Riverdale Elementary School

Summary:

Riverdale Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Thornton, Colorado, serving grades PK-5 with a student population of 408. The school is part of the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district, which is ranked 53 out of 116 districts in Colorado and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Riverdale Elementary has a higher percentage of Hispanic students (53.19%) compared to the district (44.66% at Glacier Peak Elementary) and the state (43.7% in 2022-2023). Additionally, Riverdale's academic performance, as measured by CMAS test scores, is significantly lower than the district and state averages across all grades and subjects. For example, in 2023-2024, only 25.8% of Riverdale students were proficient or better in CMAS English Language Arts, compared to 41.4% in the district and 44.1% statewide. Riverdale also has a high percentage of students (59.07% in 2022-2023) eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a higher proportion of students from low-income families.

Riverdale Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom third of Colorado elementary schools, with a ranking of 728 out of 943 schools in 2023-2024 and a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's academic performance has declined over the years, with its CMAS proficiency rates dropping from 33.9% in English Language Arts and 29.4% in Math in 2021-2022 to 25.8% and 23.9%, respectively, in 2023-2024. Riverdale's performance is particularly low for its White and low-socioeconomic status student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 10-20% of Colorado elementary schools in these categories. Compared to nearby schools like Glacier Peak Elementary, Skyview Elementary, and STEM Lab, Riverdale's academic performance lags significantly behind.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 10724 Elm Drive
       Thornton, CO  80233-4561


(720) 972-5580

District: Adams 12 Five Star Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
728th of 943 Colorado Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $15,807 Help


Students who attend Riverdale Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Shadow Ridge Middle School
High:    Thornton High School

Student/teacher ratio:  16.3 Help
Number of students:  408

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
53.2%
White:
37.3%
Two or more races:
4.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  59.1% Help


 See top rated Colorado elementary schools

 Compare Riverdale Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Riverdale Elementary School ranks worse than 77.2% of elementary schools in Colorado. It also ranks 21st among 32 ranked elementary schools in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 21.19. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Riverdale Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools District.  (See more...)
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Riverdale Elementary School is $15,807. 21 elementary schools in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Riverdale Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Riverdale Elementary School 728th of 943 Colorado public elementary schools. (See Riverdale Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:


Adams 12 Five Star Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Adams 12 Five Star Schools 53rd of 116 Colorado school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Riverdale Elementary School?

Rank History for Riverdale Elementary School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Riverdale Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 61.08 341st 808 57.8%
2005 54.51 417th 823 49.3%
2006 48.23 469th 829 43.4%
2007 46.47 500th 852 41.3%
2008 58.48 390th 849 54.1%
2009 51.67 464th 872 46.8%
2010 44.92 556th 925 39.9%
2011 40.43 603rd 935 35.5%
2012 44.29 572nd 935 38.8%
2013 36.24 653rd 954 31.6%
2014 32.47 678th 962 29.5%
2015 20.75 743rd 938 20.8%
2016 27.66 631st 914 31.0%
2017 38.82 531st 929 42.8%
2018 43.28 487th 917 46.9%
2019 34.26 601st 965 37.7%
2022 33.82 583rd 921 36.7%
2023 15.87 796th 933 14.7%
2024 21.19 728th 943 22.8%
See the entire list of Colorado Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Riverdale Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 55.41 117th 308 62.0%
2019 34.98 232nd 332 30.1%
2022 51.93 81st 203 60.1%
2023 21.23 239th 265 9.8%
2024 29.56 268th 365 26.6%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Riverdale Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 31.60 461st 690 33.2%
2019 40.40 425th 758 43.9%
2022 28.86 423rd 595 28.9%
2023 10.76 597th 642 7.0%
2024 15.15 591st 684 13.6%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Riverdale Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 39.08 394th 693 43.1%
2019 30.82 511th 764 33.1%
2022 24.01 442nd 594 25.6%
2023 13.06 579th 649 10.8%
2024 14.59 593rd 683 13.2%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Riverdale Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 79.99 20th 172 88.4%
2019 38.24 163rd 270 39.6%
2024 32.15 168th 242 30.6%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Riverdale Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 21.56 488th 596 18.1%
2022 15.88 421st 454 7.3%
2023 5.86 517th 525 1.5%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Colorado Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Riverdale Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Colorado Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4)
50%

25%

0%

25%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a citizen
Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Open Quote This school has no concern for the safety of children. When a child is bullied they tell them "What are you going to do about it". People drive like lunatics when the kids are going into the school in the morning. The school reprimands parents who speak up rather than the crazy drivers. This has been going on for years. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Riverdale Elementary School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 375 8 11 53 1 n/a n/a 0 448
1989 486 8 9 70 4 n/a n/a 0 577
1990 536 4 10 89 7 n/a n/a 0 646
1991 533 2 12 95 8 n/a n/a 0 650
1992 563 6 13 107 9 n/a n/a 0 698
1993 523 7 14 97 5 n/a n/a 0 646
1994 535 6 13 93 1 n/a n/a 0 648
1995 445 5 18 74 1 n/a n/a 0 543
1996 445 5 18 74 1 n/a n/a 0 543
1997 426 6 17 77 2 n/a n/a 0 528
1998 415 5 24 86 6 n/a n/a 0 536
1999 371 10 27 88 8 n/a n/a 0 504
2000 371 9 30 82 10 n/a n/a 0 502
2001 366 12 28 93 9 n/a n/a 0 508
2002 356 6 20 111 10 n/a n/a 0 503
2003 356 6 20 111 10 n/a n/a 0 503
2004 348 6 23 98 10 n/a n/a 0 485
2005 306 14 25 114 6 n/a n/a 0 465
2006 284 17 26 144 2 n/a n/a 0 473
2007 295 14 28 154 1 n/a n/a 0 492
2008 324 14 27 150 2 n/a n/a 0 517
2009 282 10 31 145 1 n/a n/a 0 469
2010 253 10 28 129 1 n/a n/a 0 421
2011 287 4 8 132 2 1 3 0 437
2012 253 9 22 153 2 1 4 0 444
2013 248 11 17 151 0 1 5 0 433
2014 248 6 13 137 0 1 13 0 418
2015 203 8 17 175 1 1 15 0 420
2016 190 1 17 184 4 0 14 0 410
2017 191 4 25 190 2 0 11 0 423
2018 196 6 20 217 3 0 19 0 461
2019 208 5 16 222 4 0 13 0 468
2020 205 4 15 218 3 0 15 0 460
2021 178 1 13 204 0 0 20 0 416
2022 159 5 10 214 1 0 14 0 403
2023 152 3 16 217 2 0 18 0 408

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Riverdale Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 448 19.7 22.7 n/a
1989 577 28.4 20.3 4.5
1990 646 30.9 20.9 6.2
1991 650 33.0 19.6 4.9
1992 698 32.3 21.6 7.2
1993 646 32.1 20.1 5.6
1994 648 33.6 19.3 8.5
1995 543 26.2 20.7 9.9
1996 543 26.2 20.7 9.9
1997 528 29.2 18.1 7.4
1998 536 26.5 20.2 8.8
1999 504 26.6 18.9 6.3
2000 502 27.0 18.6 13.9
2001 508 29.0 17.5 12.4
2002 503 23.5 21.4 14.7
2003 503 23.5 21.4 14.7
2004 485 22.7 21.4 24.9
2005 465 22.1 21.0 21.9
2006 473 23.1 20.5 28.1
2007 492 23.5 20.9 29.9
2008 517 24.0 21.5 28.2
2009 469 24.5 19.1 30.9
2010 421 22.7 18.4 37.1
2011 437 22.7 19.2 40
2012 444 23.0 19.3 43.5
2013 433 22.0 19.6 51.3
2014 418 21.5 19.4 50.7
2015 420 20.0 21.0 51.7
2016 410 22.0 18.6 54.9
2017 423 21.1 20.0 47.5
2018 461 21.0 21.9 51.2
2019 468 19.5 24.0 49.8
2020 460 23.8 19.3 51.1
2021 416 24.5 16.9 52.9
2022 403 26.0 15.5 54.6
2023 408 25.0 16.3 59.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Riverdale Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 448 19.7 22.7 n/a
1989 577 28.4 20.3 4.5
1990 646 30.9 20.9 6.2
1991 650 33.0 19.6 4.9
1992 698 32.3 21.6 7.2
1993 646 32.1 20.1 5.6
1994 648 33.6 19.3 8.5
1995 543 26.2 20.7 9.9
1996 543 26.2 20.7 9.9
1997 528 29.2 18.1 7.4
1998 536 26.5 20.2 8.8
1999 504 26.6 18.9 6.3
2000 502 27.0 18.6 13.9
2001 508 29.0 17.5 12.4
2002 503 23.5 21.4 14.7
2003 503 23.5 21.4 14.7
2004 485 22.7 21.4 24.9
2005 465 22.1 21.0 21.9
2006 473 23.1 20.5 28.1
2007 492 23.5 20.9 29.9
2008 517 24.0 21.5 28.2
2009 469 24.5 19.1 30.9
2010 421 22.7 18.4 37.1
2011 437 22.7 19.2 40
2012 444 23.0 19.3 43.5
2013 433 22.0 19.6 51.3
2014 418 21.5 19.4 50.7
2015 420 20.0 21.0 51.7
2016 410 22.0 18.6 54.9
2017 423 21.1 20.0 47.5
2018 461 21.0 21.9 51.2
2019 468 19.5 24.0 49.8
2020 460 23.8 19.3 51.1
2021 416 24.5 16.9 52.9
2022 403 26.0 15.5 54.6
2023 408 25.0 16.3 59.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Riverdale Elementary School

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $10,676
2020 $12,114
2021 $13,123
2022 $14,716
2023 $15,807

Data source: Colorado Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Riverdale Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 601st of 965 Elementary schoolsRanks 796th of 933 Elementary schools
 23%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Riverdale Elementary School)31.424.1
 7.3%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Adams 12 Five Star Schools)38.238.7
 0.5%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)41.339.9
 1.4%
3rd Grade Math (Riverdale Elementary School)15.423.7
 8.3%
   3rd Grade Math (Adams 12 Five Star Schools)35.335.8
 0.5%
   3rd Grade Math (Colorado)4140.4
 0.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Riverdale Elementary School)37.316.9
 20.4%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Adams 12 Five Star Schools)46.543.5
 3%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)4843.8
 4.2%
4th Grade Math (Riverdale Elementary School)20.912.1
 8.8%
   4th Grade Math (Adams 12 Five Star Schools)32.134.5
 2.4%
   4th Grade Math (Colorado)33.632.7
 0.9%
5th Grade Science (Riverdale Elementary School)33.323.2
 10.1%
   5th Grade Science (Adams 12 Five Star Schools)39.832
 7.8%
   5th Grade Science (Colorado)35.933.9
 2%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Riverdale Elementary School)57.621.4
 36.2%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Adams 12 Five Star Schools)49.244.2
 5%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)48.447.8
 0.6%
5th Grade Math (Riverdale Elementary School)25.817.5
 8.3%
   5th Grade Math (Adams 12 Five Star Schools)36.837.2
 0.4%
   5th Grade Math (Colorado)35.736.5
 0.8%
All Grades English Language Arts (Riverdale Elementary School)42.920.8
 22.1%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Adams 12 Five Star Schools)44.740.9
 3.8%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Colorado)45.843.7
 2.1%
All Grades Math (Riverdale Elementary School)21.117.8
 3.3%
   All Grades Math (Adams 12 Five Star Schools)3532
 3%
   All Grades Math (Colorado)34.732.9
 1.8%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students468408
 12.8%
African American53
 40%
American Indian42
 50%
Asian1616
Hispanic222217
 2.3%
Pacific Islander00
White208152
 26.9%
Two or More Races1318
 38.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients49.8%59.1%
 9.3%


Schools Near Riverdale Elementary School









Frequently Asked Questions about Riverdale Elementary School

In the 2022-23 school year, 408 students attended Riverdale Elementary School.

Riverdale Elementary School ranks in the bottom 22.8% of Colorado elementary schools.

Students who attend Riverdale Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Shadow Ridge Middle School
High : Thornton High School

Students at Riverdale Elementary School are 53% Hispanic, 37% White, 4% Two or more races, 4% Asian.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Colorado Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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