Denver metro areas public school stats (school districts, income, moving to)

[lqda4]

A slight chance we might be moving to Denver in the future. I am starting to read the threads in this forum, trying to learn more about Denver. Is there any good website(s) for school stats and performance? Thanks.

[Katiana]

There are a number of such websites referenced on this forum. I don't know them offhand, but you could do a search and find them. I know the Colorado Dept of Education keeps stats, you could google them.

[tfox]

I hate to refer you to such things because it's a pretty flawed indicator, but the state uses CSAP scores to measure performance, and CSAP scores is public information. There's even a site called csapscores.com that will map the various scores for you. The caveat is that good csap scores and effective teaching aren't necessarily correlated.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by tfox

I hate to refer you to such things because it's a pretty flawed indicator, but the state uses CSAP scores to measure performance, and CSAP scores is public information. There's even a site called csapscores.com that will map the various scores for you. The caveat is that good csap scores and effective teaching aren't necessarily correlated.

I would agree completely, and have said so many times. The same is true of most other school "rating" sites. That said, many people like to look at these stats.

[dj32]

I agree with the above but if you go to the denvergov.org site, there is a section there for school rankings in DPS

[lqda4]

I completely understand the flaws in the stats. Here in our area, the stats on low-performing schools are skewed even more due to the fact that most affluent people send their kids to private schools anyway. However, not knowing anything about Denver, I thought the stats would at least give me some broad ideas. Regards.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by lqda4

I completely understand the flaws in the stats. Here in our area, the stats on low-performing schools are skewed even more due to the fact that most affluent people send their kids to private schools anyway. However, not knowing anything about Denver, I thought the stats would at least give me some broad ideas. Regards.

I would agree with the above. Mostly, what the stats will tell you is where the affluent areas are, b/c test scores are very positively correlated to parents' income. They will not tell you how any one student will do at a particular school, nor the quality of teaching.

[rebagirl]

I've mentioned this before, but be careful of a school that receives a 10. All that "10" means is that the teachers are successful in teaching to the test. It doesn't factor in rapport with the kids, creativity, friendliness of staff, principal leadership, parent support, etc. GreatSchools.net is a good source, but it isn't flawless.

[Carrie_Blair]

Greatschools.net is a great source. You can see CSAP scores and also read Parent Reviews. Obviously the CSAP scores are not the only important factor but you can get parent input and see if the school has been improving or not. I know of many people that have children in "average" schools but absolutely love the school for its offerings and staff. Some schools are bilingual and maybe have lower test scores because of the language barrier but have great programs and teachers.

If you are looking into a specific county, you can go to the county's school website and find information on every school in that district. We have some great public Montessori and Charter school options which are great as well. I would research it all.

Denver Public Schools website is Denver Public Schools
You can Google other school districts as well.