Every student in Denver has the potential to realize a life of opportunity — and as a parent and education advocate, I have seen firsthand what is possible when we design our systems and structures to focus on supporting all students.

The release of Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) data every August typically generates a few days of media coverage and public discussion. Most of our community moves on, and our city misses the opportunity to learn from these assessment results and examine how to inform and guide our school system to ensure that all students are being served.

One of several harsh realities that must not be ignored is that historically, our education system has continued to academically serve students not from low-income households better — creating large gaps in how DPS serves students from low-income households, the majority of whom are students of color.

The most recent CMAS results tell us that these large gaps remained in English language arts and grew in math, resulting in a staggering 40-percentage-point gap.

Simultaneously, our city’s demographics have undergone a transformation, with working-class and middle-class families facing displacement. Black and brown residents of Denver have been compelled to relocate, while higher-income largely white newcomers take their place. This demographic shift coincides with a student enrollment drop of over 4,000 students since the 2018-19 school year — a decline attributed to decreasing birth rates and increasing housing costs. Furthermore, there has been a decrease in overall enrollment among students from low-income households and a slight increase in the number of students from non-low-income households, mirroring the broader city trends.

Below are some bright spot examples of schools in our city that are working to close the equity and opportunity gaps. These examples are measured by the Median Growth Percentile (MGP). MGP measures a school’s growth as compared to groups of students who performed similarly on last year’s test. An MGP over 50 indicates better-than-average growth.

I am filled with optimism and hope for the future as I observe certain schools within the district — primarily serving Black and brown students, achieving strong academic proficiency and growth. These schools are led by exemplary educators providing learning environments that all students deserve, while also consistently delivering strong results for all students. Additionally at each school, over 80% of their student populations qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator of being from a low-income household.

• Ashley Elementary, East Colfax neighborhood: Ashley is a public innovation zone school that focuses on intellectual curiosity, creativity and joyful and rigorous learning opportunities for students. It has seen an MGP of 53 in English and 78.5 in math among economically vulnerable students.

• DSST: Cole Middle School, Cole neighborhood: This public charter school is focused on a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) curriculum and has seen an MGP of 60 and 55 in English and math respectively for economically vulnerable student population.

• Rocky Mountain Prep Creekside Elementary, Indian Creek neighborhood: RMP Creekside is a public charter school that is currently the highest-performing school in its neighborhood and is leading DPS in student attendance rates. With over 27 different languages represented, RMP Creekside has reversed the opportunity gap between multilingual students and their peers and has seen an MGP of 50.5 and 60 in English and math respectively.

• Wyatt Elementary, Cole neighborhood: This public charter school is providing wraparound services for students and families and is also home to many newcomer students. Wyatt had an MGP of 64 in English and 79 in math over the course of the year among economically vulnerable students.

Independent analysis of the state test data shows there are several other DPS schools serving high percentages of economically vulnerable students that have demonstrated strong academic proficiency and growth, including Castro, Denver Green School Southeast, DSST: College View, DSST: Elevate, DSST: Green Valley Ranch, Montclair, Rocky Mountain Prep Ruby Hill, and Trevista.

The Denver community has an opportunity to learn from each other and understand what is working so we can create educational opportunities across the city for all students. Together, we can change the trajectory of our public education system if we learn from what is working and focus on student outcomes and well-being.

RootED Denver will be engaging to learn more about what is working at these schools and how best to share learnings with the district and community.

I encourage others to take the time to look closer at academic trends across the district on the Colorado Department of Education website or through the Denver Education Explorer website. Stay informed and join us in holding our district and elected school board members accountable as we work together to support Denver’s students.

Patrick Donovan is managing partner of RootED Denver, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to building an equitable, accountable, and responsive Denver Public Schools system where race and income are no longer barriers to excellent student outcomes. RootED partners with DPS schools and community nonprofits to provide funding and collaboration to support DPS students.