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Golden High School

Public Grades 9-12
68th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 338 Colorado High Schools
Better than 80% of Colorado high schools
Summary

Golden High School is a traditional 9–12 comprehensive high school in Golden, CO, serving about 1,469 students as part of the Jefferson County School District No. R-1, a district rated 4 stars. Among traditional high schools in the immediate area, Golden is the clear leader, ranking 68th out of 338 Colorado high schools (80th percentile) in 2025–2026 — ahead of Lakewood High School (74th percentile), Arvada West High School (72nd), Green Mountain High School (67th), and Wheat Ridge High School (56th).

Golden's academic results are consistently strong. On the 11th-grade SAT, 79% of students scored proficient in reading and writing, compared with 70% across the district and 60% statewide; in math, 52% scored proficient versus 42% district and 32% state. Science proficiency on CMAS also runs well above state averages. The graduation rate is exceptional at 97.3% for 2024–2025, far exceeding the district rate of 86.7% and state rate of 85.6%, and the dropout rate has stayed at or below 1% in recent years. Golden also outperforms nearby schools with similar demographics — it clearly beats Green Mountain on state rank, SAT reading, and SAT math despite nearly identical free/reduced lunch rates.

The main areas to watch are chronic absenteeism and subgroup equity. About 31.5% of students were chronically absent in 2024–2025, higher than the district (26.6%) and state (28.4%) averages. While this hasn't hurt test scores yet, it's worth monitoring. Additionally, Hispanic students and low-income students, while still performing near or above state averages, do not reach the same high levels as the overall student body. The student-teacher ratio of 21.3 is on the high side, yet Golden continues to produce top-tier results. Overall, Golden is one of the strongest traditional high schools in the western Denver metro area.

1,469
Students ?
21.3
Student/teacher ratio ?
$15,805
Per pupil spending ?
22.1%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 701 24th Street
       Golden, CO  80401-2379

(303) 982-4200

District: Jefferson County School District No. R-1


Feeder schools for Golden High School:

Elementary:    Kyffin Elementary School
    Maple Grove Elementary School
    Mitchell Elementary School
    Ralston Elementary School
    More...
Middle:    Bell Middle School
Racial breakdown:

White:
79.0%
Hispanic:
14.1%
Two or more races:
3.9%
more
 See top rated Colorado high schools

 Compare Golden High School to nearby high schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 83rd percentile in 2016 → 80th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the Colorado average (64% vs 48% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 20% of Colorado high schools
✓97% graduate in 4 years — above the Colorado average (86%)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school64%
District avg58%
Colorado avg48%
68th of 338
Colorado public high schools ?
Top 20%▼ down 3 pts since 2016
See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
7th of 22High Schools in the Jefferson County School District No. R-1
24th of 115Jefferson County School District No. R-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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202680.868 of 33879.9%★★★★☆
202579.765 of 32880.2%★★★★☆
202481.457 of 34983.7%★★★★☆
202382.056 of 34984.0%★★★★☆
202274.850 of 22177.4%★★★★☆
202167.664 of 21069.5%★★★☆☆
201982.559 of 41185.6%★★★★☆
201882.354 of 38886.1%★★★★☆
201767.738 of 25685.2%★★★★☆
201665.144 of 25582.7%★★★★☆
201560.274 of 29274.7%★★★★☆
201466.2112 of 36969.6%★★★☆☆
201371.791 of 34973.9%★★★★☆
201270.895 of 33471.6%★★★★☆
201174.876 of 33777.4%★★★★☆
201077.962 of 32781.0%★★★★☆
200976.766 of 31078.7%★★★★☆
200872.585 of 30171.8%★★★★☆
200775.471 of 29876.2%★★★★☆
200667.691 of 28668.2%★★★☆☆
200567.788 of 28068.6%★★★☆☆
200472.576 of 27972.8%★★★★☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202144.124 of 4141.5%★★☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202662.016 of 5570.9%★★★★☆
202549.229 of 5950.8%★★★☆☆
202452.030 of 8464.3%★★★☆☆
202343.935 of 7452.7%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202677.357 of 24576.7%★★★★☆
202577.745 of 24781.8%★★★★☆
202480.443 of 25783.3%★★★★☆
202377.355 of 25478.3%★★★★☆
202279.552 of 25779.8%★★★★☆
202173.562 of 23974.1%★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202666.150 of 14365.0%★★★☆☆
202562.362 of 13654.4%★★★☆☆
202453.577 of 14045.0%★★☆☆☆
202345.486 of 13536.3%★★☆☆☆
202247.471 of 10834.3%★★☆☆☆
202154.958 of 11850.8%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202653.179 of 19759.9%★★★☆☆
202552.875 of 18759.9%★★★☆☆
202455.576 of 19961.8%★★★☆☆
202348.687 of 19856.1%★★★☆☆
202266.060 of 20570.7%★★★★☆
202165.849 of 18172.9%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202649.998 of 20852.9%★★★☆☆
202545.8102 of 19447.4%★★☆☆☆
202452.990 of 21157.3%★★★☆☆
202366.260 of 20070.0%★★★★☆
202271.347 of 20376.8%★★★★☆
202164.545 of 18876.1%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202680.447 of 24380.7%★★★★☆
202576.166 of 24673.2%★★★★☆
202477.151 of 25680.1%★★★★☆
202381.345 of 25282.1%★★★★☆
202284.435 of 25386.2%★★★★☆
202179.551 of 24078.8%★★★★☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202682.76 of 6190.2%★★★★★
202557.325 of 5856.9%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202263.624 of 7768.8%★★★★☆
202155.922 of 6063.3%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202670.955 of 22175.1%★★★★☆
202569.161 of 20970.8%★★★★☆
202469.570 of 22969.4%★★★☆☆
202371.968 of 23470.9%★★★★☆
202275.655 of 22875.9%★★★★☆
202165.478 of 22565.3%★★★☆☆
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)
Multi-racial (2026)90th percentile+10 vs school
Male (2026)81st percentile~ school
Female (2026)77th percentile-3 vs school
White (2026)75th percentile-5 vs school
Disabled (2026)71st percentile-9 vs school
Special Education (2022)69th percentile-9 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2026)65th percentile-15 vs school
Hispanic (2026)60th percentile-20 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)53rd percentile-27 vs school
Asian (2021)41st percentile-28 vs school
By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?
Reading and Writing80%+14 vs state
Mathematics54%+14 vs state
Science43%+18 vs state

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What people are saying
by a citizen
Monday, August 15, 2011

Open Quote How old is this school building? It appears to be in a residential neighborhood so is there any parking? Close Quote




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Frequently Asked Questions about Golden High School

Students at Golden High School are 79% White, 14% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian, 1% African American.

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,469 students attended Golden High School.

Golden High School ranks 68th of 338 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Golden High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Kyffin Elementary School
Elementary : Maple Grove Elementary School
Elementary : Mitchell Elementary School
Elementary : Ralston Elementary School
Elementary : Shelton Elementary School
Elementary : Welchester Elementary School
Middle : Bell Middle 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.

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