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Best Public Schools in Brighton, CO

New rankings! Colorado test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

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At a glance

Schools

11,296

Students

Districts

Top rankedHorizon High School95^th of 338 Colorado high schools

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Biggest riser

Southeast Elementary School up 65 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Vikan Middle School 13 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

2★

1★

4 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare Colorado cities →See the top-ranked Colorado schools →

Summary:

Brighton, Colorado is served by 17 schools—spanning elementary, middle, and high school grades, plus charter and alternative options—that enroll approximately 11,296 students across three governing bodies: School District 27J (14 schools, ranked 81st of 115 Colorado districts), Adams 12 Five Star Schools (2 schools, ranked 50th), and the State Charter School Institute (1 school, ranked 49th).

The clear standout is Horizon High School, ranked in the 72nd percentile of Colorado high schools with a 96.8% graduation rate and SAT scores exceeding state averages in both reading and math (66% and 42% proficient). Within School District 27J, Eagle Ridge Academy is the top performer, with a 44th percentile rank, a 97.2% graduation rate, and the lowest chronic absenteeism (17.1%) of any Brighton high school. By contrast, Brighton High School—the district's largest school at 1,733 students—ranks in just the 12th percentile, with 42% SAT reading proficiency and 13% math proficiency. At the elementary level, Glacier Peak Elementary School leads all Brighton K-8 schools in ELA proficiency at 42.3%, while Foundations Academy and Elaine S. Padilla Elementary School post the strongest math scores (36.7% and 36.5%) among District 27J elementary schools. No Brighton elementary or middle school reaches state averages in all-grade ELA (44.7%) or math (37.3%).

Middle schools are the city's weakest link: Overland Trail Middle School (8th percentile) and Vikan Middle School (21st percentile) post math proficiency rates of just 11.7% and 19.4%. Chronic absenteeism across Brighton averages 33.8%, well above the state's 28.4%, with 27J Online Academy and Innovations & Options exceeding 65%. Families should evaluate schools individually, as variability is dramatic—the highest-poverty schools like South Elementary School (85.5% free/reduced lunch) struggle the most, while Eagle Ridge and Horizon demonstrate that strong outcomes are achievable even with meaningful economic diversity. The strongest choices in Brighton are Horizon, Eagle Ridge, and Foundations Academy; the middle school tier and several high-poverty elementary schools warrant close scrutiny.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PSAT10 Reading and Writing (2026)	PSAT10 Mathematics (2026)	PSAT9 Reading and Writing (2026)	PSAT9 Mathematics (2026)	SAT Reading and Writing (2026)	SAT Mathematics (2026)	CMAS English Language Arts (2026)							CMAS Math (2026)							CMAS Science (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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 3rd Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 5th 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 3rd Grade	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	CMAS Science 8th Grade	CMAS Science 11th Grade	Total
Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Denver	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-9	1800 E Longs Peak St	Brighton	80602	Adams County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 541-9809	305	17	18.0		200 (65.6%)	0 (0.0%)	84 (27.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.6%)								(n/a)							17.4		50.0	20.8		37.5	27.1		20.0	40.0	16.7		33.3	23.4	33.3	25.0		$11,811
Brighton High School	Public	9-12	270 South 8th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-4200	1,733	90	19.2	55.7%	627 (36.2%)	20 (1.2%)	1,021 (58.9%)	15 (0.9%)	6 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	43 (2.5%)	15.2	297^th of 338 public high schools	12.1%		21.8	260^th of 328 public high schools	20.7%	37	44.0	19.0	45.0	17.0	42.0	13.0																	11.9	$15,161
Northeast Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1605 Longspeak	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 655-2550	470	31	15.3	78.7%	56 (11.9%)	5 (1.1%)	396 (84.3%)	5 (1.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	14.5	815^th of 943 public elementary schools	13.6%		11.8	859^th of 950 public elementary schools	9.6%	44							10.5	20.3	31.4				20.5	15.6	14.9	35.3				21.5	8.8			$17,078
South Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	305 South 5th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 655-2600	337	23	14.6	85.5%	33 (9.8%)	3 (0.9%)	293 (86.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	4 (1.2%)	13.5	832^nd of 943 public elementary schools	11.8%		12.6	848^th of 950 public elementary schools	10.7%	16							15.8	37.0	27.3				25.4	15.8	7.3	21.4				15.0	10.7			$18,200
Southeast Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1595 Southern Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 866-2650	527	32	16.4	73.8%	105 (19.9%)	5 (0.9%)	399 (75.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.8%)	16.7	792^nd of 943 public elementary schools	16.0%		11.9	857^th of 950 public elementary schools	9.8%	65							29.9	20.7	32.0				27.4	24.7	18.5	16.2				19.8	13.9			$16,193
Vikan Middle School	Public	6-8	879 Jessup Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-4050	528	40	13.0	71.0%	143 (27.1%)	5 (0.9%)	359 (68.0%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.7%)	19.6	369^th of 469 public middle schools	21.3%		15.5	404^th of 469 public middle schools	13.9%	35										28.5	21.3	18.3	22.7				29.9	12.7	16.2	19.4		17.0		$16,765
Innovations & Options	Public	6-12	830 Bridge Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-2850	235	17	13.7		56 (23.8%)	5 (2.1%)	167 (71.1%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.1%)								(n/a)																								$16,300
Overland Trail Middle School	Public	6-8	455 North 19th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-4000	581	40	14.5	70.4%	139 (23.9%)	8 (1.4%)	408 (70.2%)	13 (2.2%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (1.0%)	12.5	430^th of 469 public middle schools	8.3%		10.4	440^th of 469 public middle schools	6.2%	10										18.7	16.1	20.0	18.3				10.2	10.3	14.3	11.7		16.1		$15,714
Bromley East Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	356 Longspur Drive	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	Yes	No	No	No	(720) 685-3297	1,214	42	28.6	39.5%	568 (46.8%)	17 (1.4%)	566 (46.6%)	16 (1.3%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	44 (3.6%)	21.9	714^th of 943 public elementary schools	24.3%		22.1	708^th of 950 public elementary schools	25.5%	6							25.6	32.8	40.5	18.8	27.0	20.0	27.6	24.8	21.0	25.6	14.1	19.2	16.3	20.3	25.0	17.6		$12,336
Mary E Pennock Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3707 Estrella Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(720) 685-7500	592	38	15.7	59.8%	210 (35.5%)	7 (1.2%)	348 (58.8%)	12 (2.0%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (1.9%)	33.1	587^th of 943 public elementary schools	37.8%		37.6	550^th of 950 public elementary schools	42.1%	37							24.2	52.6	34.9				36.3	33.0	37.2	31.2				33.5	22.9			$15,377
Prairie Vista Youth Services Center	Public, Alternative	4-12	192 Bromley Business Parkway	Brighton	80603	Weld County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 659-4450	32	5	7.1	43.8%	7 (21.9%)	3 (9.4%)	19 (59.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (9.4%)								(n/a)																								$00
Foundations Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	340 South 45th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 659-9519	763	16	47.9	36.2%	386 (50.6%)	4 (0.5%)	342 (44.8%)	8 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (2.8%)	45	469^th of 943 public elementary schools	50.3%		42.2	515^th of 950 public elementary schools	45.8%	46							39.8	42.3	53.8	32.1	52.5	28.2	41.5	46.9	20.8	32.5	38.5	41.8	39.0	36.7	36.3	23.7		$13,298
Eagle Ridge Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	3551 Southern Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 345-4380	593	24	25.2	40.6%	260 (43.8%)	15 (2.5%)	293 (49.4%)	9 (1.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.4%)	41.6	188^th of 338 public high schools	44.4%		42	185^th of 328 public high schools	43.6%	3	54.0	25.0	70.0	38.0	61.0	23.0																	25.6	$10,563
Elaine S. Padilla Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5505 Longs Peak Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-5100	672	35	19.1	48.2%	213 (31.7%)	15 (2.2%)	415 (61.8%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	19 (2.8%)	39.3	519^th of 943 public elementary schools	45.0%		39.4	530^th of 950 public elementary schools	44.2%	11							40.2	45.4	35.4				40.6	39.1	40.2	29.3				36.5	22.0			$13,587
27J Online Academy	Public, Virtual	6-12	89 N. 6th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	Yes	No	(303) 655-2527	336	21	16.0		85 (25.3%)	8 (2.4%)	219 (65.2%)	12 (3.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.0%)								(n/a)	42.0																							$14,637
Horizon High School	Public	9-12	5321 East 136th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-4400	1,966	98	20.1	33.1%	1,041 (53.0%)	25 (1.3%)	691 (35.1%)	97 (4.9%)	6 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	102 (5.2%)	70.7	95^th of 338 public high schools	71.9%		69.6	102^nd of 328 public high schools	68.9%	7	74.0	51.0	76.0	52.0	66.0	42.0																	36.1	$14,740
Glacier Peak Elementary School	Public	K-5	12060 Jasmine Street	Brighton	80605	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-5940	412	25	16.8	47.6%	167 (40.5%)	6 (1.5%)	189 (45.9%)	29 (7.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.4%)	31.5	604^th of 943 public elementary schools	35.9%		27.8	638^th of 950 public elementary schools	32.8%	34							39.1	46.4	41.3				42.3	31.3	31.9	15.4				26.5	14.1			$17,104

Cities Near Brighton

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Henderson	3.2 mi	5	171^st
Thornton	3.8 mi	39	141^st
Lochbuie	4.81 mi	2	185^th
Commerce City	4.92 mi	25	180^th
Fort Lupton	7.72 mi	6	194^th

See the top CO Colorado cities

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.