Cherry Creek Charter Academy in Greenwood Village landed at No. 10 among Colorado's 949 ranked elementary schools in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report rankings released Oct. 20.
The K-8 charter school at 6260 South Dayton Street scored "well above expectations" in both reading and math performance, according to U.S. News. Eighty-two percent of students scored at or above the proficient level in math, and 86% reached that mark in reading.
Those numbers outpaced the Cherry Creek School District averages of 44% in math and 48% in reading.
The school also ranked No. 6 among Colorado middle schools and No. 8 statewide in elementary math proficiency. All 38 full-time teachers are certified, according to the U.S. News profile, and the student-teacher ratio is 16-to-1.
Cherry Creek Charter Academy serves 594 students. It is a Core Knowledge charter school, meaning it follows a curriculum that spells out what students learn at each grade level. The school was founded in 1995, according to a post on the school's website.
Annemarie Mahan, the school's elementary principal, described the school's approach in a January 2026 Education Insider Magazine profile: "Our students are incredible, staff is dedicated, and parents are involved and that partnership is what makes our community so special."
Travis Hargreaves serves as executive director of Cherry Creek Charter Academy, according to the school's website. No statement from Hargreaves or from Cherry Creek School District Superintendent Christopher Smith about the 2027 U.S. News ranking appears in public records as of publication.
The rankings use data from state education agencies collected by RTI International and from the U.S. Department of Education. The methodology evaluates student performance in math and reading alongside student demographics, according to a U.S. News press release. State assessment data is from the 2023-2024 school year.
The 2027 edition ranked about 46,000 public elementary schools and more than 24,000 middle schools nationwide, according to U.S. News.
Colorado's top 10 elementary schools
- Polaris Elementary School, Denver (score: 100/100)
- Dennison Elementary School, Lakewood
- Steck Elementary School, Denver (score: 99.79/100)
- Aurora Quest K-8, Aurora
- High Peaks Elementary School, Boulder
- Bear Creek Elementary School, Boulder
- Challenge School, Denver
- Hulstrom K-8, Northglenn
- Zach Elementary School, Fort Collins
- Cherry Creek Charter Academy, Greenwood Village
The full list of Colorado elementary school rankings is available at usnews.com.
