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DSST: Cole High School

Q: Is DSST: Cole High School a good school?

DSST: Cole High School ranks 232 nd of 340 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades 9-12

232^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Colorado High Schools

Better than 32% of Colorado high schools

Summary

DSST: Cole High School is a small public high school in Denver's Cole neighborhood serving about 287 students in grades 9–12 as part of School District No. 1. With over 80% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, the school serves a predominantly low-income population. Statewide, the school currently ranks in the lower middle tier—231st out of 338 Colorado high schools—a decline from its mid-tier ranking in 2018–2019.

One of the school's most distinctive features is its low student-to-teacher ratio of about 10:1, far lower than nearby East High School (21:1), Manual High School (15:1), and Bruce Randolph School (14.5:1). Academically, DSST: Cole outperforms its closest traditional neighbors—Manual High School and Bruce Randolph School—on nearly every tested subject, though it trails East High School, which serves a very different student population. However, chronic absenteeism is a significant concern: 57.9% of students were chronically absent in 2024–2025, roughly double the state average and higher than several nearby traditional schools. This likely affects both achievement and graduation outcomes.

There are encouraging signs, though. The 2024–2025 10th-grade class exceeded district and state averages in PSAT math, and the school showed a strong rebound in SAT scores in 2025–2026 after a difficult prior year. Hispanic students and English-language learners have ranked well above the school's overall statewide percentile in recent years, suggesting the school is particularly effective for these groups. Graduation rates have declined to 79.5%, below state and district averages, but the school's dropout rate of 2.5% remains below the district average. Notably, DSST: Cole's combination of higher test proficiency and a lower graduation rate than Bruce Randolph—which graduates 95.9% of students but only 6% score proficient in SAT math—suggests the school maintains rigorous academic standards.

287

Students ?

9.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,538

Per pupil spending ?

82.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3240 Humboldt Street
Denver, CO 80205-3934

(720) 524-6354

District: School District No. 1

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

79.1%

African American:

14.3%

White:

3.8%

See top rated Colorado high schools

Compare DSST: Cole High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 20th percentile in 2022 → 32nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 32nd (2026) from a 20th-percentile low (2022)

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (37% vs 48% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the Colorado average (80% vs 86%)

!High chronic absenteeism (58% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

District avg43%

Colorado avg48%

232^nd of 340

Colorado public high schools ?

Bottom 32%▼ down 19 pts since 2019

From top 49% (2019) to bottom 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th 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	30.9	232 of 340	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.5	241 of 328	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.9	265 of 349	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.0	261 of 349	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.0	177 of 221	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.0	202 of 411	50.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2023	59.5	14 of 44	68.2%	★★★★☆
2021	68.4	4 of 16	75.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	21.9	195 of 246	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.7	169 of 247	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.2	183 of 257	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.2	184 of 254	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.2	194 of 257	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.9	203 of 239	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	52.1	83 of 198	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	82.0	34 of 187	81.8%	★★★★☆
2024	48.0	89 of 199	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.5	91 of 198	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.9	98 of 205	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.5	77 of 181	57.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2023	45.5	108 of 200	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.3	94 of 203	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.2	120 of 188	36.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	34.4	152 of 244	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.4	179 of 246	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.1	203 of 256	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.6	207 of 252	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.1	182 of 253	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.8	183 of 240	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)68th percentile+43 vs school

Hispanic (2026)58th percentile+26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)46th percentile+21 vs school

Male (2026)38th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)21st percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

Reading and Writing45%-21 vs state

Mathematics31%-9 vs state

Science18%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near DSST: Cole 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
DSST: Cole High School	Public, Charter	9-12	3240 Humboldt Street	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(720) 524-6354	287	29	9.9	82.2%	11 (3.8%)	41 (14.3%)	227 (79.1%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	30.9	232^nd of 340 public high schools	31.8%		27.5	241^st of 328 public high schools	26.5%	9	56.3	35.4	44.6	31.1	50.0	28.6										18.2	$15,538
Gilliam Youth Services Center	Public	5-12	2844 Downing	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 294-8930	21	10	2.0	61.9%	2 (9.5%)	5 (23.8%)	13 (61.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.8%)								(n/a)																	$00
Manual High School	Public	9-12	1700 East 28th Avenue	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-6300	348	23	15.3	78.2%	18 (5.2%)	121 (34.8%)	184 (52.9%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	20 (5.7%)	7.1	321^st of 340 public high schools	5.6%		6.6	315^th of 328 public high schools	4.0%	6	38.7	12.9	37.0	9.9	22.2	5.6										711.0	$24,274
Prep Academy	Public	6-12	2727 Columbine Street	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-8451	44	12	3.7	93.2%	0 (0.0%)	23 (52.3%)	18 (40.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.3%)	2 (4.5%)								(n/a)																	$62,810
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
Bruce Randolph School	Public	6-12	3955 Steele Street	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-1080	663	45	14.5	88.5%	10 (1.5%)	42 (6.3%)	583 (87.9%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	10 (1.5%)	14 (2.1%)	4.9	334^th of 340 public high schools	1.8%		4.8	324^th of 328 public high schools	1.2%	10	32.4	12.7	23.1	5.6	24.7	5.5	10.8	19.0	8.7	12.6	7.1	3.8	4.3	5.1	7.6	717.0	$20,235
Colorado High School Charter - GES	Public, Charter	9-12	3093 E 42nd Ave	Denver	80216	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(720) 524-8664	209	14	14.9	89.5%	9 (4.3%)	49 (23.4%)	139 (66.5%)	1 (0.5%)	3 (1.4%)	1 (0.5%)	5 (2.4%)								(n/a)																	$15,242
Denver Center for 21st-Century Learning at Wyman	Public	6-12	1690 Williams Street	Denver	80218	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-2980	150	15	10.1	86.7%	12 (8.0%)	40 (26.7%)	85 (56.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.7%)	1 (0.7%)	8 (5.3%)								(n/a)																	$30,631
Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy	Public	9-12	2900 Richard Allen Ct	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-7260	89	16	5.7	68.5%	1 (1.1%)	62 (69.7%)	12 (13.5%)	2 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (13.5%)	66.9	111^th of 340 public high schools	67.4%					(n/a)	472.0	457.0	76.5	44.1													$44,314
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

Frequently Asked Questions about DSST: Cole High School

How many students attend DSST: Cole High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 287 students attended DSST: Cole High School.

What district is DSST: Cole High School in?

School District No. 1

What is the racial makeup of DSST: Cole High School?

Students at DSST: Cole High School are 79% Hispanic, 14% African American, 4% White.

Is DSST: Cole High School a good school?

DSST: Cole High School ranks 232^nd of 340 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate DSST: Cole 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.