Just One Colorado High School Ranks in Top 100 Nationwide, and It's Not in Denver

Coloradans like to think we're smart — the state ranks second in the country for educational attainment, according to US News and World Report, the arbiter of all things colleges, doctors, and life in the magazine world. (Without US News and World Report, how would we know we're the least obese state in the nation in 2025?)

But the kids have some work to do.

The preeminent ranker of educational institutions dropped its annual report on the nation's high schools earlier this month, evaluating schools across the country in factors like college readiness, college curriculum breadth, state assessment proficiency and performance, underserved student performance, and graduation rates.

We're disheartened to pass along that none of Denver Public Schools' upper-class institutions made the grade. In fact, Denver School of the Arts is the highest-ranked high school in DPS, coming in at number 236 in the national rankings. According to the rankings, the Denver School of Arts has a graduation rate of 97 percent and college readiness score of 75.6 (that was a C back when we were in high school).

Only one high school in the Denver metro cracked the top 100 high schools in the nation: D'Evelyn Junior/Senior High School in the Jefferson County School District. D'Evelyn High School has a 97 percent graduation rate, but its college readiness score is 91, according to US News and World Report, while 96 percent of its students took at least one AP placement exam last school year, and 90 percent passed at least one AP exam. (Useless fact of the day: Presidential candidate Mitt Romney visited D'Evelyn during the 2012 presidential campaign.)

Yes, that's it: D'Evelyn is the only Colorado high school in the top 100. But does DPS make the top 200 schools? Oof! That'd be a no!

The highest ranking Denver Public School on the list is Denver School of the Arts, coming in at number 236. Here's a breakdown of the top ten:

1. D'Evelyn Junior/Senior High School  (#53 nationally)

2. Liberty Common Charter School (#173 in the nationally)

3. The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs (#175 nationally)

4. Stargate Charter School in Thornton (#189 nationally)

5. Peak to Peak Charter School in Lafayette (#218 nationally)

6. Denver School of the Arts in Denver (#236 nationally)

7. Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy in Minturn (#243 nationally)

8. Fairview High School in Boulder (#358 nationally)

9. Prospect Ridge Academy in Broomfield (#434 nationally)

10. DSST: Cedar in Denver (#454 nationally)