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Wheat Ridge High School

Q: Is Wheat Ridge High School a good school?

Wheat Ridge High School ranks 148 th of 340 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

148^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Colorado High Schools

Better than 56% of Colorado high schools

Summary

Wheat Ridge High School is a traditional comprehensive high school serving 932 students in grades 9-12 within the Jefferson County School District R-1. The school has become a real standout in one key area: keeping students on track to earn a diploma. The graduation rate has climbed impressively from 82.3% in 2022 to a strong 93.6% in 2025, outpacing both the state average (85.6%) and the district rate (86.7%). It also posts a very low dropout rate of just 1.0%. This success is particularly notable when compared to nearby Arvada High School (71.6% graduation rate) and McLain Community High School (20.1% graduation rate), though it trails slightly behind the strong 95.2% rate at Arvada West High School. Interestingly, science proficiency is another bright spot, with 11th graders scoring well above the state average.

However, there are two substantial challenges that parents should weigh. The most serious is chronic absenteeism, which affects a staggering 47.0% of students—nearly double the state rate of 28.4% and trending in the wrong direction. This hidden risk is higher than at Lakewood High School (38.9%) and Arvada West (29.7%). The other area of concern is math proficiency, which lags significantly behind both state and district averages across all grade levels. For example, only 30% of 11th graders are proficient in math on the SAT, creating a substantial 36-point gap with the school's own reading score. This math performance is a likely ceiling on the school's overall rating, which has held steady at a respectable 3 stars and the 56th percentile for the past several years.

Despite these challenges, the school shows encouraging signs of progress for many of its students. Outcomes for students with disabilities improved dramatically to the 68th percentile, and both Hispanic students and those from low-income backgrounds have shown sharp year-over-year gains in their statewide rankings. With a decreasing free-and-reduced lunch rate (42.2%), the school serves a diverse population. Wheat Ridge functions as a stable, middle anchor in the local landscape—a solid neighborhood school that gets students to graduation, but one that will need to tackle attendance and boost math achievement to reach its full potential.

932

Students ?

18.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,431

Per pupil spending ?

42.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Colorado receive free school meals.

9505 West 32nd Avenue
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033-5772

(303) 982-7695

District: Jefferson County School District No. R-1

Racial breakdown:

White:

54.0%

Hispanic:

37.2%

Two or more races:

4.3%

See top rated Colorado high schools

Compare Wheat Ridge High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 44th percentile in 2016 → 56th in 2026

Strengths

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the Colorado average (86%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Colorado median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (45% vs 28% Colorado)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school50%

District avg58%

Colorado avg48%

148^th of 340

Colorado public high schools ?

Top 44%▲ up 13 pts since 2016

From bottom 44% (2016) to top 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th of 22High Schools in the Jefferson County School District No. R-1

24^th of 114Jefferson 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	53.8	148 of 340	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.4	144 of 328	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.9	156 of 349	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.8	152 of 349	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	26.5	157 of 221	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.4	154 of 210	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	53.1	176 of 411	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.8	159 of 388	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	34.9	141 of 256	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	35.1	144 of 255	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	39.6	151 of 292	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	47.9	200 of 369	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	51.9	179 of 349	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	55.2	170 of 334	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	61.6	146 of 337	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	47.1	195 of 327	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	48.3	174 of 310	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	63.3	120 of 301	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	56.8	143 of 298	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	55.2	138 of 286	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	62.4	112 of 280	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	53.9	134 of 279	52.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	60.2	19 of 59	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	29.7	66 of 84	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.8	40 of 74	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	45.6	121 of 246	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.7	117 of 247	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.5	136 of 257	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.4	142 of 254	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.4	153 of 257	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.0	148 of 239	38.1%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	50.9	89 of 143	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	56.7	75 of 136	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.5	105 of 140	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.0	98 of 135	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.5	96 of 108	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.5	98 of 118	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	38.0	115 of 198	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.7	142 of 187	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.7	121 of 199	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.4	126 of 198	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.9	155 of 205	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.4	120 of 181	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	38.8	126 of 209	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.1	141 of 194	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.1	149 of 211	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.5	157 of 200	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.6	160 of 203	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.5	137 of 188	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	55.9	103 of 244	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.2	120 of 246	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.1	109 of 256	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.4	112 of 252	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.7	126 of 253	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.8	134 of 240	44.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2022	42.2	44 of 77	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.5	38 of 60	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	57.5	95 of 221	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.6	96 of 209	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.0	120 of 229	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.7	125 of 234	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.3	126 of 228	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.8	133 of 225	40.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2025)68th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2026)58th percentile~ school

White (2026)57th percentile~ school

Female (2026)51st percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2022)43rd percentile+14 vs school

Hispanic (2026)42nd percentile-15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)40th percentile-17 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)38th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

Reading and Writing65%~ state avg

Mathematics35%-4 vs state

Science34%+10 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a student
Friday, May 28, 2010

the school maybe good in athletics but very much lacks in the acedemic area and the school is very dirty and slighty old.also is very over crowded Close Quote

Schools Near Wheat Ridge 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 7th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 8th Grade	CMAS Science 11th Grade	Total
Wheat Ridge High School	Public	9-12	9505 West 32nd Avenue	Wheat Ridge	80033	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-7695	932	52	18.0	42.2%	503 (54.0%)	27 (2.9%)	347 (37.2%)	8 (0.9%)	6 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	40 (4.3%)	53.8	148^th of 340 public high schools	56.5%		51.4	144^th of 328 public high schools	56.1%	4	64.6	35.4	68.4	43.7	66.5	30.0								34.5	$17,431
Jefferson Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	2305 Pierce Street	Edgewater	80214	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 982-6056	601	44	13.6	78.7%	40 (6.7%)	17 (2.8%)	517 (86.0%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.8%)	5 (0.8%)	16 (2.7%)	3.8	337^th of 340 public high schools	0.9%		5.4	320^th of 328 public high schools	2.4%	17	21.1	7.0	19.5	341.0	20.3	382.0	16.9	10.1	13.2	4.8	7.0	6.0	11.1	9.4	$19,051
Jefferson County Open Secondary	Public	7-12	7655 West 10th Avenue	Lakewood	80215	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-7045	315	21	15.0	—	231 (73.3%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (17.1%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	26 (8.3%)	58.2	133^rd of 340 public high schools	60.9%		58.4	131^st of 328 public high schools	60.1%	2	78.4	31.4	82.2	44.4	65.9	25.0	56.1	66.7	61.3	36.4	35.0	35.7	37.1	33.3	$20,574
Lakewood High School	Public	9-12	9700 West 8th Avenue	Lakewood	80215	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-7085	1,735	92	18.9	36.8%	855 (49.3%)	37 (2.1%)	673 (38.8%)	74 (4.3%)	8 (0.5%)	3 (0.2%)	85 (4.9%)	74.2	88^th of 340 public high schools	74.1%		74.5	87^th of 328 public high schools	73.5%	1	76.6	53.7	74.9	54.6	67.1	45.1								42.9	$16,324
Arvada West High School	Public	9-12	11595 Allendale Drive	Arvada	80004	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-1303	1,923	89	21.6	28.4%	1,358 (70.6%)	21 (1.1%)	406 (21.1%)	34 (1.8%)	10 (0.5%)	2 (0.1%)	92 (4.8%)	71.5	94^th of 340 public high schools	72.4%		68.2	106^th of 328 public high schools	67.7%	12	78.7	50.6	76.3	51.7	69.6	36.9								38.7	$16,200
Jeffco Transition Services School	Public	11-12	10 Reed Street	Lakewood	80226	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-6710	116	10	11.6	45.7%	55 (47.4%)	3 (2.6%)	47 (40.5%)	6 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.3%)								(n/a)															$33,184
Arvada High School	Public	9-12	7951 West 65th Avenue	Arvada	80004	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-0162	754	39	19.0	71.0%	213 (28.2%)	27 (3.6%)	469 (62.2%)	8 (1.1%)	8 (1.1%)	3 (0.4%)	26 (3.4%)	6.8	324^th of 340 public high schools	4.7%		11.7	299^th of 328 public high schools	8.8%	25	32.5	7.7	28.0	13.1	31.8	7.3								7.1	$18,009
Warren Technical	Public	11-12	13300 West 2nd Place	Lakewood	80228	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-8600	32	9	3.7	—	23 (71.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (18.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (9.4%)								(n/a)
McLain Community High School	Public	7-12	13600 West 2nd Place	Lakewood	80228	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-7460	349	33	10.6	60.5%	157 (45.0%)	5 (1.4%)	164 (47.0%)	3 (0.9%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.3%)								(n/a)	32.1	337.0			391.0	350.0								711.0	$27,215
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Wheat Ridge High School

Is Wheat Ridge High School a good school?

Wheat Ridge High School ranks 148^th of 340 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Wheat Ridge High School?

Students at Wheat Ridge High School are 54% White, 37% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% African American.

What schools feed into Wheat Ridge High School?

Wheat Ridge High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Maple Grove Elementary School
Elementary : Peak Expeditionary - Pennington
Elementary : Prospect Valley Elementary School
Elementary : Stevens Elementary School
Elementary : Stober Elementary School
Middle : Everitt Middle School

What district is Wheat Ridge High School in?

Jefferson County School District No. R-1

How many students attend Wheat Ridge High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 932 students attended Wheat Ridge High School.

Rate Wheat Ridge High School!

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance dataOct 6, 2026

2025–26 CMAS, PSAT10, PSAT9 & SAT test scoresAug 19, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

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.