In the midst of a pandemic, more than 23,500 Denver families filled out school choice applications in January and February. That’s about 2,800 fewer families than last year, a 10.6% decline, with the biggest drops at the preschool and kindergarten levels.
Most of Denver’s 93,000 students are guaranteed a seat at their neighborhood school and don’t need to fill out an application. But students who live in “enrollment zones” must choose a school in the zone. Other families may fill out a school choice form because they want to request to attend a district-run school outside of their neighborhood or an independent charter school. Families can submit up to 12 rank-ordered school choices.
Families found out in March where their children were accepted for the fall. Acceptance depends on several factors, including a school’s capacity and enrollment priorities, as well as a student’s address and lottery number.
Eighty-nine percent of students got into the school they ranked No. 1. That’s up from last year, when 84% of students got into their first-choice school.
The searchable database below shows how many students were accepted at each Denver school in the so-called transition grades of kindergarten, sixth grade, and ninth grade. The database also shows how many students are on each school’s waitlist.
There are several caveats to the data, which are detailed below the database.
School | Level | Accepted * | Waitlisted ** |
---|---|---|---|
Academia Ana Marie Sandoval | Kindergarten | 39 | 26 |
Academy 360 | Kindergarten | 3 | 0 |
Asbury Elementary School | Kindergarten | 68 | 0 |
Ashley Elementary School | Kindergarten | 31 | 0 |
Barnum Elementary School | Kindergarten | 33 | 0 |
Beach Court Elementary School | Kindergarten | 22 | 0 |
Bradley International School | Kindergarten | 65 | 47 |
Bromwell Elementary School | Kindergarten | 39 | 68 |
Brown International Academy | Kindergarten | 88 | 21 |
Bryant Webster Dual Language ECE-8 | Kindergarten | 28 | 1 |
Carson Elementary School | Kindergarten | 53 | 66 |
Castro Elementary School | Kindergarten | 25 | 10 |
Centennial School | Kindergarten | 88 | 0 |
Center for Talent Development at Greenlee | Kindergarten | 36 | 0 |
Charles M Schenck (CMS) Community School | Kindergarten | 42 | 0 |
Cheltenham Elementary School | Kindergarten | 33 | 0 |
Cole Arts and Science Academy | Kindergarten | 20 | 0 |
Colfax Elementary School | Kindergarten | 25 | 0 |
College View Elementary School | Kindergarten | 57 | 0 |
Columbian Elementary School | Kindergarten | 19 | 0 |
Columbine Elementary School | Kindergarten | 53 | 0 |
Cowell Elementary School | Kindergarten | 17 | 0 |
Creativity Challenge Community (C3) | Kindergarten | 51 | 23 |
DCIS at Fairmont | Kindergarten | 45 | 4 |
DCIS at Ford | Kindergarten | 67 | 0 |
Denison Montessori School | Kindergarten | 49 | 0 |
Denver Green School Southeast | Kindergarten | 39 | 19 |
Denver Language School | Kindergarten | 104 | 106 |
Dora Moore ECE-8 School | Kindergarten | 51 | 0 |
Doull Elementary School | Kindergarten | 54 | 0 |
Downtown Denver Expeditionary School | Kindergarten | 32 | 0 |
Eagleton Elementary School | Kindergarten | 33 | 0 |
Edison Elementary School | Kindergarten | 89 | 0 |
Ellis Elementary School | Kindergarten | 44 | 0 |
Escalante-Biggs Academy | Kindergarten | 96 | 20 |
Fairview Elementary School | Kindergarten | 25 | 3 |
Farrell B. Howell ECE-8 School | Kindergarten | 23 | 0 |
Florida Pitt-Waller ECE-8 School | Kindergarten | 46 | 0 |
Force Elementary School | Kindergarten | 41 | 0 |
French American School of Denver | Kindergarten | 56 | 6 |
Garden Place Academy | Kindergarten | 27 | 0 |
Godsman Elementary School | Kindergarten | 41 | 0 |
Goldrick Elementary School | Kindergarten | 37 | 0 |
Grant Ranch ECE-8 School | Kindergarten | 25 | 0 |
Green Valley Elementary School | Kindergarten | 75 | 0 |
Gust Elementary School | Kindergarten | 61 | 0 |
Hallett Academy | Kindergarten | 11 | 0 |
Highline Academy Northeast | Kindergarten | 47 | 0 |
Highline Academy Southeast | Kindergarten | 49 | 0 |
Holm Elementary School | Kindergarten | 50 | 5 |
Inspire Elementary | Kindergarten | 108 | 32 |
International Academy of Denver at Harrington | Kindergarten | 19 | 0 |
Isabella Bird Community School | Kindergarten | 67 | 0 |
Joe Shoemaker School | Kindergarten | 42 | 0 |
John H. Amesse | Kindergarten | 39 | 0 |
Johnson Elementary School | Kindergarten | 24 | 0 |
Kaiser Elementary School | Kindergarten | 31 | 0 |
KIPP Northeast Elementary | Kindergarten | 43 | 0 |
KIPP Sunshine Peak Elementary | Kindergarten | 7 | 4 |
Knapp Elementary School | Kindergarten | 47 | 0 |
Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy ES | Kindergarten | 15 | 0 |
Lincoln Elementary School | Kindergarten | 29 | 20 |
Lowry Elementary School | Kindergarten | 75 | 2 |
Marie L. Greenwood Academy | Kindergarten | 32 | 0 |
Marrama Elementary School | Kindergarten | 47 | 0 |
Math and Science Leadership Academy | Kindergarten | 7 | 0 |
Maxwell Elementary School | Kindergarten | 55 | 0 |
McGlone Academy | Kindergarten | 65 | 0 |
McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School | Kindergarten | 46 | 0 |
McMeen Elementary School | Kindergarten | 77 | 0 |
Monarch Montessori | Kindergarten | 31 | 8 |
Montclair School of Academics and Enrichment | Kindergarten | 50 | 0 |
Munroe Elementary School | Kindergarten | 36 | 0 |
Newlon Elementary School | Kindergarten | 27 | 0 |
Oakland Elementary School | Kindergarten | 37 | 0 |
Odyssey School of Denver | Kindergarten | 37 | 65 |
Omar D Blair Charter School | Kindergarten | 47 | 1 |
Palmer Elementary School | Kindergarten | 49 | 0 |
Park Hill School | Kindergarten | 114 | 55 |
Place Bridge Academy | Kindergarten | 32 | 0 |
REACH Charter School | Kindergarten | 15 | 0 |
Rocky Mountain Prep Berkeley | Kindergarten | 41 | 0 |
Rocky Mountain Prep Creekside | Kindergarten | 52 | 0 |
Rocky Mountain Prep Southwest | Kindergarten | 32 | 0 |
Sabin World School | Kindergarten | 74 | 0 |
Samuels Elementary School | Kindergarten | 32 | 0 |
Schmitt Elementary School | Kindergarten | 24 | 0 |
Slavens K-8 School | Kindergarten | 58 | 69 |
Smith Elementary School | Kindergarten | 52 | 0 |
SOAR at Green Valley Ranch | Kindergarten | 54 | 0 |
Southmoor Elementary School | Kindergarten | 65 | 11 |
Steck Elementary School | Kindergarten | 53 | 83 |
Stedman Elementary School | Kindergarten | 67 | 43 |
Steele Elementary School | Kindergarten | 75 | 33 |
Stephen Knight Ctr for Early Education | Kindergarten | 92 | 48 |
STRIVE Prep - Ruby Hill | Kindergarten | 51 | 0 |
Swansea Elementary School | Kindergarten | 24 | 1 |
Swigert International School | Kindergarten | 73 | 55 |
Teller Elementary School | Kindergarten | 73 | 49 |
Traylor Academy | Kindergarten | 42 | 0 |
Trevista at Horace Mann | Kindergarten | 52 | 0 |
University Park Elementary School | Kindergarten | 79 | 0 |
University Prep - Arapahoe Street | Kindergarten | 35 | 0 |
University Prep - Steele Street | Kindergarten | 24 | 0 |
Valdez Elementary School | Kindergarten | 29 | 51 |
Valverde Elementary School | Kindergarten | 38 | 0 |
Westerly Creek Elementary | Kindergarten | 107 | 49 |
Whittier ECE-8 School | Kindergarten | 15 | 0 |
William (Bill) Roberts ECE-8 School | Kindergarten | 106 | 18 |
Willow Elementary School | Kindergarten | 72 | 60 |
Wyatt Academy | Kindergarten | 25 | 0 |
Academia Ana Marie Sandoval | Sixth Grade | 3 | 2 |
American Indian Academy of Denver | Sixth Grade | 15 | 0 |
Bear Valley International | Sixth Grade | 144 | 2 |
Bruce Randolph MS | Sixth Grade | 82 | 0 |
Bryant Webster Dual Language ECE-8 | Sixth Grade | 20 | 12 |
Compass Academy MS | Sixth Grade | 82 | 0 |
DCIS at Montbello MS | Sixth Grade | 37 | 0 |
DCIS MS | Sixth Grade | 59 | 0 |
Denison Montessori School | Sixth Grade | 2 | 9 |
Denver Discovery School | Sixth Grade | 27 | 0 |
Denver Green School Northfield | Sixth Grade | 181 | 81 |
Denver Green School Southeast | Sixth Grade | 11 | 42 |
Denver Language School | Sixth Grade | 1 | 18 |
Denver School of Arts MS | Sixth Grade | 126 | 0 |
Dora Moore ECE-8 School | Sixth Grade | 21 | 0 |
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Early College MS | Sixth Grade | 65 | 2 |
DSST Middle School at Noel Campus | Sixth Grade | 151 | 0 |
DSST: Byers MS | Sixth Grade | 163 | 64 |
DSST: Cole MS | Sixth Grade | 70 | 0 |
DSST: College View MS | Sixth Grade | 153 | 0 |
DSST: Conservatory Green MS | Sixth Grade | 132 | 1 |
DSST: Green Valley Ranch MS | Sixth Grade | 160 | 84 |
DSST: Montview MS | Sixth Grade | 170 | 1 |
Farrell B. Howell ECE-8 School | Sixth Grade | 24 | 0 |
Florida Pitt-Waller ECE-8 School | Sixth Grade | 85 | 2 |
Girls Athletic Leadership MS | Sixth Grade | 73 | 0 |
Grant Beacon Middle School | Sixth Grade | 175 | 2 |
Grant Ranch ECE-8 School | Sixth Grade | 13 | 0 |
Hamilton Middle School | Sixth Grade | 300 | 4 |
Highline Academy Southeast | Sixth Grade | 17 | 35 |
Hill Campus of Arts and Sciences | Sixth Grade | 250 | 0 |
Kepner Beacon Middle School | Sixth Grade | 88 | 2 |
KIPP Northeast Denver Middle School | Sixth Grade | 17 | 45 |
KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy | Sixth Grade | 72 | 0 |
Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy MS | Sixth Grade | 94 | 8 |
Lake Middle School | Sixth Grade | 139 | 0 |
Marie L. Greenwood Academy | Sixth Grade | 61 | 0 |
McAuliffe International School | Sixth Grade | 486 | 2 |
McAuliffe Manual MS | Sixth Grade | 63 | 2 |
McGlone Academy | Sixth Grade | 66 | 22 |
Merrill Middle School | Sixth Grade | 215 | 63 |
Morey Middle School | Sixth Grade | 188 | 0 |
Noel Community Arts MS | Sixth Grade | 33 | 0 |
Odyssey School of Denver | Sixth Grade | 8 | 29 |
Omar D Blair Charter School | Sixth Grade | 27 | 0 |
Place Bridge Academy | Sixth Grade | 18 | 13 |
Skinner Middle School | Sixth Grade | 218 | 35 |
Slavens K-8 School | Sixth Grade | 84 | 62 |
STRIVE Prep - Federal | Sixth Grade | 119 | 2 |
STRIVE Prep - Green Valley Ranch | Sixth Grade | 127 | 0 |
STRIVE Prep - Kepner | Sixth Grade | 44 | 0 |
STRIVE Prep - Lake | Sixth Grade | 63 | 0 |
STRIVE Prep - Montbello | Sixth Grade | 47 | 0 |
STRIVE Prep - Sunnyside | Sixth Grade | 55 | 0 |
STRIVE Prep - Westwood | Sixth Grade | 134 | 9 |
West Middle School | Sixth Grade | 90 | 0 |
Whittier ECE-8 School | Sixth Grade | 9 | 0 |
William (Bill) Roberts ECE-8 School | Sixth Grade | 82 | 16 |
Abraham Lincoln High School | Ninth Grade | 302 | 1 |
American Indian Academy of Denver High School | Ninth Grade | 8 | 0 |
Bruce Randolph HS | Ninth Grade | 97 | 1 |
CEC Early College | Ninth Grade | 128 | 2 |
Collegiate Preparatory Academy | Ninth Grade | 32 | 0 |
DCIS at Montbello HS | Ninth Grade | 49 | 0 |
DCIS HS | Ninth Grade | 27 | 0 |
Denver Montessori Senior HS | Ninth Grade | 1 | 16 |
Denver School of Arts HS | Ninth Grade | 50 | 0 |
Denver School of Innovation & Sustainable Design | Ninth Grade | 25 | 0 |
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Early College HS | Ninth Grade | 170 | 0 |
DSST: Byers HS | Ninth Grade | 56 | 23 |
DSST: Cole HS | Ninth Grade | 20 | 0 |
DSST: College View HS | Ninth Grade | 46 | 32 |
DSST: Conservatory Green HS | Ninth Grade | 30 | 82 |
DSST: Elevate Northeast High School | Ninth Grade | 39 | 10 |
DSST: Green Valley Ranch HS | Ninth Grade | 15 | 144 |
DSST: Montview HS | Ninth Grade | 35 | 61 |
East High School | Ninth Grade | 687 | 144 |
George Washington High School | Ninth Grade | 362 | 1 |
Girls Athletic Leadership HS | Ninth Grade | 12 | 0 |
John F. Kennedy High School | Ninth Grade | 270 | 0 |
KIPP Denver Collegiate High School | Ninth Grade | 36 | 12 |
KIPP Northeast Denver Leadership Academy | Ninth Grade | 59 | 21 |
Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy HS | Ninth Grade | 67 | 6 |
Manual High School | Ninth Grade | 75 | 1 |
Noel Community Arts HS | Ninth Grade | 18 | 0 |
North High School | Ninth Grade | 447 | 2 |
Northeast Early College | Ninth Grade | 68 | 0 |
Northfield High School | Ninth Grade | 585 | 46 |
Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy | Ninth Grade | 59 | 0 |
South High School | Ninth Grade | 494 | 2 |
STRIVE Prep - RISE | Ninth Grade | 145 | 11 |
STRIVE Prep - SMART Academy | Ninth Grade | 141 | 28 |
Thomas Jefferson High School | Ninth Grade | 404 | 2 |
West High School | Ninth Grade | 108 | 0 |
Now, the caveats.
The “accepted” numbers include both students who applied through school choice and students who live within the school’s boundary and will likely attend. At some schools, the number of accepted students might look artificially low. That’s because those schools span grade levels — such as middle and high — and do not require students to apply to continue to the next level.
A single student can be on multiple waitlists. For example, if a student gets into his third-choice school, he’ll be put on the waitlist for his first- and second-choice schools.
These numbers will change by fall. Students move in and out of neighborhoods over the summer, and most schools keep seats open for them. Students also move off and on waitlists.
And finally, a note about Denver School of the Arts. It’s the only school in Denver that requires an audition to get in. It runs its own waitlist separate from the district process.
Families who didn’t participate in school choice in January and February have another shot. A second round of school choice is now open. You can find more information here.
For reference, here are our databases of round one school choice results from 2020 and 2019.