Students in Arapahoe County schools were truant 4.1% of the time in the 2023-24 school year, the Colorado Department of Education reported. This rate was higher than in the previous school year.
Overall, there were 105,500 students enrolled in Arapahoe County in the 2023-24 school year, of whom 4,300 were marked truant.
Statewide, Denver County schools suffered the most truancy issues (6.3%) in the 2023-24 school year. Meanwhile, Dolores County schools successfully recorded the lowest truancy rate in the region (0%).
Students are generally considered chronically truant if they miss 5% or more of the total number of school days in a year without acceptable excuses.
Colorado’s teacher workforce faces persistent shortages and pay challenges. In the 2023–24 school year, nearly 7,000 teaching positions were vacant statewide at some point. Districts managed to fill only about 75% of those openings with fully qualified hires, leaving many to be filled by short-term substitutes, retirees, or emergency credentials for the rest, while 9% remained unfilled for the entire school year.
Colorado’s K–12 enrollment has gradually declined each year since the pandemic, with about 3–4% fewer students in 2024 than the state’s peak enrollment in 2019.
The declines are concentrated in the early grades and certain rural areas, while some metro districts are holding steady or growing. Lower birth rates and pandemic disruptions are driving the trend. Colorado’s public schools are now serving the smallest number of students in a decade, a shift that has implications for funding and planning even as per-pupil resources increase to compensate.
| Schools | No. of Students Enrolled | Chronic Truancy Rates | Attendance Daily Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willow Creek Elementary School | 502 | 0% | 95.4% |
| Greenwood Elementary School | 362 | 0.1% | 94.6% |
| Challenge School | 563 | 0.2% | 95.5% |
| Cottonwood Creek Elementary School | 521 | 0.2% | 95.1% |
| Homestead Elementary School | 338 | 0.2% | 95.4% |
| Timberline Elementary School | 506 | 0.2% | 93.7% |
| Altitude Elementary School | 802 | 0.3% | 95% |
| Aurora Quest K-8 | 571 | 0.3% | 96.1% |
| Cherry Hills Village Elementary School | 501 | 0.3% | 94.8% |
| Coyote Hills Elementary School | 498 | 0.3% | 93.7% |
| Creekside Elementary School | 556 | 0.3% | 93.4% |
| Lois Lenski Elementary School | 503 | 0.3% | 95.1% |
| Pine Ridge Elementary School | 670 | 0.3% | 94% |
| Wilder Elementary School | 592 | 0.3% | 95.5% |
| Black Forest Hills Elementary School | 516 | 0.4% | 94.3% |
| Dakota Valley Elementary School | 584 | 0.4% | 93.4% |
| Fox Hollow Elementary School | 532 | 0.4% | 94.2% |
| Indian Ridge Elementary School | 452 | 0.4% | 94.5% |
| John Wesley Powell Middle School | 546 | 0.4% | 94.2% |
| Antelope Ridge Elementary School | 558 | 0.6% | 93.6% |
| Heritage Elementary School | 326 | 0.6% | 93.4% |
| Options School | 647 | 0.6% | 91.4% |
| Aspen Crossing Elementary School | 607 | 0.7% | 94% |
| Colorado Skies Academy | 119 | 0.7% | 92.6% |
| Englewood Leadership Academy | 98 | 0.7% | 93.4% |
| Fox Ridge Middle School | 998 | 0.7% | 93.5% |
| Infinity Middle School | 937 | 0.7% | 93.3% |
| Mountain Vista Elementary School | 635 | 0.7% | 94.3% |
| Peakview Elementary School | 480 | 0.7% | 93.1% |
| Campus Middle School | 1,307 | 0.8% | 93.9% |
| Hopkins Elementary School | 358 | 0.8% | 94.9% |
| Belleview Elementary School | 538 | 0.9% | 93.2% |
| Euclid Middle School | 698 | 0.9% | 94.1% |
| Trails West Elementary School | 423 | 0.9% | 93.6% |
| Independence Elementary School | 431 | 1% | 92.1% |
| Sky Vista Middle School | 944 | 1% | 92.8% |
| Summit Elementary School | 329 | 1% | 91.5% |
| Heritage Heights Academy | 507 | 1.1% | 94.8% |
| Newton Middle School | 784 | 1.1% | 94.8% |
| West Middle School | 986 | 1.1% | 93.2% |
| Dartmouth Elementary School | 445 | 1.2% | 91.4% |
| High Plains Elementary School | 468 | 1.2% | 93.7% |
| Littleton Academy | 458 | 1.2% | 95.8% |
| Moody Elementary School | 439 | 1.2% | 94.5% |
| Byers Junior-Senior High School | 257 | 1.4% | 93.7% |
| Cherokee Trail High School | 3,059 | 1.4% | 92.4% |
| Cherry Creek Charter Academy | 571 | 1.4% | 95.4% |
| Deer Trail Junior-Senior High School | 149 | 1.4% | 92.6% |
| Dry Creek Elementary School | 275 | 1.4% | 95% |
| Goddard Middle School | 562 | 1.4% | 93.2% |
| Vista Peak P-8 Exploratory | 937 | 1.4% | 92.1% |
| Wheeling Elementary School | 232 | 1.4% | 92.7% |
| Charles Hay World School | 294 | 1.5% | 92.6% |
| Meadow Point Elementary School | 392 | 1.5% | 92% |
| Runyon Elementary School | 427 | 1.5% | 94.7% |
| Aurora Frontier K-8 | 757 | 1.6% | 92.8% |
| Centennial Academy of Fine Arts Education | 337 | 1.6% | 94.2% |
| Heritage High School | 1,746 | 1.6% | 93.3% |
| Liberty Middle School | 842 | 1.6% | 91.9% |
| Rolling Hills Elementary School | 544 | 1.6% | 94.6% |
| Aurora Academy Charter School | 524 | 1.7% | 94.7% |
| Byers Elementary School | 282 | 1.7% | 93.4% |
| Ford Elementary | 684 | 1.7% | 95.2% |
| Thunder Ridge Middle School | 1,151 | 1.7% | 91.7% |
| Canyon Creek Elementary School | 472 | 1.9% | 93.9% |
| Cherry Creek High School | 3,829 | 1.9% | 93.5% |
| Littleton Prep Charter School | 516 | 1.9% | 94.1% |
| Mission Viejo Elementary School | 528 | 1.9% | 92.5% |
| Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory | 1,966 | 10% | 85.4% |
| Hinkley High School | 1,584 | 10.4% | 83.9% |
| Colorado Early Colleges Aurora | 527 | 10.5% | 84.6% |
| Jamaica Child Development Center | 130 | 10.6% | 80.4% |
| SOAR Academy | 88 | 10.6% | 82.7% |
| Colorado Summit Connections Academy | 930 | 11.6% | 87.7% |
| Aurora West College Preparatory Academy | 942 | 12.5% | 84.8% |
| APS Early Beginnings – A Zoom Site | 35 | 14.2% | 82.3% |
| Gateway High School | 1,641 | 16.8% | 78.7% |
| Elkhart Elementary School | 496 | 2% | 94.3% |
| Falcon Creek Middle School | 707 | 2% | 92.5% |
| Sandburg Elementary School | 499 | 2% | 95.3% |
| Village at Highland | 323 | 2% | 90.9% |
| Walnut Hills Community Elementary School | 344 | 2% | 93.5% |
| Buffalo Trail Elementary School | 627 | 2.2% | 93.1% |
| Field Elementary School | 283 | 2.2% | 93.6% |
| Deer Trail Elementary School | 212 | 2.3% | 90.8% |
| Arrowhead Elementary School | 475 | 2.4% | 92.3% |
| Eaglecrest High School | 2,988 | 2.4% | 91.2% |
| Lotus School for Excellence | 945 | 2.4% | 93.5% |
| Sunrise Elementary School | 459 | 2.4% | 92.1% |
| Polton Community Elementary School | 451 | 2.5% | 91.5% |
| Arapahoe High School | 1,781 | 2.6% | 92.4% |
| Cherry Creek Elevation | 277 | 2.6% | 95.7% |
| Arkansas Elementary School | 458 | 2.8% | 90.1% |
| Harmony Ridge P-8 | 769 | 2.8% | 92.3% |
| Laredo Middle School | 874 | 2.8% | 90.1% |
| Holly Hills Elementary School | 509 | 2.9% | 90.8% |
| Horizon Middle School | 732 | 2.9% | 90% |
| Iowa Elementary School | 466 | 2.9% | 91.3% |
| Aurora Central High School | 2,256 | 22.8% | 73.2% |
| William Smith High School | 386 | 3% | 94.4% |
| Wm. E. Bishop Elementary School | 193 | 3% | 88.6% |
| Cimarron Elementary School | 416 | 3.1% | 91.3% |
| Clayton Elementary School | 379 | 3.1% | 91.2% |
| Meadowood Child Development Center | 193 | 3.1% | 81.4% |
| Murphy Creek K-8 School | 784 | 3.1% | 92.7% |
| Vanguard Classical School – East | 728 | 3.1% | 92.6% |
| Edna and John W. Mosley P-8 | 969 | 3.2% | 89.8% |
| Red Hawk Ridge Elementary School | 503 | 3.2% | 89.9% |
| Englewood Middle School | 187 | 3.3% | 89.7% |
| Sagebrush Elementary School | 389 | 3.3% | 91.7% |
| Highline Community Elementary School | 402 | 3.4% | 91.8% |
| AXL Academy | 400 | 3.5% | 91.1% |
| Dalton Elementary School | 445 | 3.5% | 91.9% |
| Columbia Middle School | 653 | 3.6% | 90.3% |
| Vassar Elementary School | 504 | 3.7% | 90.9% |
| Eastridge Community Elementary School | 651 | 3.8% | 90% |
| Grandview High School | 2,762 | 3.8% | 90.9% |
| Side Creek Elementary School | 508 | 3.8% | 91% |
| Colorado Connections Academy | 1,652 | 3.9% | 95.9% |
| New America School – Aurora | 106 | 33.7% | 57.7% |
| Fulton Academy of Excellence | 391 | 4.1% | 90.8% |
| Sheridan High School | 293 | 4.1% | 92.6% |
| Englewood Early Childhood Education Center at Madd | 239 | 4.3% | 87.8% |
| Mrachek Middle School | 867 | 4.3% | 89.9% |
| Cherrelyn Elementary School | 214 | 4.4% | 91.7% |
| Early Childhood Education Center | 117 | 4.4% | 87.6% |
| Englewood High School | 541 | 4.4% | 90.5% |
| Jewell Elementary School | 506 | 4.5% | 91.9% |
| Yale Elementary School | 495 | 4.5% | 91.1% |
| Ponderosa Elementary School | 572 | 4.6% | 90.5% |
| Lansing Elementary Community School | 376 | 4.9% | 89.6% |
| Laredo Elementary School | 412 | 4.9% | 90.1% |
| Boston K-8 School | 401 | 5.1% | 90.6% |
| Fort Logan Northgate | 378 | 5.1% | 92.2% |
| Virginia Court Elementary School | 673 | 5.1% | 91.6% |
| Littleton High School | 1,192 | 5.2% | 89.8% |
| Global Village Academy Aurora | 861 | 5.3% | 89.9% |
| Village East Community Elementary School | 719 | 5.3% | 89.7% |
| Alice Terry Elementary School | 182 | 5.5% | 89.3% |
| Aurora Hills Middle School | 870 | 5.6% | 91.2% |
| East Middle School | 704 | 5.8% | 88.8% |
| Rangeview High School | 2,117 | 5.9% | 88.8% |
| Vega Collegiate Academy | 557 | 5.9% | 88.7% |
| Prairie Middle School | 1,362 | 6.1% | 88.7% |
| Vaughn Elementary School | 394 | 6.1% | 90% |
| Montessori del Mundo Charter School | 357 | 6.2% | 88.4% |
| Laredo Child Development Center | 231 | 6.8% | 81.6% |
| Academy of Advanced Learning | 773 | 7.5% | 88.7% |
| Smoky Hill High School | 2,281 | 8.4% | 85.8% |
| Endeavor Academy | 285 | 8.5% | 81.7% |
| Kenton Elementary School | 482 | 8.5% | 89.1% |
| Colorado’s Finest High School of Choice | 223 | 9.2% | 83.9% |
| Tollgate Elementary School of Expeditionary Learning | 641 | 9.2% | 87.1% |
| Sixth Avenue Elementary School | 647 | 9.5% | 86.6% |
| Overland High School | 2,161 | 9.6% | 85.6% |
| County | 105,500 | 4.1% | 90.8% |
| State | 866,824 | 3.4% | 91.5% |
Information in this story was obtained from the Colorado Department of Education. The source data can be found here.
