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Thomas Jefferson High School

Q: Is Thomas Jefferson High School a good school?

Thomas Jefferson High School ranks 175 th of 338 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

175^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 338 Colorado High Schools

Better than 48% of Colorado high schools

Summary

Thomas Jefferson High School is a large, comprehensive public high school in southeast Denver serving 1,390 students in grades 9–12 as part of School District No. 1 (Denver Public Schools), a district ranked 71st of 115 in Colorado. The school itself sits in the middle of the state's high school rankings — 175th of 338 schools (48th percentile, 2 stars) — and serves a moderately high-poverty population, with about 51% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–25.

TJ's clearest strengths show up in junior year. On 11th-grade assessments, TJ students beat both the district and state averages in reading, math, and science: SAT reading proficiency was 63% (vs 52% district, 60% state), SAT math 36% (vs 33% and 32%), and science CMAS 28.4% (vs 18.2% and 24.8%). Graduation is another bright spot — 87.3% of students graduate, above the district rate of 81.9% and the state rate of 85.6%. Within DPS, TJ clearly outperforms George Washington High School on test scores, graduation, and attendance, and it also beats Overland High School despite Overland belonging to the more highly ranked Cherry Creek School District No. 5.

The challenges are just as clear. Ninth- and 10th-grade PSAT scores fall below state averages, especially in math, and chronic absenteeism is a serious concern at 41.4% — well above the state rate of 28.4%, though several neighboring DPS schools have even higher rates. TJ also shows large achievement gaps across student groups: White students rank at the 70th percentile statewide, while Hispanic students rank at the 38th percentile, Black students at the 29th, low-income students at the 21st, and disabled students at the 25th. Compared with South High School and Cherry Creek High School, TJ trails meaningfully in math and attendance; it is closer to Littleton High School in reading but still behind in math.

1,390

Students ?

19.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,582

Per pupil spending ?

50.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3950 South Holly Street
Denver, CO 80237-1117

(720) 423-7000

District: School District No. 1

Feeder schools for Thomas Jefferson High School:

Elementary:	Bradley International School
	Ellis Elementary School
	Holm Elementary School
	Joe Shoemaker School
	More...
	Samuels Elementary School
	Slavens K-8 School
	Southmoor Elementary School
Middle:	Hamilton Middle School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

40.9%

White:

31.8%

African American:

16.6%

See top rated Colorado high schools

Compare Thomas Jefferson High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 67th percentile in 2016 → 48th in 2026

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (41% vs 28% Colorado)

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg43%

Colorado avg48%

175^th of 338

Colorado public high schools ?

Bottom 48%▼ down 18 pts since 2016

From top 33% (2016) to bottom 48% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^th of 32High Schools in the School District No. 1

71^st of 115School 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	44.3	175 of 338	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.6	161 of 328	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.4	162 of 349	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.8	156 of 349	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	26.8	155 of 221	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.5	136 of 210	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	67.0	116 of 411	71.8%	★★★★☆
2018	63.1	122 of 388	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	51.9	90 of 256	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	50.4	85 of 255	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	47.3	111 of 292	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	51.8	181 of 369	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	42.9	215 of 349	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	35.6	228 of 334	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	40.0	219 of 337	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	46.5	199 of 327	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	35.9	213 of 310	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	40.7	192 of 301	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	33.9	212 of 298	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	39.9	187 of 286	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	29.5	212 of 280	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	39.7	172 of 279	38.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	29.9	22 of 31	29.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.0	22 of 30	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.1	25 of 38	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.3	23 of 36	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.0	24 of 34	29.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.2	16 of 29	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	25.0	34 of 43	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	34.4	41 of 55	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.1	54 of 59	8.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	44.8	40 of 84	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.0	39 of 74	47.3%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	50.9	9 of 20	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.4	17 of 36	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.7	17 of 44	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.2	17 of 32	46.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	44.7	124 of 245	49.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.6	119 of 247	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.3	126 of 257	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.8	130 of 254	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.8	158 of 257	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.3	119 of 239	50.2%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	39.8	107 of 143	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	40.0	104 of 136	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	63.9	55 of 140	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.7	58 of 135	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.3	90 of 118	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	35.3	122 of 197	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.4	100 of 187	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.0	95 of 199	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.5	95 of 198	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.0	106 of 205	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.4	97 of 181	46.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	25.7	164 of 208	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	42.2	114 of 194	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.4	114 of 211	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.8	102 of 200	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.1	140 of 203	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.0	80 of 188	57.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	38.4	142 of 243	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.3	142 of 246	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.9	127 of 256	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.7	121 of 252	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.3	119 of 253	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.6	116 of 240	51.7%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	33.4	44 of 61	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	57.8	31 of 61	49.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.9	37 of 62	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.9	40 of 56	28.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2022	31.4	49 of 77	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.8	42 of 60	30.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	68.6	67 of 221	69.7%	★★★★☆
2025	62.3	78 of 209	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.6	83 of 229	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.7	90 of 234	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.6	83 of 228	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	75.8	52 of 225	76.9%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2026)70th percentile+21 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)55th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2026)49th percentile~ school

Male (2026)42nd percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2026)38th percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2022)36th percentile+6 vs school

African American (2026)29th percentile-19 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)28th percentile-20 vs school

Disabled (2026)25th percentile-23 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)25th percentile-23 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)21st percentile-27 vs school

Asian (2024)21st percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

Reading and Writing57%-9 vs state

Mathematics34%-6 vs state

Science28%+4 vs state

4.5

2 ratings

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4★1

3★0

2★0

1★0

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Schools Near Thomas Jefferson 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 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 Science 11th Grade	Total
Thomas Jefferson High School	Public	9-12	3950 South Holly Street	Denver	80237	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 423-7000	1,390	71	19.6	50.9%	442 (31.8%)	231 (16.6%)	569 (40.9%)	52 (3.7%)	7 (0.5%)	4 (0.3%)	69 (5.0%)	44.3	175^th of 338 public high schools	48.2%		47.6	161^st of 328 public high schools	50.9%	14	57.0	36.0	57.0	34.0	63.0	36.0	28.4	$17,582
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%)	90.7	25^th of 338 public high schools	92.6%		91.5	20^th of 328 public high schools	93.9%	5	86.0	68.0	86.0	69.0	83.0	60.0	65.5	$17,255
Englewood High School	Public	9-12	3800 S Logan St	Englewood	80113	Arapahoe County	Englewood School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 806-2200	515	34	15.1	68.0%	211 (41.0%)	24 (4.7%)	252 (48.9%)	5 (1.0%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	19 (3.7%)	36.7	213^th of 338 public high schools	37.0%		37.7	209^th of 328 public high schools	36.3%	4	50.0		54.0	33.0	55.0		29.4	$19,158
South High School	Public	9-12	1700 East Louisiana Avenue	Denver	80210	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 423-6000	1,950	100	19.4	38.6%	992 (50.9%)	150 (7.7%)	578 (29.6%)	80 (4.1%)	8 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	133 (6.8%)	72.4	92^nd of 338 public high schools	72.8%		76.4	77^th of 328 public high schools	76.5%	15	73.0	56.0	65.0	52.0	75.0	53.0	31.7	$16,619
Colorado's Finest High School of Choice	Public	9-12	300 W Chenango	Englewood	80110	Arapahoe County	Englewood School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 934-5786	216	19	11.5	57.4%	120 (55.6%)	7 (3.2%)	76 (35.2%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.6%)	20	274^th of 338 public high schools	18.9%		27	245^th of 328 public high schools	25.3%	29	41.0		48.0		50.0		7.9	$23,530
Littleton High School	Public	9-12	199 East Littleton Blvd	Littleton	80121	Arapahoe County	Littleton School District No. 6	No	No	No	No	(303) 347-7700	1,187	60	19.6	40.2%	665 (56.0%)	25 (2.1%)	398 (33.5%)	31 (2.6%)	5 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (5.3%)	63.5	120^th of 338 public high schools	64.5%		70.7	98^th of 328 public high schools	70.1%	22	68.0	49.0	72.0	52.0	62.0	38.0	33.3	$20,118
Delta High School	Public	9-12	655 South Monaco Parkway	Denver	80224	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-8740	105	7	15.0	76.2%	11 (10.5%)	29 (27.6%)	63 (60.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)								(n/a)								$22,542
George Washington High School	Public	9-12	655 South Monaco Pkwy	Denver	80224	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 423-8600	1,326	65	20.5	55.2%	323 (24.4%)	298 (22.5%)	547 (41.3%)	36 (2.7%)	14 (1.1%)	5 (0.4%)	89 (6.7%)	31.9	228^th of 338 public high schools	32.5%		38.8	205^th of 328 public high schools	37.5%	23	53.0	32.0	49.0	34.0	49.0	28.0	21.3	$16,991
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%)	19.1	277^th of 338 public high schools	18.0%		20.6	266^th of 328 public high schools	18.9%	11	48.0	21.0	42.0	19.0	42.0	19.0	21.3	$17,882
Arapahoe High School	Public	9-12	2201 East Dry Creek Road	Centennial	80122	Arapahoe County	Littleton School District No. 6	No	No	No	No	(303) 347-6000	1,748	78	22.5	16.8%	1,382 (79.1%)	34 (1.9%)	197 (11.3%)	33 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.3%)	96 (5.5%)	90.6	26^th of 338 public high schools	92.3%		91.2	21^st of 328 public high schools	93.6%	5	88.0	66.0	87.0	66.0	84.0	59.0	53.6	$16,177

Frequently Asked Questions about Thomas Jefferson High School

What is the racial makeup of Thomas Jefferson High School?

Students at Thomas Jefferson High School are 41% Hispanic, 32% White, 17% African American, 5% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 1% Not Specified.

Is Thomas Jefferson High School a good school?

Thomas Jefferson High School ranks 175^th of 338 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Thomas Jefferson High School in?

School District No. 1

What schools feed into Thomas Jefferson High School?

Thomas Jefferson High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bradley International School
Elementary : Ellis Elementary School
Elementary : Holm Elementary School
Elementary : Joe Shoemaker School
Elementary : Samuels Elementary School
Elementary : Slavens K-8 School
Elementary : Southmoor Elementary School
Middle : Hamilton Middle School

How many students attend Thomas Jefferson High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,390 students attended Thomas Jefferson High School.

Rate Thomas Jefferson 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.