was provided, and no program offerings were listed. For a fuller sense of what enrichment, arts, or special programs are available, a visit or call to the school would be necessary.
Compared to the national housing market, the area where North Star is located has home values that are above the national typical home value, though they have declined over the past year. Rents in the area have held mostly steady. The cost of buying in this zip code is notably higher than renting on a monthly basis, a pattern that reflects a tight market for ownership. The county of Adams has a mix of suburban and urban development, with a range of housing stock from older homes in established neighborhoods to newer construction in expanding areas.
This is a school serving a high-poverty population where a family should expect that state test results show real challenge in English language arts and uncertain results in math and science due to data suppression. For a parent weighing this school, the key conversations with the school team should center on how the school addresses core literacy and math instruction, what supports exist for students who are behind grade level, and what enrichment and special programs are actually running in the building. Without trend data or staff and discipline information, a family’s best source of insight will be a firsthand visit and conversations with current parents.
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