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Ponderosa High School

Q: Is Ponderosa High School a good school?

Ponderosa High School ranks 119 th of 328 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

119^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 328 Colorado High Schools

Better than 64% of Colorado high schools

Summary

Ponderosa High School is a public high school located in Parker, Colorado, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,424 students. It is part of the Douglas County School District, which is ranked 9th out of 115 districts in Colorado and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ponderosa High School's academic performance on standardized tests, such as CMAS, SAT, and PSAT, is generally above the state average but lags behind the Douglas County School District average. The school has seen a steady improvement in its four-year graduation rate, from 83.1% in 2022-2023 to 92.2% in 2023-2024, and a decrease in its dropout rate, from 2.2% in 2021-2022 to 0.6% in 2023-2024. Ponderosa High School performs particularly well in supporting its Hispanic student population, ranking 34th out of 199 Colorado high schools in 2023-2024 for this subgroup.

Compared to nearby schools, Ponderosa High School's performance is generally on par with or slightly below the other high schools in the Douglas County School District, such as Castle View High School and Legend High School. However, the school stands out in comparison to the HOPE Online Learning Academy High School, which is a virtual charter school within the same district but performs significantly lower on academic measures. Ponderosa High School has also seen a concerning increase in its chronic absenteeism rate, from 17.1% in 2023-2024 to 27.7% in the most recent school year, which is an area the school may need to address.

1,406

Students ?

20.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,895

Per pupil spending ?

15.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7007 East Bayou Gulch Road
Parker, CO 80134-5459

(303) 387-4000

District: Douglas County School District No. Re 1

Feeder schools for Ponderosa High School:

Elementary:	Franktown Elementary School
	Legacy Point Elementary School
	Mountain View Elementary School
	Northeast Elementary School
Middle:	Sagewood Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

77.0%

Hispanic:

14.5%

Two or more races:

4.3%

See top rated Colorado high schools

Compare Ponderosa High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 73rd percentile in 2015 → 64th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (54% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓96% graduate in 4 years — above the Colorado average (86%)

✓Above the Colorado median (64th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Near the bottom of Douglas County School District No. Re 1's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school54%

District avg63%

Colorado avg47%

119^th of 328

Colorado public high schools ?

Top 36%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From top 27% (2015) to top 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^th of 12High Schools in the Douglas County School District No. Re 1

9^th of 115Douglas County School District No. Re 1 among Colorado districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	62.5	119 of 328	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.4	109 of 349	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.9	105 of 349	69.9%	★★★★☆
2022	59.0	85 of 221	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.3	99 of 210	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	77.0	76 of 411	81.5%	★★★★☆
2018	77.0	72 of 388	81.4%	★★★★☆
2017	33.5	145 of 256	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	46.6	97 of 255	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	58.6	79 of 292	72.9%	★★★★☆
2014	74.6	82 of 369	77.8%	★★★★☆
2013	75.8	71 of 349	79.7%	★★★★☆
2012	83.6	40 of 334	88.0%	★★★★☆
2011	75.8	73 of 337	78.3%	★★★★☆
2010	74.3	78 of 327	76.1%	★★★★☆
2009	72.7	85 of 310	72.6%	★★★★☆
2008	81.9	45 of 301	85.0%	★★★★☆
2007	84.8	34 of 298	88.6%	★★★★☆
2006	83.0	36 of 286	87.4%	★★★★☆
2005	83.8	40 of 280	85.7%	★★★★☆
2004	82.6	43 of 279	84.6%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	25.5	49 of 59	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.5	42 of 84	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.0	42 of 74	43.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	59.9	96 of 247	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.9	91 of 257	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.2	85 of 254	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.8	77 of 257	70.0%	★★★★☆
2021	66.9	76 of 239	68.2%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	61.2	65 of 136	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.0	90 of 140	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.2	84 of 135	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.6	54 of 108	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.0	73 of 118	38.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	64.4	53 of 187	71.7%	★★★★☆
2024	78.3	34 of 199	82.9%	★★★★☆
2023	70.3	47 of 198	76.3%	★★★★☆
2022	81.6	36 of 205	82.4%	★★★★☆
2021	79.6	30 of 181	83.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	53.6	85 of 194	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.0	118 of 211	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.5	87 of 200	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.1	67 of 203	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	94.6	7 of 188	96.3%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	58.2	99 of 246	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.7	98 of 256	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.0	95 of 252	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.3	69 of 253	72.7%	★★★★☆
2021	60.8	88 of 240	63.3%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2023	6.6	60 of 62	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2022	63.0	25 of 77	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	35.1	41 of 60	31.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	36.5	129 of 209	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.5	124 of 229	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.1	130 of 234	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.2	104 of 228	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.1	119 of 225	47.1%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Hispanic (2025)72nd percentile+8 vs school

Special Education (2022)68th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)61st percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)60th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)56th percentile-8 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)52nd percentile-12 vs school

White (2025)38th percentile-25 vs school

Disabled (2025)17th percentile-47 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)3rd percentile-67 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

Reading and Writing70%+8 vs state

Mathematics36%+4 vs state

Science33%+8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ponderosa High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT10 Reading and Writing (2025)	PSAT10 Mathematics (2025)	PSAT9 Reading and Writing (2025)	PSAT9 Mathematics (2025)	SAT Reading and Writing (2025)	SAT Mathematics (2025)	CMAS English Language Arts (2025)				CMAS Math (2025)				CMAS Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT10 Reading and Writing 10th Grade	PSAT10 Mathematics 10th Grade	PSAT9 Reading and Writing 9th Grade	PSAT9 Mathematics 9th Grade	SAT Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 8th Grade	CMAS Science 11th Grade	Total
Ponderosa High School	Public	9-12	7007 East Bayou Gulch Road	Parker	80134	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 387-4000	1,406	69	20.3	15.8%	1,083 (77.0%)	32 (2.3%)	204 (14.5%)	20 (1.4%)	6 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (4.3%)	62.5	119^th of 328 public high schools	63.7%		66.4	109^th of 349 public high schools	68.8%	10	69.0	40.0	73.0	43.0	70.0	36.0										32.7	$15,895
Legend High School	Public	9-12	22219 Hilltop Road	Parker	80138	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 387-4500	2,206	95	23.1	13.2%	1,635 (74.1%)	29 (1.3%)	286 (13.0%)	98 (4.4%)	5 (0.2%)	7 (0.3%)	146 (6.6%)	78.9	67^th of 328 public high schools	79.6%		79.1	66^th of 349 public high schools	81.1%	1	81.0	46.0	83.0	56.0	82.0	43.0										37.2	$14,776
Renaissance Secondary School	Public, Charter	6-12	3954 Trail Boss Lane	Castle Rock	80104	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	Yes	No	No	No	(720) 689-6120	441	27	16.6	17.5%	359 (81.4%)	4 (0.9%)	57 (12.9%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.4%)	82.3	50^th of 328 public high schools	84.8%		78.2	70^th of 349 public high schools	79.9%	20	84.0	55.0	83.0	52.0	72.0	60.0	50.0	70.5	73.0	66.3	28.3	42.3	62.5	45.7	65.6	45.5	$15,112
Douglas County High School	Public	9-12	2842 Front Street	Castle Rock	80104	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 387-1000	1,659	86	19.3	23.7%	1,127 (67.9%)	29 (1.7%)	356 (21.5%)	57 (3.4%)	4 (0.2%)	4 (0.2%)	82 (4.9%)	63.9	116^th of 328 public high schools	64.6%		65.4	113^th of 349 public high schools	67.6%	3	72.0	40.0	74.0	42.0	69.0	36.0										50.0	$16,096
Castle View High School	Public	9-12	5254 North Meadows Dr	Castle Rock	80109	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 387-9000	1,938	80	24.2	17.8%	1,402 (72.3%)	25 (1.3%)	354 (18.3%)	31 (1.6%)	8 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	117 (6.0%)	73.1	91^st of 328 public high schools	72.3%		73.7	82^nd of 349 public high schools	76.5%	9	81.0	47.0	79.0	47.0	77.0	36.0										33.3	$14,583
Daniel C Oakes High School--Castle Rock	Public	9-12	961 Plum Creek Blvd.	Castle Rock	80104	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 387-0650	113	12	9.1	37.2%	79 (69.9%)	2 (1.8%)	22 (19.5%)	3 (2.7%)	1 (0.9%)	1 (0.9%)	5 (4.4%)								(n/a)																	$23,299
Chaparral High School	Public	9-12	15655 Brookstone Drive	Parker	80134	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 387-3500	2,007	93	21.4	21.5%	1,331 (66.3%)	65 (3.2%)	369 (18.4%)	115 (5.7%)	6 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	119 (5.9%)	79.7	64^th of 328 public high schools	80.5%		82.6	50^th of 349 public high schools	85.7%	14	80.0	53.0	78.0	50.0	79.0	50.0										45.3	$15,996
Venture Academy of Leadership and Entrepreneurship	Public	9-12	15653 Brookstone Dr	Parker	80134	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(303) 242-6165	88	8	10.7	10.2%	71 (80.7%)	3 (3.4%)	6 (6.8%)	2 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (6.8%)	61.7	122^nd of 328 public high schools	62.8%		53.2	151^st of 349 public high schools	56.7%	29	66.0			44.0													$39,651
Hope Online Learning Academy County-Op	Public, Virtual, Charter	6-12	9780 Pyramid Ct Ste 100	Englewood	80112	Douglas County	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	(720) 402-3000	1,307	49	26.6	69.3%	351 (26.9%)	15 (1.1%)	910 (69.6%)	7 (0.5%)	12 (0.9%)	2 (0.2%)	10 (0.8%)	3.4	326^th of 328 public high schools	0.6%		5.6	336^th of 349 public high schools	3.7%	10	24.0	3.0	32.0		17.0			20.4	13.9				12.5	10.4	8.4	1.7	$11,872
Elizabeth High School	Public	9-12	34500 County Road 13	Elizabeth	80107	Elbert County	Elizabeth School District	No	No	No	No	(303) 646-4616	668	42	15.9	22.6%	535 (80.1%)	2 (0.3%)	108 (16.2%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (2.8%)	58.5	130^th of 328 public high schools	60.4%		66.6	108^th of 349 public high schools	69.1%	22	72.0	35.0	69.0	41.0	73.0	24.0										47.9	$15,805

Frequently Asked Questions about Ponderosa High School

What is the racial makeup of Ponderosa High School?

Students at Ponderosa High School are 77% White, 15% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% African American, 1% Asian.

Is Ponderosa High School a good school?

Ponderosa High School ranks 119^th of 328 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Ponderosa High School?

Ponderosa High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Franktown Elementary School
Elementary : Legacy Point Elementary School
Elementary : Mountain View Elementary School
Elementary : Northeast Elementary School
Middle : Sagewood Middle School

How many students attend Ponderosa High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,406 students attended Ponderosa High School.

What district is Ponderosa High School in?

Douglas County School District No. Re 1

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Colorado Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.