Every spring in Denver, a familiar end-of-year exam happens in our schools. Across the city, students sit down to take the Colorado Measures of Success, better known as CMAS.
This year, CMAS testing for Denver Public Schools (DPS) runs from April 6 to April 24, 2026. During that window, students in grades 3-8 will take assessments in some combination of English Language Arts, math, science and social studies. Specific school calendars may vary.
For some families, CMAS can feel like just another test. For others, it can sound like a stream of acronyms and percentages. At the end of the day, statewide tests like CMAS aren’t just numbers on a page. They tell a story about how our students are learning and progressing and whether our system is delivering on its promise to every child in Denver and in Colorado.
What CMAS Measures
At its core, CMAS gives us three important lenses into student learning:
- Academic Achievement: CMAS tells us the percentage of students meeting grade-level standards on a particular assessment. Are students reading, writing and doing math at the level expected for their grade?
- Academic Growth: The test measures how much progress students make year over year compared to their peers. Growth matters because it shows whether students are catching up, keeping up or falling further behind.
- Subgroup Performance: CMAS data allow us to break down results by student demographics, including race, family income, language status and disability. This is where we see whether our schools are serving all students equitably.
When we look at this data together, we get a clearer picture of how DPS is preparing students for success in high school, college and career.
Looking Back at 2025: Progress and Persistent Gaps
The 2025 CMAS results brought both encouragement and a clear call to continue to improve.
Overall proficiency in DPS improved slightly, and student growth outpaced the state average. That is good news. It means many students are making progress.
However, the data shows that large gaps remain, especially for students of color, learners from low-income households, students with special education needs, and English language learners. When we compare results across racial and ethnic groups, the disparities are still significant.
This is why subgroup data matters so much. If we only look at district averages, we might miss the fact that some groups of students are not being served as well as others. Our commitment as a community is not just to raise overall numbers. It is to ensure every student has access to a high-quality and equitable education.
Bright Spots Worth Celebrating
There is, of course, more to this story.
An independent analysis for our community took a closer look at the 2025 CMAS results for Latine students, Black students and students who qualify for free and reduced lunch (FRL). Read the 2025 CMAS summary here.
The findings indicate that some DPS schools are achieving strong results and supporting these student groups. In other words, there are bright spots across DPS where students of color and students from low-income households are thriving academically.
Some of these schools are charter schools with close partnerships with families and community organizations. They are demonstrating that excellence and equity can go hand in hand. They are closing achievement gaps where it matters most.
That should be celebrated. Join us in recognizing 2025 Subgroup Spotlights:
When a school is helping Latine students meet grade-level standards at higher rates, or when Black students are showing strong academic growth year over year, we should ask: What are they doing differently? How are they building trust with families? How are they supporting teachers?
Overall, we should note what systems are in place to ensure students are set up for success. Instead of dismissing the data as tedious, we can use it as a roadmap. We can study what works and apply those lessons more broadly across the district.
Why CMAS Participation Matters
Participation in CMAS is not required for students, but schools are required to administer it, and it gives families, educators and community members the information they need to support all students. Every student’s participation counts.
When students take CMAS, they are contributing to a fuller, more accurate picture of how their school is doing. High participation rates ensure the data reflects the whole community, not just part of it. Without broad participation, it becomes harder to identify gaps, celebrate progress, or hold the system accountable.
If we want DPS to do better in serving all students, we need clear information. CMAS is one valuable measure of success. While CMAS scores offer one indicator of student performance, schools also recognize that social-emotional support, inclusion and belonging are essential components of student success.
Getting Ready for CMAS 2026
Something that may change in the future is the amount of time students spend on state tests. A bipartisan group of Colorado lawmakers is exploring ways to reduce testing time for elementary and middle school students, sparking renewed conversation about how schools assess students and use the data from their test results. Read more at The Colorado Sun.
As we head into the 2026 testing window, this is our reminder: CMAS is coming, and it makes a difference.
It matters because it helps us see whether students are reading and doing math at grade level. It indicates whether students are making academic progress year to year. It shines a light on whether we are meeting the needs of Latine, Black, and low-income household students and other groups who have been historically underserved.
Our goal as a community is not just to produce numbers that look good. It is to build a school system where every child in Denver has a fair shot at a bright future.
So, let’s send our students to school ready to do their best. Let’s dig into the data with curiosity, not fear. Let’s celebrate the schools that are bridging differences and learn from their example.
Most of all, let’s use CMAS as it was intended: a tool to give our community a clear voice in public education and to ensure that equity and excellence remain at the heart of Denver’s schools.
