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Career Education Center Early College

Public Grades 9-12

287^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Colorado High Schools

Better than 16% of Colorado high schools

Summary

Career Education Center Early College is a public high school in Denver, CO, serving 468 students in grades 9-12 within School District No. 1, a district ranked 71st of 115 in Colorado. Despite 85.5% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch and a low overall state ranking (285th of 338), the school posts remarkably strong graduation and attendance numbers. Its 2024-25 graduation rate of 97.1% is the highest among nearby schools and far exceeds district (81.9%) and state (85.6%) averages, while the dropout rate has stayed below 1%. Chronic absenteeism is just 20.4%, compared with 38.1% districtwide and 28.4% statewide. A low student-teacher ratio of 10.7 rounds out a picture of a small, supportive environment.

Academically, the school's reading and writing scores fare better than its math scores. On the PSAT10, 56% of 10th graders were proficient in reading/writing, nearly matching the district's 58%. Math tells a different story—just 13% of students reached proficiency on SAT math versus 33% districtwide, and only 12% hit that mark on the PSAT9 math section. This math weakness is a primary driver of the school's low overall state ranking, although the school has improved from the 5th percentile in 2020-21 to the 16th-19th percentile range over the past three years. Subgroup data also shows Hispanic students performing at the 39th percentile compared with their peers statewide.

The contrast with nearby schools is dramatic. North High School graduates 90.8% of students but has a 44.4% chronic absenteeism rate, while West High School posts an 82.0% graduation rate and 59.6% absenteeism. At Emily Griffith High School, just 14.4% of students graduate and 94.2% are chronically absent. For parents, this school is worth strong consideration if the priority is a place where students show up, stay on track, and graduate on time, even if its test scores do not match more selective schools in the area.

468

Students ?

10.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,671

Per pupil spending ?

85.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2650 Eliot Street
Denver, CO 80211-4711

(720) 423-6600

District: School District No. 1

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

91.7%

White:

3.6%

African American:

2.4%

See top rated Colorado high schools

Compare Career Education Center Early College to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 26th percentile in 2016 → 16th in 2026

Strengths

✓97% graduate in 4 years — above the Colorado average (86%)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (28% vs 48% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school28%

District avg43%

Colorado avg48%

287^th of 340

Colorado public high schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From bottom 26% (2016) to bottom 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

22^nd of 32High Schools in the School District No. 1

69^th of 114School District No. 1 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	16.9	287 of 340	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.8	277 of 328	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.2	289 of 349	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	283 of 349	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	3.3	210 of 221	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.6	199 of 210	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	31.8	270 of 411	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.9	275 of 388	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	31.2	158 of 256	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	22.7	188 of 255	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	29.9	201 of 292	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	46.5	208 of 369	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	71.2	93 of 349	73.4%	★★★★☆
2012	73.7	81 of 334	75.7%	★★★★☆
2011	70.3	101 of 337	70.0%	★★★★☆
2010	53.3	175 of 327	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	42.4	195 of 310	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	41.5	189 of 301	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	40.7	191 of 298	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	31.4	216 of 286	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	29.4	213 of 280	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	33.2	202 of 279	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2023	35.9	23 of 44	47.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	19.8	29 of 32	9.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	14.9	209 of 246	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.7	212 of 247	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.5	204 of 257	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.8	217 of 254	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.6	228 of 257	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.7	210 of 239	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	2.1	140 of 143	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	6.0	132 of 136	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.9	124 of 140	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	0.8	114 of 118	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	35.7	120 of 198	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.1	119 of 187	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.0	125 of 199	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.8	70 of 198	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	25.6	136 of 181	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	22.8	158 of 194	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.0	141 of 200	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.1	154 of 203	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.5	119 of 188	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	17.1	203 of 244	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.2	206 of 246	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	207 of 256	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.3	211 of 252	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.8	221 of 253	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.7	187 of 240	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2023)48th percentile+29 vs school

Hispanic (2026)39th percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)19th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)17th percentile~ school

Female (2026)15th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2026)2nd percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

Reading and Writing56%-9 vs state

Mathematics23%-16 vs state

Science15%-10 vs state

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Saturday, May 30, 2020

Administration destroyed CEC but firing and closing the professional career college classes and replaced the best students with the lowest performers to receive more federal monies and to give more $4000.00 "Student improvement" bonuses to teachers who brought F students uo to a D. Teachers with straight A students who started as straight A students and maintained A got ZERO bonus since there were no "improvements" or growth. So they quit. Now CEC is just another dismall Denver school. Close Quote

Schools Near Career Education Center Early College

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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
Career Education Center Early College	Public	9-12	2650 Eliot Street	Denver	80211	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-6600	468	44	10.7	85.5%	17 (3.6%)	11 (2.4%)	429 (91.7%)	4 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	16.9	287^th of 340 public high schools	15.6%		16.8	277^th of 328 public high schools	15.5%	10	55.8	23.3	43.2	11.9	32.4	13.3										15.2	$25,671
North High School Engagement Center	Public	9-12	2960 Speer Blvd	Denver	80211	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-2700	103	9	11.3	86.4%	3 (2.9%)	3 (2.9%)	92 (89.3%)	1 (1.0%)	3 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)								(n/a)					375.0	376.0										713.0	$23,972
North High School	Public	9-12	2960 North Speer Boulevard	Denver	80211	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-2700	1,653	95	17.3	62.6%	368 (22.3%)	74 (4.5%)	1,104 (66.8%)	15 (0.9%)	25 (1.5%)	5 (0.3%)	57 (3.4%)	18.7	281^st of 340 public high schools	17.4%		20.9	265^th of 328 public high schools	19.2%	16	48.0	25.8	41.0	23.2	39.7	20.7										11.0	$19,121
AUL Denver	Public, Charter	9-12	2417 W. 29th Ave	Denver	80211	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 282-0900	156	13	12.0	89.7%	10 (6.4%)	12 (7.7%)	126 (80.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.6%)								(n/a)	24.4	318.0	342.0	296.0													$22,807
Denver Montessori Junior/Senior High School	Public	6-12	4250 Shoshone Street	Denver	80211	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-2600	162	14	11.2	77.2%	37 (22.8%)	16 (9.9%)	95 (58.6%)	4 (2.5%)	2 (1.2%)	1 (0.6%)	5 (3.1%)	41.9	188^th of 340 public high schools	44.7%					(n/a)			62.5	33.3			11.5	39.0	30.8	29.0	11.5	20.0	19.2	17.4	32.0		$25,507
Colorado High School Charter - Osage	Public, Charter	9-12	1175 Osage Street #100	Denver	80204	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 892-8475	206	21	9.7	87.4%	5 (2.4%)	34 (16.5%)	152 (73.8%)	3 (1.5%)	7 (3.4%)	1 (0.5%)	4 (1.9%)								(n/a)																732.0	$17,920
RiseUp Community School	Public, Charter	9-12	2342 Broadway St	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 292-1018	100	11	9.0	77.0%	15 (15.0%)	30 (30.0%)	46 (46.0%)	1 (1.0%)	3 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.0%)								(n/a)																	$28,948
Emily Griffith High School	Public	9-12	1860 Lincoln St.	Denver	80203	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-4901	311	17	18.7	80.1%	33 (10.6%)	68 (21.9%)	177 (56.9%)	9 (2.9%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.8%)								(n/a)																	$20,794
West High School	Public	9-12	951 Elati St	Denver	80204	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-5300	519	42	12.2	90.9%	12 (2.3%)	45 (8.7%)	444 (85.5%)	6 (1.2%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)	6.5	326^th of 340 public high schools	4.1%		5.4	321^st of 328 public high schools	2.1%	5	25.3	8.8	38.0	13.0	24.2	6.7										6.7	$22,739
Compassion Road Academy	Public	9-12	1000 Cherokee Street	Denver	80204	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-2200	96	8	11.9	80.2%	15 (15.6%)	18 (18.8%)	55 (57.3%)	1 (1.0%)	2 (2.1%)	1 (1.0%)	3 (3.1%)								(n/a)																	$27,745

Frequently Asked Questions about Career Education Center Early College

Is Career Education Center Early College a good school?

Career Education Center Early College ranks in the bottom 15.6% of Colorado high schools.

What district is Career Education Center Early College in?

School District No. 1

How many students attend Career Education Center Early College?

In the 2024-25 school year, 468 students attended Career Education Center Early College.

What is the racial makeup of Career Education Center Early College?

Students at Career Education Center Early College are 92% Hispanic, 4% White, 2% African American, 1% Two or more races.

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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.