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Smoky Hill High School

Public Grades 9-12
174th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 328 Colorado High Schools
Better than 47% of Colorado high schools
Summary

Smoky Hill High School is a public high school in Aurora, Colorado, serving 2,281 students in grades 9-12. It is part of the Cherry Creek School District No. 5, which is ranked 30th out of 115 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

Smoky Hill High School has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking, ranging from 61st out of 255 Colorado high schools in 2015-2016 to 172nd out of 349 in 2023-2024. Its current 3-star rating places it in the middle of Colorado high schools. The school's performance varies across different student subgroups, ranking relatively well for African American and Hispanic students but struggling with Asian and multi-racial student groups. Smoky Hill High School has experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 25.5% to 45.4% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages.

Compared to neighboring schools within the Cherry Creek School District, such as Grandview High School and Cherry Creek High School, Smoky Hill High School's performance is generally lower, with lower test scores, particularly in mathematics and science. The school's high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 50.9% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, may contribute to these challenges.

2,297
Students ?
19.9
Student/teacher ratio ?
$15,854
Per pupil spending ?
48.6%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 16100 East Smoky Hill Road
       Aurora, CO  80015-1751

(720) 886-5300

District: Cherry Creek School District No. 5


Feeder schools for Smoky Hill High School:

Elementary:    Cimarron Elementary School
    Independence Elementary School
    Indian Ridge Elementary School
    Mission Viejo Elementary School
    More...
Middle:    Laredo Middle School
Racial breakdown:

White:
34.2%
Hispanic:
33.3%
African American:
16.3%
more
 See top rated Colorado high schools

 Compare Smoky Hill High School to nearby high schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Rebounding — 30th percentile in 2022 → 47th in 2025
Strengths
Ranking is rebounding — up to 47th (2025) from a 30th-percentile low (2022)
Worth a look
!High chronic absenteeism (48% vs 28% Colorado)
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Science scores 11 pts below the Colorado average
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school46%
District avg59%
Colorado avg47%
174th of 328
Colorado public high schools ?
Bottom 47%▼ down 16 pts since 2015
From top 37% (2015) to bottom 47% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
5th of 6High Schools in the Cherry Creek School District No. 5
30th of 115Cherry Creek School District No. 5 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202544.6174 of 32847.0%★★☆☆☆
202448.5172 of 34950.7%★★★☆☆
202349.0162 of 34953.6%★★★☆☆
202226.8154 of 22130.3%★★☆☆☆
202129.6142 of 21032.4%★★☆☆☆
201958.3151 of 41163.3%★★★☆☆
201860.8132 of 38866.0%★★★☆☆
201730.0162 of 25636.7%★★☆☆☆
201656.961 of 25576.1%★★★★☆
201548.7107 of 29263.4%★★★☆☆
201464.2124 of 36966.4%★★★☆☆
201364.4126 of 34963.9%★★★☆☆
201259.6144 of 33456.9%★★★☆☆
201163.8133 of 33760.5%★★★☆☆
201065.0123 of 32762.4%★★★☆☆
200965.1113 of 31063.5%★★★☆☆
200870.293 of 30169.1%★★★☆☆
200767.398 of 29867.1%★★★☆☆
200670.780 of 28672.0%★★★★☆
200569.380 of 28071.4%★★★★☆
200472.478 of 27972.0%★★★★☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202563.510 of 3066.7%★★★☆☆
202447.814 of 3863.2%★★★☆☆
202347.218 of 3650.0%★★★☆☆
202250.018 of 3447.1%★★★☆☆
202147.015 of 2948.3%★★★☆☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202535.930 of 4330.2%★★☆☆☆
202437.329 of 4332.6%★★☆☆☆
202327.935 of 4318.6%★☆☆☆☆
202232.231 of 4531.1%★★☆☆☆
202147.823 of 4143.9%★★☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202525.748 of 5918.6%★☆☆☆☆
202430.464 of 8423.8%★☆☆☆☆
202343.637 of 7450.0%★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202542.311 of 2045.0%★★☆☆☆
202468.612 of 3666.7%★★★★☆
202357.815 of 4465.9%★★★★☆
202261.19 of 3271.9%★★★★☆
202157.17 of 1656.3%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202542.9132 of 24746.6%★★☆☆☆
202449.4122 of 25752.5%★★★☆☆
202344.6138 of 25445.7%★★☆☆☆
202241.1146 of 25743.2%★★☆☆☆
202144.7130 of 23945.6%★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202531.9111 of 13618.4%★☆☆☆☆
202456.369 of 14050.7%★★★☆☆
202365.348 of 13564.4%★★★☆☆
202254.858 of 10846.3%★★☆☆☆
202160.947 of 11860.2%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202546.488 of 18752.9%★★★☆☆
202458.069 of 19965.3%★★★☆☆
202348.090 of 19854.5%★★★☆☆
202247.885 of 20558.5%★★★☆☆
202143.985 of 18153.0%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202544.2107 of 19444.8%★★☆☆☆
202447.4108 of 21148.8%★★☆☆☆
202352.294 of 20053.0%★★★☆☆
202247.8104 of 20348.8%★★☆☆☆
202151.081 of 18856.9%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202540.7140 of 24643.1%★★☆☆☆
202442.0138 of 25646.1%★★☆☆☆
202346.3130 of 25248.4%★★☆☆☆
202245.9134 of 25347.0%★★☆☆☆
202146.9124 of 24048.3%★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202527.345 of 5822.4%★☆☆☆☆
202415.852 of 6114.8%★☆☆☆☆
202315.250 of 6219.4%★☆☆☆☆
202223.544 of 5621.4%★☆☆☆☆
202137.030 of 4837.5%★★☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202238.046 of 7740.3%★★☆☆☆
202148.928 of 6053.3%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202534.5135 of 20935.4%★★☆☆☆
202441.5129 of 22943.7%★★☆☆☆
202345.6128 of 23445.3%★★☆☆☆
202242.1123 of 22846.1%★★☆☆☆
202138.4135 of 22540.0%★★☆☆☆
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 (2025)67th percentile+20 vs school
Hispanic (2025)53rd percentile+6 vs school
Female (2025)47th percentile~ school
English Language Learner (2025)45th percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)45th percentile~ school
Male (2025)43rd percentile-4 vs school
Special Education (2022)40th percentile+10 vs school
White (2025)35th percentile-12 vs school
Asian (2025)30th percentile-17 vs school
Multi-racial (2025)22nd percentile-25 vs school
Disabled (2025)19th percentile-28 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2025)18th percentile-29 vs school
By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?
Reading and Writing62%~ state avg
Mathematics28%-4 vs state
Science14%-11 vs state

5.0
2 ratings · 2 written reviews
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What people are saying
by a parent
Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Open Quote Outstanding teachers and IB program! School is diverse and an overall great environment for all students. Close Quote


by a student
Thursday, April 11, 2019

Open Quote Amazing school, I am proud to be able to such an accepting environment. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Smoky Hill High School

Smoky Hill High School ranks 174th of 328 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,297 students attended Smoky Hill High School.

Students at Smoky Hill High School are 34% White, 33% Hispanic, 16% African American, 10% Two or more races, 6% Asian.


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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.





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