Best Public Schools in Denver, CO

Denver is home to 224 public schools serving students from preschool through 12th grade, most belonging to School District No. 1 alongside schools from Jefferson County School District No. R-1, Cherry Creek School District No. 5, Adams 12 Five Star Schools, and Westminster Public Schools. The academic landscape is strikingly uneven: School District No. 1 ranks in the 38th percentile of Colorado districts with a 2-star rating, while Jefferson County School District No. R-1 and Cherry Creek School District No. 5 both earn 4 stars, yet Denver also contains the very best schools in the state. Polaris Elementary School is Colorado's #1 elementary school with 94.9% ELA and 91.5% Math proficiency, and D'Evelyn Junior/Senior High School is the state's #1 high school with 99% SAT Reading/Writing proficiency and a 97.1% graduation rate.

Other standouts include Denver School of the Arts, ranked #11 among Colorado high schools with a 96.6% graduation rate, and Northfield High School, which combines a 98% graduation rate with 74% SAT Reading/Writing proficiency. Among middle schools, Morey Middle School ranks #11 in the state and McAuliffe International School posts 73.9% ELA and 75.1% Math proficiency. Several high-poverty schools beat the odds: DSST: Cedar High School serves a 57.1% free/reduced-lunch population yet achieves 74% SAT Reading/Writing and 66% Math proficiency, while Rocky Mountain Prep SMART graduates 94.6% of students despite a 92.2% FRL rate. University Prep - Steele St. has the lowest chronic absenteeism in the city at 3.6% despite an 89.2% FRL rate.

At the other extreme, McGlone Academy ranks 940th of 943 elementary schools with 6.5% ELA proficiency, Fairview Pk-8 posts 5.6% ELA, and Montbello Middle School ranks 462nd of 469 middle schools. Alternative programs face the steepest challenges: Emily Griffith High School graduates only 14.4% of students with 94.2% chronic absenteeism, and Florence Crittenton High School has a 20% graduation rate and 99.3% chronic absenteeism. Chronic absenteeism is the most powerful warning signal—DPS averages 38.1% versus 28.4% statewide—and nearly every struggling school exceeds 80%. The takeaway for parents: judge each school on its own data, not district averages.