1. Home
  2. Colorado
  3. Aurora
  4. Cherry Creek School District No. 5
  5. Cherokee Trail High School
Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Cherokee Trail High School

Public Grades 9-12
83rd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 338 Colorado High Schools
Better than 75% of Colorado high schools
Summary

Cherokee Trail High School is a large public high school in Aurora, Colorado, serving 3,089 students in grades 9–12 as part of Cherry Creek School District No. 5, a 4-star district ranked 26th out of 115 in the state. The school has consistently ranked in the top quarter of Colorado high schools, earning a 4-star rating and placing 83rd out of 338 schools for 2025–2026.

Cherokee Trail's clearest academic strength is literacy. SAT reading and writing proficiency reached 78% in 2025–2026, well above the district average of 71% and the state average of 60%, and among the best in the surrounding area. The school also posts an excellent 95.6% graduation rate and an exceptionally low 0.6% dropout rate. Math proficiency is more moderate at 45%, trailing Grandview High School (51%) and Chaparral High School (48%), while science scores have fluctuated noticeably from year to year. Notably, the school earns strong statewide rankings for English language learners and students from low-income households, suggesting effective support for historically underserved populations.

The school's main challenges are chronic absenteeism and growing competition. At 27.6%, Cherokee Trail's chronic absenteeism rate is above the district average and higher than several neighboring high performers, including Legend High School (16.4%) and Chaparral High School (19.8%). While Cherokee Trail remains a strong choice for families, it has slipped from its 2015–2016 peak when it ranked 23rd in Colorado with a 5-star rating, and Grandview High School, just a few miles away, has ranked higher for three consecutive years.

3,089
Students ?
20.2
Student/teacher ratio ?
$16,691
Per pupil spending ?
21.1%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 25901 Arapahoe Parkway
       Aurora, CO  80016-2022

(720) 886-1900

District: Cherry Creek School District No. 5

Racial breakdown:

White:
51.5%
Hispanic:
19.7%
African American:
10.1%
more
 See top rated Colorado high schools

 Compare Cherokee Trail High School to nearby high schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 91st percentile in 2016 → 75th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the Colorado average (63% vs 48% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 25% of Colorado high schools
✓96% graduate in 4 years — above the Colorado average (86%)
Worth a look
!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2016
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school63%
District avg59%
Colorado avg48%
83rd of 338
Colorado public high schools ?
Top 25%▼ down 16 pts since 2016
From top 9% (2016) to top 25% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
3rd of 7High Schools in the Cherry Creek School District No. 5
26th 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
202675.583 of 33875.4%★★★★☆
202574.586 of 32873.8%★★★★☆
202477.673 of 34979.1%★★★★☆
202379.867 of 34980.8%★★★★☆
202267.372 of 22167.4%★★★☆☆
202169.358 of 21072.4%★★★★☆
201981.565 of 41184.2%★★★★☆
201880.564 of 38883.5%★★★★☆
201756.376 of 25670.3%★★★★☆
201674.323 of 25591.0%★★★★★
201564.861 of 29279.1%★★★★☆
201475.976 of 36979.4%★★★★☆
201369.7101 of 34971.1%★★★★☆
201268.9107 of 33468.0%★★★☆☆
201172.389 of 33773.6%★★★★☆
201073.283 of 32774.6%★★★★☆
200968.5105 of 31066.1%★★★☆☆
200875.375 of 30175.1%★★★★☆
200777.961 of 29879.5%★★★★☆
200670.482 of 28671.3%★★★★☆
200569.479 of 28071.8%★★★★☆
200468.291 of 27967.4%★★★☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202679.08 of 3174.2%★★★★☆
202577.46 of 3080.0%★★★★☆
202478.97 of 3881.6%★★★★☆
202393.12 of 3694.4%★★★★★
202277.17 of 3479.4%★★★★☆
202186.02 of 2993.1%★★★★★

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202659.119 of 4355.8%★★★☆☆
202563.016 of 4362.8%★★★☆☆
202453.617 of 4360.5%★★★☆☆
202353.020 of 4353.5%★★★☆☆
202249.523 of 4548.9%★★★☆☆
202153.121 of 4148.8%★★★☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202648.126 of 5552.7%★★★☆☆
202545.932 of 5945.8%★★☆☆☆
202449.733 of 8460.7%★★★☆☆
202357.124 of 7467.6%★★★★☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202589.93 of 2085.0%★★★★☆
202473.811 of 3669.4%★★★★☆
202391.45 of 4488.6%★★★★★
202277.05 of 3284.4%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202672.367 of 24572.7%★★★★☆
202573.862 of 24774.9%★★★★☆
202476.055 of 25778.6%★★★★☆
202379.045 of 25482.3%★★★★☆
202278.954 of 25779.0%★★★★☆
202179.548 of 23979.9%★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202669.634 of 14376.2%★★★★☆
202564.658 of 13657.4%★★★☆☆
202464.253 of 14062.1%★★★☆☆
202364.351 of 13562.2%★★★☆☆
202262.242 of 10861.1%★★★☆☆
202170.326 of 11878.0%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202676.643 of 19778.2%★★★★☆
202559.761 of 18767.4%★★★☆☆
202469.148 of 19975.9%★★★★☆
202373.742 of 19878.8%★★★★☆
202276.542 of 20579.5%★★★★☆
202174.736 of 18180.1%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202670.748 of 20876.9%★★★★☆
202567.455 of 19471.6%★★★★☆
202474.741 of 21180.6%★★★★☆
202392.211 of 20094.5%★★★★★
202280.129 of 20385.7%★★★★☆
202181.826 of 18886.2%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202673.565 of 24373.3%★★★★☆
202569.377 of 24668.7%★★★☆☆
202473.466 of 25674.2%★★★★☆
202376.165 of 25274.2%★★★★☆
202276.261 of 25375.9%★★★★☆
202176.157 of 24076.3%★★★★☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202646.234 of 6144.3%★★☆☆☆
202443.240 of 6134.4%★★☆☆☆
202336.140 of 6235.5%★★☆☆☆
202248.330 of 5646.4%★★★☆☆
202152.023 of 4852.1%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202255.334 of 7755.8%★★★☆☆
202162.516 of 6073.3%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202663.181 of 22163.3%★★★☆☆
202563.873 of 20965.1%★★★☆☆
202468.876 of 22966.8%★★★☆☆
202373.560 of 23474.4%★★★★☆
202273.463 of 22872.4%★★★★☆
202171.865 of 22571.1%★★★★☆
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)
English Language Learner (2025)85th percentile+11 vs school
Hispanic (2026)78th percentile+3 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)77th percentile~ school
Gifted and Talented (2026)76th percentile~ school
African American (2026)74th percentile~ school
Male (2026)73rd percentile~ school
Female (2026)73rd percentile-3 vs school
White (2026)63rd percentile-12 vs school
Special Education (2022)56th percentile-12 vs school
Asian (2026)56th percentile-20 vs school
Disabled (2026)53rd percentile-23 vs school
Multi-racial (2026)44th percentile-31 vs school
By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?
Reading and Writing78%+18 vs state
Mathematics45%+13 vs state
Science35%+10 vs state

★
No ratings yet
Be the first to rate Cherokee Trail High School and help other families decide.
Rate Cherokee Trail High School
Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.
Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.
Tap a star to rate
Reviews
No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.


Schools Near Cherokee Trail High School

Sort
Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private





Frequently Asked Questions about Cherokee Trail High School

In the 2024-25 school year, 3,089 students attended Cherokee Trail High School.

Cherokee Trail High School ranks 83rd of 338 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Cherokee Trail High School are 52% White, 20% Hispanic, 10% African American, 10% Asian, 8% Two or more races.

Rate Cherokee Trail High School!



Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...


Compare to nearby schools

COColorado High School Rankings

COColorado District Rankings

Schools in Aurora, CO

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Cherokee Trail High School!


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.

Diagnostics