The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in English language arts. The lowest is 43% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Arapahoe Ridge Elementary School
Arapahoe Ridge Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the Adams 12 Five Star School district, located in the large suburban city of Westminster. The school sits in a part of the metro area that has long been auto-oriented, with residential neighborhoods and commercial strips spreading across the northern Denver suburbs. Westminster itself is a mix of older postwar development and newer growth, anchored by major employers in high-tech, medical, and energy sectors such as Ball Corporation and Maxar. The city is now building a new mixed-use downtown on a large site roughly equidistant between Denver and Boulder, which is introducing denser, walkable housing and retail. A commuter rail line connects Westminster Station to downtown Denver. The surrounding area has an extensive trail network, including the Big Dry Creek Trail, which runs through open space the city has preserved for decades.
The student body at Arapahoe Ridge reflects the demographic diversity of this part of Adams County. Roughly half of students are Hispanic, with a large share of White students and smaller numbers of Asian, Black, and multiracial children. A substantial portion of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a moderate-to-high level of economic need. The school is a neighborhood elementary, not a charter or magnet, so its enrollment is drawn directly from the surrounding attendance zone.
Academically, Arapahoe Ridge posts proficiency rates that place it well above the typical range among districts in Adams County. On the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, the share of students scoring proficient or above in English language arts was just over half, and in math it was somewhat lower, about two out of five. Science results for fifth graders were similar to the ELA figure, around half of students meeting the state’s proficiency threshold. Participation rates on the state assessments were in the low eighties for math and ELA, and in the upper seventies for science. That level of participation is common but not universal; a parent may want to ask the school how it ensures all students take the tests, since a non-trivial share of students did not participate.
The single available comparative metric—a proficiency index averaging all tested subjects—shows Arapahoe Ridge in the top quartile when measured against the average performance of entire districts in Adams County. That is a strong signal: this school’s tested outcomes outpace the district-level medians across the county. For a family looking at elementary options in the area, that relative strength stands out.
No data was available on discipline rates, staffing ratios, chronic absenteeism, or special education and English learner enrollment. Those are gaps a parent might want to fill by contacting the school directly. The school’s grade band means there is no graduation rate or high school course access to report.
Arapahoe Ridge presents a straightforward picture: a conventional neighborhood elementary in a growing suburban city, serving a diverse student body, with academic results that are a clear positive relative to the county. The community around the school is typical of outer-ring Denver suburbs—car-dependent but with improving transit and a new downtown core taking shape nearby. Families considering this school should weigh the solid performance data against the limited public detail on student support programs and school climate metrics.
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