Aspen Elementary School is a K-5 school in Hawthorn School District 73. It is known as a "Choice School," based on the Choice Theory developed by Dr. William Glasser. The Choice Theory, according to the school website, "focuses on internal motivation." The school uses a number of components in its curriculum, including technology, global thematic instruction, multiple intelligences, authentic/alternative assessment, and student-developed learning plans and goals.

Aspen Elementary came about after a district reconfiguration that occurred following a successful April 1997 referendum to build a new seventh and eighth grade junior high school. The reconfiguration resulted in an empty school building.