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What do students at Dakota Valley Elementary School actually talk about outside of class?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
571
Elementary
DISTRICT 478 · STATE 379
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHERRY CREEK SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 080291001671
Dakota Valley Elementary School
3950 SOUTH KIRK WAY, AURORA, CO 80013 · (720) 886-3000 · Arapahoe County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL571 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 41% of Colorado public elementary schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Colorado public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
14.6:1
39 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.3:1 · STATE 16.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
39%
225 students
DISTRICT 38% · STATE 50%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 29 | 5% |
| Kindergarten | 68 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 86 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 89 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 103 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 88 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 108 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (68) is 37% smaller than its 5th grade class (108).
Student demographics
71%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 71% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CMAS 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
47.5%
CO avg 44.9% . +1.0pp since 2023
Math
35.8%
CO avg 36.1% . +2.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the CMAS, Colorado's statewide test, about 48 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 36 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Colorado schools, those numbers are about 45 and 36. Reading and writing scores are up about 1 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 2 points.
CMAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 47.5% | 35.8% |
| 2023-24 | 46.5% | 33.8% |
% Met or Exceeded Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CMAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
39.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
42.8%
based on CO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 40% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 43% typical for Colorado schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Colorado's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Dakota Valley Elementary School
Dakota Valley Elementary School's state test result (39.6% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota Valley Elementary School this school | 571 | 39.4% | 39.6% |
| Buffalo Trail Elementary School AURORA | 632 | 38.1% | 36.2% |
| Antelope Ridge Elementary School AURORA | 549 | 39.7% | 45.4% |
| Canyon Creek Elementary School AURORA | 477 | 38.8% | 38.5% |
| Timberline Elementary School CENTENNIAL | 478 | 33.1% | 37.0% |
| Bradley International School DENVER | 574 | 42.2% | 49.7% |
Matched among Colorado elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Dakota Valley Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Colorado | In Arapahoe County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 39.6% | #443 of 931 | #43 of 96 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 35.8% | #459 of 940 ▲ 12 | #44 of 96 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 47.5% | #406 of 946 ▼ 1 | #39 of 96 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 571 | #142 of 1,056 | #27 of 104 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.6:1 | #307 of 896 | #32 of 97 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 71.0% | #39 of 896 | #25 of 97 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 39.4% | #590 of 983 | #62 of 101 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +1.6% | #181 of 200 | #18 of 20 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
571
+56 (+11%) vs 2020
+33% since 2000-01, when it was 430
Student : Teacher
14.6:1
was 17.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 571 | 39 | 14.6:1 | 39% (225) |
| 2023-24 | 584 | 38 | 15.4:1 | 41% (241) |
| 2022-23 | 539 | 34.6 | 15.6:1 | 28% (151) |
| 2020-21 | 515 | 30 | 17.2:1 | 25% (129) |
| 2017-18 | 562 | 31 | 18.1:1 | 19% (104) |
| 2015-16 | 612 | 36 | 17.0:1 | 16% (99) |
| 2010-11 | 869 | 45 | 19.3:1 | 18% (159) |
| 2000-01 | 430 | 29 | 14.8:1 | 8% (34) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Dakota Valley Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 2% (562 to 571); teachers up 26% (31 to 39).
About Dakota Valley Elementary School
Dakota Valley Elementary School is a large elementary school located in AURORA, Colorado. Enrollment in 2024-25 was 571 students in pre-K through 5. Against the 379-student average for elementary schools in Colorado, enrollment here is 51% higher.
District-wide, Cherry Creek School District has 70 schools and 52,099 students.
No single group makes up more than half of enrollment at Dakota Valley Elementary School. The largest is White students, at 45%. The next largest groups are 23% Hispanic, 15% Black, 10% multiracial, and 7% Asian. In Arapahoe County overall, about 59% of residents are White. The school's diversity index is 71%, meaning two students picked at random have a 71% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
The school reported 39 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 14.6:1. That is 1.9 students per teacher below the 16.6:1 average for elementary schools in Colorado. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 39%. Compared with the 50% average for public schools in Arapahoe County, the school's rate is lower.
Dakota Valley Elementary School is graded C+ by allk12, scoring above 41% of Colorado public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Predicted from its free or reduced-price lunch share, Dakota Valley Elementary School would score about 42.8%. It scores 39.6%, 3.2 points below that figure.
In Arapahoe County (population about 659,844), the median household income is $101,087, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 47%, and roughly 6% of residents are in poverty. Dakota Valley Elementary School is one of 176 public schools in the county.
Sunrise Elementary School is located about 0.7 miles from Dakota Valley Elementary School. The five-mile area around Dakota Valley Elementary School holds at least 8 other public schools. Dakota Valley Elementary School comes in 5th of 9 nearby schools on average proficiency.
Dakota Valley Elementary School is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more, a location NCES labels Suburb: Large.
Enrollment climbed 11% from its 2020-21 level of 515. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 17.2:1 in 2020-21 to 14.6:1 in 2024-25.
Topics for discussion here include science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Arapahoe County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
659,844
Census ACS
Median income
$101,087
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
47%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
176
115,502 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Cherry Creek School District
- Cherry Creek High SchoolHigh · 3,852 students
- Cherokee Trail High SchoolHigh · 3,089 students
- Eaglecrest High SchoolHigh · 2,851 students
- Grandview High SchoolHigh · 2,684 students
- Smoky Hill High SchoolHigh · 2,297 students
- Overland High SchoolHigh · 2,228 students
Other schools in AURORA
- Cherokee Trail High SchoolHigh · 3,089 students
- Grandview High SchoolHigh · 2,684 students
- Aurora Central CampusCombined · 2,468 students
- Smoky Hill High SchoolHigh · 2,297 students
- Overland High SchoolHigh · 2,228 students
- Rangeview High SchoolHigh · 2,078 students
Other Dakota Valley Elementary schools
One other US public school is named Dakota Valley Elementary. Dakota Valley Elementary School is the largest of the 2.
- Dakota Valley Elementary - 02North Sioux City, SD · 386 students
Nearby schools
- Sunrise Elementary School0.7 mi · 497
- Sky Vista Middle School0.8 mi · 969
- Aurora Frontier K-80.8 mi · 761
- Aspen Crossing Elementary School1.0 mi · 569
- Mountain Vista Elementary School1.3 mi · 568
- Horizon Middle School1.4 mi · 714
Frequently asked questions
About Dakota Valley Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Dakota Valley Elementary School?
Dakota Valley Elementary School enrolls approximately 571 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Dakota Valley Elementary School serve?
Dakota Valley Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dakota Valley Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Dakota Valley Elementary School is approximately 14.6:1 (39 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Dakota Valley Elementary School?
Student demographics at Dakota Valley Elementary School are roughly 45% White, 23% Hispanic, 15% Black, 7% Asian, 10% Two or more.
Is Dakota Valley Elementary School public or private?
Dakota Valley Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Cherry Creek School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.