BCSIS is one of Boulder’s highest-performing elementary schools
If you’ve been researching elementary schools in Boulder, you may have noticed something confusing: one ranking puts Boulder Community School of Integrated Studies (BCSIS) at #7 in Boulder Valley School District, while another places it among the very highest-performing schools in the entire state.
So, which is right?
Both — because school rankings measure different things.
BCSIS is one of Boulder’s highest-performing elementary schools
In Colorado’s 2026 preliminary School Performance Framework, BCSIS earned 99.6% of the available points, tying for #4 among schools statewide.
Within the City of Boulder, only High Peaks Elementary scored higher, earning a perfect 100%. Bear Creek and BCSIS both earned 99.6%.
So yes: by Colorado’s state accountability measure, BCSIS is one of the top three elementary schools in Boulder — and is effectively tied for second.
That is especially notable in Boulder Valley School District, itself one of Colorado’s highest-performing districts.
So why does U.S. News rank BCSIS #7 in the district?
Because U.S. News and the Colorado Department of Education aren't creating the same kind of ranking.
The U.S. News Best Elementary Schools rankings are heavily driven by math and reading results on state assessments. Their methodology considers proficiency and performance in those two subjects, including how students perform relative to demographic expectations.
Colorado’s School Performance Framework, on the other hand, looks not only at academic achievement but also at academic growth — how much students are learning and progressing over time.
That distinction matters.
BCSIS performs at an exceptionally high level in both achievement and growth. In the state’s 2025 framework, for example, BCSIS received an “Exceeds” rating for Academic Achievement and an “Exceeds” rating for Academic Growth, earning 100% of the available points in the growth category.
In other words, BCSIS students aren't simply performing well. They are continuing to grow.
Rankings are useful. They aren't the whole story.
Standardized academic measures matter, and we’re proud that BCSIS performs extraordinarily well by them.
But families who know BCSIS also know that much of what defines the school doesn't appear in a ranking algorithm.
BCSIS is a focus school built around arts-integrated learning: an approach in which academic standards are taught and assessed through the arts as well as traditional instruction. Students might demonstrate understanding through visual art, music, movement, performance, writing, collaboration and hands-on inquiry.
The goal isn't to choose between strong academics and creativity.
It's to use creativity to deepen academic learning.
That philosophy is difficult to capture in a single number — as are the relationships, traditions, community, curiosity and sense of belonging that shape a child's experience at school.
Perhaps the better question isn't “What number is BCSIS?”
Depending on the ranking system, the answer will change.
A better question might be:
Does BCSIS combine exceptional academic outcomes with the kind of education we want our children to experience?
The numbers give us plenty to celebrate. A 99.6% state performance score, exceptional academic growth and a place among Colorado's highest-performing schools are remarkable accomplishments.
But at BCSIS, they're only part of the story.
