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The top elementary schools in and around Denver

Top Private Elementary Schools

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Foothills Academy Wheat Ridge pre-K–12

Foothills makes a special effort to reach out to parents who have either home-schooled their children or considered it. The school’s philosophy centers on the constructivist notion of “layering new discoveries upon the foundation of what [students] already know,” so early-childhood instruction involves helping children thrive socially before deepening subject-specific teaching at higher grade levels. foothills-academy.org

Graland Country Day Denver K–8

Long known in Denver for its luxurious facilities and stellar academic reputation, Graland’s curriculum is designed to develop multitalented students. It conducts about 40 community service–oriented projects throughout the year, and teams older and younger children in a mentoring Buddy Program that realizes benefits in both directions. www.graland.org

Havern SchoolLittleton K–8

This nonprofit school caters to children with learning disabilities through its core curriculum of reading, writing, spelling, and math, and its student-teacher ratio of 4:1 means the classes stay small. The school has on-site therapists for speech and language training and offers elective instruction in such subjects as drama and social skills development.haverncenter.org

Logan School for Creative Learning Denver K–8

Logan has siphoned off students from competing private schools in recent years because of its track record of helping improve academic performance and promoting growth through classroom exercises such as problem-solving and conflict resolution. It develops individualized learning plans for each student while also stressing experiential learning through frequent field trips and extended excursions to such destinations as South Dakota and southeastern Colorado. theloganschool.org

Montessori School of Denver Denver toddler–6

Its curriculum echoes traditional Montessori tenets of learning and empowerment through creativity and independence. Instructors teach lessons from a multicultural perspective and foster a sense of community service and team-oriented tasks that stress participation and engagement. montessoridenver.org

Ricks Center Denver pre-K–8

Despite occasional (and conflicting) rumors of a chaotically run administration, this University of Denver–based school has consistently garnered national recognition for its gifted programs. Teachers tailor lesson plans to each student’s needs and abilities, all built around tying real-world examples to central themes that promote experimentation and problem-solving. Students also take frequent field trips to a variety of businesses, organizations, and environments. du.edu/ricks