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Smoky Hill High School

Q: Is Smoky Hill High School a good school?

Smoky Hill High School ranks 181 st of 340 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

181^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Colorado High Schools

Better than 47% of Colorado high schools

Summary

Smoky Hill High School is a large, comprehensive public high school in Aurora, CO, serving 2,297 students in grades 9–12 as part of the Cherry Creek School District No. 5. The most urgent issue facing the school is chronic absenteeism: 48.2% of students were chronically absent in 2024–2025, nearly double the district rate of 25.3% and far above nearby Eaglecrest High School (23.8%) or Grandview High School (26.5%). This attendance crisis likely drives many of the school’s academic challenges, particularly in subjects that build sequentially.

Academically, Smoky Hill shows a clear split. Math proficiency is a persistent weakness: only 28% of 11th graders scored proficient on the SAT math test, compared to 42% districtwide and 32% statewide. Science is even more concerning, with just 14.1% proficient on the 11th-grade CMAS, down from 28.4% two years earlier. Reading and writing, however, are a relative bright spot—59% of 11th graders met the SAT reading/writing benchmark, nearly matching the state average of 60%. The school graduates 88.1% of its students, above the state average of 85.6%, but below the district’s 91.6%, and its dropout rate of 1.2% is low.

Within the local school ecosystem, Smoky Hill sits in an awkward middle position. It outperforms Overland High School, Rangeview High School, and Gateway High School, but lags well behind its Cherry Creek peers like Cherry Creek High School (93rd percentile) and Eaglecrest (70th percentile). Compared to Eaglecrest—just 3.4 miles away—Smoky Hill has a similar district context but much higher absenteeism, lower math and reading scores, and a lower graduation rate. The school’s gifted and talented students also rank in the bottom quartile statewide, suggesting even advanced learners are not being pushed to their potential. Reducing chronic absenteeism and investing in math and science intervention would likely yield the greatest gains for this diverse, mid-performing school.

2,297

Students ?

19.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,533

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...
	Sagebrush Elementary School
Middle:	Laredo Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

34.2%

Hispanic:

33.3%

African American:

16.3%

See top rated Colorado high schools

Compare Smoky Hill High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 76th percentile in 2016 → 47th in 2026

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (48% vs 28% Colorado)

!Ranking has slipped — down 29 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg59%

Colorado avg48%

181^st of 340

Colorado public high schools ?

Bottom 47%▼ down 29 pts since 2016

From top 24% (2016) to bottom 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 7High Schools in the Cherry Creek School District No. 5

26^th of 114Cherry 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	42.9	181 of 340	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.6	174 of 328	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.5	172 of 349	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.0	162 of 349	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	26.8	154 of 221	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.6	142 of 210	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.3	151 of 411	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.8	132 of 388	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	30.0	162 of 256	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	56.9	61 of 255	76.1%	★★★★☆
2015	48.7	107 of 292	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	64.2	124 of 369	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	64.4	126 of 349	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	59.6	144 of 334	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	63.8	133 of 337	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	65.0	123 of 327	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	65.1	113 of 310	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	70.2	93 of 301	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	67.3	98 of 298	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	70.7	80 of 286	72.0%	★★★★☆
2005	69.3	80 of 280	71.4%	★★★★☆
2004	72.4	78 of 279	72.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	42.7	18 of 31	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	63.5	10 of 30	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.8	14 of 38	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.2	18 of 36	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.0	18 of 34	47.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.0	15 of 29	48.3%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	30.1	30 of 43	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.9	30 of 43	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.3	29 of 43	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.9	35 of 43	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.2	31 of 45	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.8	23 of 41	43.9%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	41.8	38 of 56	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.7	48 of 59	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.4	64 of 84	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.6	37 of 74	50.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	46.0	11 of 20	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.3	11 of 20	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	68.6	12 of 36	66.7%	★★★★☆
2023	57.8	15 of 44	65.9%	★★★★☆
2022	61.1	9 of 32	71.9%	★★★★☆
2021	57.1	7 of 16	56.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	36.9	148 of 246	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.9	132 of 247	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.4	122 of 257	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.6	138 of 254	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.1	146 of 257	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.7	130 of 239	45.6%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	33.0	113 of 143	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.9	111 of 136	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	56.3	69 of 140	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.3	48 of 135	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.8	58 of 108	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	60.9	47 of 118	60.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	44.4	101 of 198	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.4	88 of 187	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.0	69 of 199	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.0	90 of 198	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.8	85 of 205	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.9	85 of 181	53.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	39.4	125 of 209	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.2	107 of 194	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.4	108 of 211	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.2	94 of 200	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.8	104 of 203	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.0	81 of 188	56.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	42.5	128 of 244	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.7	140 of 246	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.0	138 of 256	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.3	130 of 252	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.9	134 of 253	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.9	124 of 240	48.3%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	30.3	46 of 61	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.3	45 of 58	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.8	52 of 61	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.2	50 of 62	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.5	44 of 56	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.0	30 of 48	37.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2022	38.0	46 of 77	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.9	28 of 60	53.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	39.0	131 of 221	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.5	135 of 209	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.5	129 of 229	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.6	128 of 234	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.1	123 of 228	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.4	135 of 225	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)49th percentile~ school

Male (2026)48th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)45th percentile~ school

African American (2026)42nd percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)41st percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2022)40th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)40th percentile-7 vs school

Female (2026)40th percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2026)32nd percentile-15 vs school

Asian (2026)30th percentile-17 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)25th percentile-22 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)21st percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

Reading and Writing59%~ state avg

Mathematics28%-3 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, August 20, 2019

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

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

Schools Near Smoky Hill High School

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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
Smoky Hill High School	Public	9-12	16100 East Smoky Hill Road	Aurora	80015	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	No	(720) 886-5300	2,297	115	19.9	48.6%	785 (34.2%)	374 (16.3%)	765 (33.3%)	127 (5.5%)	7 (0.3%)	12 (0.5%)	219 (9.5%)	42.9	181^st of 340 public high schools	46.8%		44.6	174^th of 328 public high schools	47.0%	7	59.8	34.2	61.4	34.3	58.6	28.5										725.0	$17,533
Endeavor Academy	Public	9-12	14076 East Briarwood Ave	Centennial	80112	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	No	(720) 886-7200	262	23	11.3	58.8%	94 (35.9%)	32 (12.2%)	94 (35.9%)	6 (2.3%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	30 (11.5%)								(n/a)																	$28,089
Cherry Creek Elevation	Public, Virtual	6-12	14603 E. Fremont Avenue	Centennial	80112	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	Yes	No	(720) 554-4246	248	33	7.5		143 (57.7%)	22 (8.9%)	38 (15.3%)	10 (4.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (12.5%)	67.4	107^th of 340 public high schools	68.5%					(n/a)	73.1	411.0	85.7	42.9	63.6	455.0				26.1				21.7			$47,118
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
Eaglecrest High School	Public	9-12	5100 South Picadilly Street	Centennial	80015	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	No	(720) 886-1000	2,851	139	20.4	35.1%	1,214 (42.6%)	452 (15.9%)	676 (23.7%)	210 (7.4%)	17 (0.6%)	15 (0.5%)	254 (8.9%)	68.4	103^rd of 340 public high schools	69.7%		67.1	109^th of 328 public high schools	66.8%	6	78.4	43.9	78.3	44.4	74.1	38.0										26.3	$17,094
Marvin W Foote Youth Services Center	Public	5-12	13500 East Fremont Place	Centennial	80112	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	No	(303) 768-7596	36	7	5.1	38.9%	7 (19.4%)	12 (33.3%)	13 (36.1%)	1 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (8.3%)								(n/a)																	$00
Grandview High School	Public	9-12	20500 East Arapahoe Road	Aurora	80016	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	No	(720) 886-6500	2,684	136	19.7	30.5%	1,346 (50.1%)	232 (8.6%)	565 (21.1%)	293 (10.9%)	12 (0.4%)	4 (0.1%)	225 (8.4%)	78.5	75^th of 340 public high schools	77.9%		80.5	60^th of 328 public high schools	81.7%	15	79.2	56.3	73.3	55.5	76.0	50.7										37.2	$17,609
Overland High School	Public	9-12	12400 East Jewell Avenue	Aurora	80012	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	No	(720) 747-3700	2,228	124	17.9	64.8%	371 (16.7%)	538 (24.1%)	1,005 (45.1%)	120 (5.4%)	9 (0.4%)	8 (0.4%)	174 (7.8%)	19	278^th of 340 public high schools	18.2%		20.6	266^th of 328 public high schools	18.9%	12	47.7	21.4	41.8	19.3	41.9	18.8										21.3	$17,882
Cherry Creek High School	Public	9-12	9300 East Union Avenue	Greenwood Village	80111	Arapahoe County	Cherry Creek School District No. 5	No	No	No	No	(720) 554-2000	3,852	187	20.6	20.2%	2,253 (58.5%)	175 (4.5%)	575 (14.9%)	492 (12.8%)	24 (0.6%)	13 (0.3%)	306 (7.9%)	90.6	26^th of 340 public high schools	92.4%		91.5	20^th of 328 public high schools	93.9%	6	85.7	68.1	85.5	69.4	83.1	59.5										65.5	$17,255
Colorado Early Colleges Aurora	Public, Charter	9-12	1400 S Abilene St.	Aurora	80012	Arapahoe County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	No	No	Yes	(720) 572-5040	567	23	24.1	77.1%	69 (12.2%)	73 (12.9%)	375 (66.1%)	16 (2.8%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	28 (4.9%)	10.5	313^th of 340 public high schools	7.9%		10.9	301^st of 328 public high schools	8.2%	12	39.9	13.0	40.2	27.4	21.8	4.2										6.3	$12,118

Frequently Asked Questions about Smoky Hill High School

What schools feed into Smoky Hill High School?

Smoky Hill High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Cimarron Elementary School
Elementary : Independence Elementary School
Elementary : Indian Ridge Elementary School
Elementary : Mission Viejo Elementary School
Elementary : Sagebrush Elementary School
Middle : Laredo Middle School

What is the racial makeup of 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.

How many students attend Smoky Hill High School?

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

Is Smoky Hill High School a good school?

Smoky Hill High School ranks 181^st of 340 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Smoky Hill High School in?

Cherry Creek School District No. 5

Rate Smoky Hill High School!

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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.