Colorado is the 8th most populous state in the United States and is located in the western region of the country. It is bordered by Wyoming, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah, and Oklahoma. With an area of 104,094 square miles, Colorado is the 22nd largest state by area in the US. The state has 64 counties which are divided into municipalities or cities.
Colorado has 178 school districts that serve students across the state. These districts are organized on a county-wide basis and are primarily funded through local taxes as well as state and federal grants. All public schools must meet certain standards set forth by the Colorado Department of Education which include testing requirements for students in grades 3-8 as well as graduation requirements for high school students. Additionally, all public schools must provide an adequate level of education services including special education programs for students with disabilities or special needs.
The majority of Colorado‘s school districts receive funding from both local and state sources; however some districts receive additional funding from federal sources such as Title I grants or Impact Aid for Native Americans living on tribal lands within their district boundaries. Additionally, some districts may receive additional funds through various private grants or donations from individuals or organizations that support educational initiatives within their communities. School districts may also be eligible for various competitive grants offered through district-level initiatives that focus on improving student achievement outcomes or addressing other educational issues such as dropout prevention or college readiness programs.
There are many public and private high schools in the state of Colorado. It is rather difficult for you to choose one that fits you most. In order for you to better evaluate your choice, we have ranked these high schools based on latest SAT/ACT scores, graduation rates, and state test scores from the Colorado Department of Education. See below for top 33 high schools throughout the state of Colorado.
| # | High Schools | Honor |
| 1 |
Air Academy High School
Academy School District No. 20 School District El Paso County 551 North Frontage Road West USAF Academy, CO 80840 Telephone: (719) 234-2400 |
Silver |
| 2 |
Caliche Junior-Senior High School
Valley School District No. RE-1 School District Logan County 26308 Buffalo Road Iliff, CO 80736 Telephone: (970) 522-8200 |
Bronze |
| 3 |
Centauri High School
North Conejos School District No. RE-1J School District Conejos County 17889 US Hwy 285 La Jara, CO 81140 Telephone: (719) 274-5178 |
Bronze |
| 4 |
Center High School
Center School District No. 26 JT School District Saguache County 550 S. Sylvester Avenue Center, CO 81125 Telephone: (719) 754-2232 |
Bronze |
| 5 |
Cherry Creek High School
Cherry Creek School District No. 5 School District Arapahoe County 9300 East Union Avenue Greenwood Village, CO 80111 Telephone: (720) 554-2000 |
Silver |
| 6 |
Cheyenne Mountain High School
Cheyenne Mountain School District No. 12 School District El Paso County 1200 Cresta Road Colorado Springs, CO 80906 Telephone: (719) 475-6110 |
Silver |
| 7 |
Denver School of Science and Technology
Denver County School District No. 1 School District Denver County 2000 Valencia Street Denver, CO 80235 Telephone: (303) 320-5570 |
Silver |
| 8 |
Denver School of the Arts
Denver County School District No. 1 School District Denver County 7111 Montview Blvd Denver, CO 80220 Telephone: (720) 424-1700 |
Silver |
| 9 |
D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School
Jefferson County School District No. R-1 School District Jefferson County 10359 W Nassau Avenue Denver, CO 80235 Telephone: (303) 982-5768 |
Silver |
| 10 |
Dolores Huerta Preparatory High School
Pueblo City School District No. 60 School District Pueblo County 2500 W 18th Street Pueblo, CO 81003 Telephone: (719) 583-1030 |
Bronze |
| 11 |
Fowler High School
Fowler School District No. R-4J School District Otero County 600 West Grant Fowler, CO 81039 Telephone: (719) 263-4279 |
Bronze |
| 12 |
Fred N Thomas Career Education Center
Denver County School District No. 1 School District Denver County 2650 Eliot Street Denver, CO 80211 Telephone: (720) 423-6600 |
Bronze |
| 13 |
Hanover Junior-Senior High School
Hanover School District No. 28 School District El Paso County 17050 South Peyton Highway Colorado Springs, CO 80928 Telephone: (719) 683-2247 |
Bronze |
| 14 |
Hoehne High School
Hoehne Reorganized School District No. 3 School District Las Animas County 19851 County Road 79. 1 Trinidad, CO 81082 Telephone: (719) 846-4457 |
Bronze |
| 15 |
Lakewood High School
Jefferson County School District No. R-1 School District Jefferson County 9700 West 8th Avenue Lakewood, CO 80215 Telephone: (303) 982-7085 |
Silver |
| 16 |
La Veta Junior-Senior High School
La Veta School District No. RE-2 School District Huerfano County 126 East Garland La Veta, CO 81055 Telephone: (719) 742-3662 |
Bronze |
| 17 |
Lyons Middle/Senior High School
St. Vrain Valley School District No. RE-1J School District Boulder County 100 South 2nd Avenue Lyons, CO 80540 Telephone: (303) 823-6631 |
Silver |
| 18 |
Mancos High School
Mancos School District No. RE-6 School District Montezuma County 355 West Grand Avenue Mancos, CO 81328 Telephone: (970) 533-7746 |
Bronze |
| 19 |
McClave Undivided High School
McClave School District No. RE-2 School District Bent County 308 Lincoln Street McClave, CO 81057 Telephone: (719) 829-4517 |
Bronze |
| 20 |
Merino Junior Senior High School
Buffalo School District No. RE-4 School District Logan County 315 Lee Merino, CO 80741 Telephone: (970) 522-7424 |
Bronze |
| 21 |
Nikola Tesla Education Opportunity Center
Colorado Springs School District No. 11 School District El Paso County 2560 International Circle Colorado Springs, CO 80910 Telephone: (719) 520-2701 |
Bronze |
| 22 |
Niwot High School
St. Vrain Valley School District No. RE-1J School District Boulder County 8989 E. Niwot Road Niwot, CO 80503 Telephone: (303) 652-2550 |
Silver |
| 23 |
Otis Junior-Senior High School
Otis School District No. R-3 School District Washington County 301 Work Street Otis, CO 80743 Telephone: (970) 246-3486 |
Bronze |
| 24 |
Palisade High School
Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 School District Mesa County 3679 G Road Palisade, CO 81526 Telephone: (970) 254-4800 |
Bronze |
| 25 |
Palmer High School
Colorado Springs School District No. 11 School District El Paso County 301 North Nevada Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80903 Telephone: (719) 328-5000 |
Bronze |
| 26 |
Peak to Peak Charter School
Boulder Valley School District No. RE-2 School District Boulder County 800 Merlin Drive Lafayette, CO 80026 Telephone: (303) 453-4700 |
Gold: #76 of 100 |
| 27 |
Ridgeview Classical Schools High School
Poudre School District No. R-1 School District Larimer County 1800 South Lemay Avenue Fort Collins, CO 80525 Telephone: (970) 494-4620 |
Silver |
| 28 |
Sanford Junior/Senior High School
Sanford School District No. 6J School District Conejos County 755 Second Street Sanford, CO 81151 Telephone: (719) 274-5167 |
Bronze |
| 29 |
Sargent Junior-Senior High School
Sargent School District No. RE-33J School District Rio Grande County 7090 North Road 2 East Monte Vista, CO 81144 Telephone: (719) 852-4025 |
Bronze |
| 30 |
Simla High School
Big Sandy School District No. 100J School District Elbert County 619 Pueblo St Simla, CO 80835 Telephone: (719) 541-2291 |
Bronze |
| 31 |
Springfield High School
Springfield School District No. RE-4 School District Baca County 389 Tipton Street Springfield, CO 81073 Telephone: (719) 523-6522 |
Bronze |
| 32 |
Telluride High School
Telluride School District No. R-1 School District San Miguel County 725 West Colorado Telluride, CO 81435 Telephone: (970) 728-4377 |
Honorable Mention |
| 33 |
Yuma High School
Yuma School District No. 1 School District Yuma County 1000 South Albany Yuma, CO 80759 Telephone: (970) 848-5488 |
Bronze |
Hovenweep National Monument
In the mountains on the border of Colorado and Utah, there is the Hovenweep National Monument, which preserves the unique old buildings of the area’s native Indians. The name of this settlement could be translated from the Panuit language as “Abandoned Valley”. The buildings are similar in appearance to the monument in Mesa Verde, but the Hovenweep is much smaller, but still has its own special charm.
According to archaeologists, Hovenweep was built at the same time as the largest buildings under the overhangs in Mesa Verde, ie between 600 and 750 AD. However, the construction process is the same, so it is likely that the houses were built by the same people. At that time, clay was used in the constructions, which connected the individual stones. Small stones were then pushed into the clay to prevent it from cracking.
You will find the area on the edge of a small canyon, which can be bypassed in about 2 hours. You can see about 10 remains of buildings that are in relatively good condition. The people in the canyon even created terraced fields that they could irrigate. There was also a landfill, where archaeologists discovered a large number of bones, shards of containers and other valuable artifacts. All these objects thus provided important information about the life of the inhabitants of that time. Hovenweep was abandoned around 1300, as was Mesa Verde. However, no one knows why this happened, probably due to the climate changes at the time, which made it impossible for people to live in the area.
Not far from Hovenweep there is a small camp, where you can spend the night cheaply. However, care must be taken with the wildlife that occur here. These include scorpions, rattlesnakes and even bombs.