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Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory

Q: Is Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory a good school?

Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory ranks 245 th of 340 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

245^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Colorado High Schools

Better than 28% of Colorado high schools

Summary

Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory is a large comprehensive high school in Aurora, Colorado, serving 2,045 students in grades 9–12 as part of Aurora Joint District No. 28. The school ranks in the 28th percentile statewide (245th of 338 Colorado high schools), placing it in the middle-low tier — above the Aurora district average in most subjects but below Colorado state averages by meaningful margins.

Graduation is the school's clearest strength. In 2024-2025, Vista Peak graduated 84.7% of its students, nearly matching the state average of 85.6% and far exceeding the district's 77.0%. That marks an 11-point improvement since 2021-2022, and the dropout rate has fallen to just 1.5%. By comparison, nearby Gateway High School graduates only 65.4% of students, and Hinkley High School graduates 79.3%. Among traditional Aurora high schools, Vista Peak also posts the strongest SAT scores.

However, academic proficiency remains a concern. SAT math proficiency has hovered around 25–26% for four years, and science proficiency fell to 13.1% in 2025-2026 — far behind Rangeview High School's 25.2%. Chronic absenteeism is the biggest red flag: 42.1% of students miss enough school to be considered chronically absent, compared with 28.4% statewide. The school also trails DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School, a nearby charter with higher poverty rates (73.8% vs. 62.0%) that still manages to graduate 94.5% of students and post significantly higher test scores — a gap likely tied to DSST's much smaller class sizes (11.7:1 student-teacher ratio vs. 21.1:1). For parents weighing options, Vista Peak offers solid persistence and graduation outcomes, but families should ask about absenteeism, science instruction, and supports for English learners and students with disabilities.

2,045

Students ?

21.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,419

Per pupil spending ?

62.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

24500 East 6th Avenue
Aurora, CO 80018-1633

(303) 340-0121

District: Aurora Joint District No. 28

Feeder schools for Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory:

Elementary:	Aurora Frontier K-8
	Clyde Miller K-8
	Edna and John W. Mosley P-8
	Murphy Creek K-8 School
	More...
	Vista Peak P-8 Exploratory

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

50.3%

African American:

18.9%

White:

17.6%

See top rated Colorado high schools

Compare Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 16th percentile in 2016 → 28th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (36% vs 48% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 28% Colorado)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school36%

District avg27%

Colorado avg48%

245^th of 340

Colorado public high schools ?

Bottom 28%▲ up 12 pts since 2016

From bottom 16% (2016) to bottom 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 7High Schools in the Aurora Joint District No. 28

105^th of 114Aurora Joint District No. 28 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
2026	27.4	245 of 340	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.1	236 of 328	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.0	205 of 349	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.6	236 of 349	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	14.7	184 of 221	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.8	151 of 210	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.3	240 of 411	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.7	231 of 388	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	21.9	191 of 256	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	15.5	215 of 255	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	25.0	218 of 292	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	35.2	249 of 369	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	26.4	255 of 349	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	43.9	17 of 31	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.3	17 of 30	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.5	16 of 38	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.6	17 of 36	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.1	9 of 34	73.5%	★★★★☆
2021	60.3	9 of 29	69.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	21.7	33 of 43	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	42.0	29 of 43	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.9	36 of 43	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.7	36 of 43	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.7	35 of 45	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	24.4	49 of 56	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.5	75 of 84	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.0	73 of 74	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	21.2	17 of 20	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.0	16 of 20	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.4	26 of 36	27.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.4	25 of 44	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.5	27 of 32	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	28.5	174 of 246	29.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.0	181 of 247	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.7	152 of 257	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.5	173 of 254	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.4	174 of 257	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.2	136 of 239	43.1%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	26.8	119 of 143	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.3	117 of 136	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.7	112 of 140	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.2	121 of 135	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.8	90 of 108	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	49.0	66 of 118	44.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	29.3	140 of 198	29.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.9	134 of 187	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.8	107 of 199	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.6	134 of 198	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.3	127 of 205	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.9	82 of 181	54.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	31.0	150 of 209	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.0	125 of 194	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.0	119 of 211	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.9	112 of 200	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.1	110 of 203	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.7	66 of 188	64.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	21.8	185 of 244	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.8	178 of 246	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.8	161 of 256	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.2	181 of 252	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.3	164 of 253	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.0	142 of 240	40.8%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	37.0	38 of 58	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.3	48 of 61	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.4	57 of 62	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	41.6	25 of 48	47.9%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2022	21.3	61 of 77	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	38.0	133 of 221	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.9	109 of 209	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	60.4	91 of 229	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.9	121 of 234	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.6	117 of 228	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	61.0	85 of 225	62.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

African American (2026)45th percentile+17 vs school

White (2026)40th percentile+12 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)34th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2026)29th percentile~ school

Female (2026)29th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)28th percentile~ school

Male (2026)24th percentile-4 vs school

Asian (2026)23rd percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2022)21st percentile+4 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)17th percentile-11 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)15th percentile-13 vs school

Disabled (2026)12th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

Reading and Writing45%-15 vs state

Mathematics26%-6 vs state

Science13%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory

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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 (2025)	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 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
Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory	Public	9-12	24500 East 6th Avenue	Aurora	80018	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	No	(303) 340-0121	2,045	97	21.1	62.1%	359 (17.6%)	386 (18.9%)	1,028 (50.3%)	113 (5.5%)	7 (0.3%)	14 (0.7%)	138 (6.7%)	27.4	245^th of 340 public high schools	27.9%		29.1	236^th of 328 public high schools	28.0%	9	50.2	33.5	49.9	28.2	44.8	25.7										13.1	$16,419
William Smith High School	Public	9-12	400 Airport Blvd	Aurora	80011	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	No	(303) 364-8715	410	24	17.0	81.5%	42 (10.2%)	25 (6.1%)	318 (77.6%)	8 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.9%)	21.3	271^st of 340 public high schools	20.3%		18.9	272^nd of 328 public high schools	17.1%	1	60.6	16.0	57.4	27.7	32.2	11.1										6.7	$18,535
Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College	Public	6-12	19535 East 46th Avenue	Denver	80249	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-0420	1,027	65	15.8	79.0%	45 (4.4%)	215 (20.9%)	605 (58.9%)	76 (7.4%)	4 (0.4%)	43 (4.2%)	38 (3.7%)	5.5	331^st of 340 public high schools	2.6%		6.3	318^th of 328 public high schools	3.0%	13	28.1	10.1	27.9	14.5	16.9	6.6	12.4	25.8	18.4	19.0	10.0	7.1	5.8	7.5	7.8	5.3	$20,065
Rangeview High School	Public	9-12	17599 East Iliff Ave	Aurora	80013	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	No	(303) 695-6848	2,078	102	20.2	69.6%	345 (16.6%)	426 (20.5%)	1,021 (49.1%)	95 (4.6%)	9 (0.4%)	18 (0.9%)	164 (7.9%)	30.8	235^th of 340 public high schools	30.9%		32.1	224^th of 328 public high schools	31.7%	11	53.2	33.4	52.7	33.2	42.2	22.9										25.2	$17,293
Hinkley High School	Public	9-12	1250 Chambers Road	Aurora	80011	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	No	(303) 340-1500	1,527	70	21.8	87.8%	68 (4.5%)	176 (11.5%)	1,155 (75.6%)	53 (3.5%)	17 (1.1%)	24 (1.6%)	34 (2.2%)	10.5	312^th of 340 public high schools	8.2%		9.8	304^th of 328 public high schools	7.3%	8	27.0	13.8	30.2	18.7	25.7	22.2										8.8	$17,963
DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School	Public, Charter	9-12	4800 Telluride Street #2	Denver	80249	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 524-6300	562	48	11.7	73.8%	18 (3.2%)	143 (25.4%)	314 (55.9%)	59 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.8%)	18 (3.2%)	56.9	137^th of 340 public high schools	59.7%		54	139^th of 328 public high schools	57.6%	2	70.2	57.3	56.1	45.3	58.2	41.0										27.7	$12,107
Vista Academy	Public	6-12	4800 Telluride Street Bldg. 6	Denver	80249	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-7650	291	16	18.2	80.8%	7 (2.4%)	57 (19.6%)	211 (72.5%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	10 (3.4%)								(n/a)	351.0	342.0	321.0	325.0	9.1	362.0				709.0				709.0		703.0	$19,894
KIPP Northeast Denver Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	18250 East 51st Avenue	Denver	80249	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(720) 452-2570	555	41	13.6	68.5%	12 (2.2%)	100 (18.0%)	350 (63.1%)	57 (10.3%)	2 (0.4%)	23 (4.1%)	11 (2.0%)	26.7	250^th of 340 public high schools	26.5%		13.5	291^st of 328 public high schools	11.3%	41	50.0	31.9	46.4	29.8	46.6	29.8										7.0	$17,251
Rocky Mountain Prep RISE	Public, Charter	9-12	18250 East 51st Avenue	Denver	80249	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(720) 485-6393	586	46	12.6	77.8%	29 (4.9%)	94 (16.0%)	392 (66.9%)	34 (5.8%)	3 (0.5%)	19 (3.2%)	13 (2.2%)	20.8	272^nd of 340 public high schools	20.0%		23.9	250^th of 328 public high schools	23.8%	22	51.8	25.5	46.5	20.0	41.7	24.2										8.3	$16,823
Montbello Career and Technical High School	Public	9-12	4501 Airport Way	Denver	80239	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-7200	158	9	17.4	74.1%	7 (4.4%)	27 (17.1%)	107 (67.7%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.3%)	5 (3.2%)								(n/a)																	$20,332

Frequently Asked Questions about Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory

What district is Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory in?

Aurora Joint District No. 28

Is Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory a good school?

Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory ranks 245^th of 340 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What schools feed into Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory?

Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Aurora Frontier K-8
Elementary : Clyde Miller K-8
Elementary : Edna and John W. Mosley P-8
Elementary : Murphy Creek K-8 School
Elementary : Vista Peak P-8 Exploratory

What is the racial makeup of Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory?

Students at Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory are 50% Hispanic, 19% African American, 18% White, 7% Two or more races, 6% Asian.

How many students attend Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,045 students attended Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory.

Rate Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory!

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 CMAS, PSAT10, PSAT9 & SAT test scoresAug 19, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataAug 27, 2025

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.