Montbello High School

Montbello High School is a public high school in Denver, Colorado, serving 1,095 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the School District No. 1, which is ranked 76 out of 115 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. Over the past decade, Montbello High School has consistently ranked in the bottom quartile of Colorado high schools, with its ranking ranging from 236 to 360 out of 292 to 411 schools.

Montbello High School significantly underperforms compared to the district and state averages across various standardized tests. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 6.3% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in CMAS/Science, compared to 19.2% for the district and 25% for the state. Similarly, in SAT/Reading and Writing, only 26% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better, compared to 53% for the district and 62% for the state. The school also has a lower four-year graduation rate of around 80-84% and a higher dropout rate ranging from 1.9% to 3.8%, both of which are concerning.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College, DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School, and Northfield High School, generally outperform Montbello High School across various metrics, including academic achievement, graduation rates, and student subgroup performance. This suggests that Montbello High School has room for improvement, and addressing the underlying factors, such as the high percentage of free and reduced-lunch recipients and chronic absenteeism, could be crucial in enhancing the school's overall outcomes.