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Thornton High School

Q: Is Thornton High School a good school?

Thornton High School ranks in the bottom 4.3% of Colorado high schools.

Q: How many students attend Thornton High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,439 students attended Thornton High School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Thornton High School?

Students at Thornton High School are 71% Hispanic, 15% White, 10% Asian, 2% Two or more races, 2% African American.

Q: What schools feed into Thornton High School?

Thornton High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Coronado Hills Elementary School Elementary : Leroy Elementary Elementary : McElwain Elementary School Elementary : Riverdale Elementary School Elementary : Stukey Elementary School Elementary : Thornton Elementary School Middle : Thornton Middle School

Public Grades 9-12

314^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 328 Colorado High Schools

Better than 4% of Colorado high schools

Summary

Thornton High School is a public high school located in Thornton, Colorado, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,416 students. It is part of the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district, which is ranked 52 out of 115 school districts in Colorado and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Thornton High School consistently ranks in the bottom half of Colorado high schools, with a ranking between 207-335 out of 411 schools in recent years. Its performance on standardized tests is significantly below the district and state averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 27% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in SAT Reading and Writing, compared to 58% for the district and 62% for the state. Similarly, only 8% were proficient or better in SAT Mathematics, compared to 36% for the district and 32% for the state. The school also struggles with high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 27.7% to 56.2% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages.

Thornton High School's low academic performance is consistent across various student subgroups, and the school is located in close proximity to several other high schools, including Pathways Future Center, Vantage Point, New America School - Thornton, and Northglenn High School, which generally perform better than Thornton High School on various metrics. The school's high rates of poverty, chronic absenteeism, and low academic performance suggest the need for targeted interventions and support to improve student outcomes.

1,439

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,982

Per pupil spending ?

78.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9351 Washington Street
Thornton, CO 80229-3520

(720) 972-4800

District: Adams 12 Five Star Schools

Feeder schools for Thornton High School:

Elementary:	Coronado Hills Elementary School
	Leroy Elementary
	McElwain Elementary School
	Riverdale Elementary School
	More...
	Stukey Elementary School
	Thornton Elementary School
Middle:	Thornton Middle School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

71.3%

White:

15.1%

Asian:

9.7%

See top rated Colorado high schools

Compare Thornton High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 8th percentile in 2015 → 4th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (19% vs 49% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg50%

Colorado avg49%

314^th of 328

Colorado public high schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 8% (2015) to bottom 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5High Schools in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools

52^nd of 115Adams 12 Five Star Schools 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
2025	6.7	314 of 328	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.2	318 of 349	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.7	308 of 349	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	1.6	218 of 221	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	1.2	207 of 210	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.4	335 of 411	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.4	314 of 388	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	11.2	236 of 256	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	12.4	232 of 255	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	12.6	268 of 292	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	18.9	299 of 369	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	22.0	269 of 349	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	25.9	249 of 334	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	27.8	251 of 337	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	29.5	238 of 327	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	29.1	230 of 310	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	25.7	233 of 301	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	27.4	231 of 298	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	29.9	221 of 286	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	22.2	228 of 280	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	24.7	224 of 279	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	0.9	43 of 43	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	0.4	43 of 43	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	0.3	44 of 45	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	8.8	84 of 84	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2023	14.0	42 of 44	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.0	31 of 32	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	8.1	234 of 247	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.2	234 of 257	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	234 of 254	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.7	243 of 257	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.4	228 of 239	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	19.5	122 of 136	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.5	122 of 140	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.1	128 of 135	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	11.8	175 of 187	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.9	177 of 199	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.2	171 of 198	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.4	181 of 205	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.3	171 of 181	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	7.7	189 of 194	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.2	200 of 211	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.7	184 of 200	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.1	178 of 203	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.6	181 of 188	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	4.2	242 of 246	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.2	238 of 256	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.4	224 of 252	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.5	219 of 253	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.3	225 of 240	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2022	9.7	77 of 77	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	1.6	208 of 209	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.3	223 of 229	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.1	221 of 234	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.5	219 of 228	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.8	218 of 225	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2025)10th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)6th percentile~ school

Female (2025)5th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2023)5th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)2nd percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)<1st percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2022)<1st percentile~ school

Disabled (2024)<1st percentile-9 vs school

Asian (2024)<1st percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

Reading and Writing27%-35 vs state

Mathematics8%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Thornton High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT10 Reading and Writing (2025)	PSAT10 Mathematics (2025)	PSAT9 Reading and Writing (2025)	PSAT9 Mathematics (2025)	SAT Reading and Writing (2025)	SAT Mathematics (2025)	CMAS English Language Arts (2025)			CMAS Math (2025)	CMAS Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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 All Grades	CMAS Science 8th Grade	CMAS Science 11th Grade	Total
Thornton High School	Public	9-12	9351 Washington Street	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-4800	1,439	88	16.3	78.7%	218 (15.1%)	22 (1.5%)	1,026 (71.3%)	139 (9.7%)	6 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	23 (1.6%)	6.7	314^th of 328 public high schools	4.3%		9.2	318^th of 349 public high schools	8.9%	4	24.0	9.0	35.0	11.0	27.0	8.0							$15,982
New America School - Thornton	Public, Charter	9-12	8978 Washington St	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 991-0130	190	7	27.1	84.7%	11 (5.8%)	2 (1.1%)	175 (92.1%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)								(n/a)													$13,206
Northglenn High School	Public	9-12	601 West 100th Place	Northglenn	80260	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-4600	1,844	96	19.2	71.7%	321 (17.4%)	27 (1.5%)	1,383 (75.0%)	40 (2.2%)	13 (0.7%)	3 (0.2%)	57 (3.1%)	23.1	256^th of 328 public high schools	22.0%		22.3	268^th of 349 public high schools	23.2%	12	48.0	20.0	54.0	26.0	37.0	21.0						15.6	$14,909
North Valley School for Young Adults	Public	9-12	8990 York St	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 853-1790	102	5	22.1	65.7%	11 (10.8%)	2 (2.0%)	87 (85.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)								(n/a)													$15,336
Academy High School	Public	9-12	8970 York St	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 853-1900	399	23	17.7	74.4%	34 (8.5%)	6 (1.5%)	343 (86.0%)	9 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.8%)	23.5	253^rd of 328 public high schools	22.9%		19	286^th of 349 public high schools	18.1%	33	50.0	28.0	42.0	11.0	51.0	26.0						12.7	$13,765
Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts	Public	9-12	8980 York St	Thornton	80299	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 853-1270	393	23	16.9	69.2%	51 (13.0%)	8 (2.0%)	314 (79.9%)	6 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	11 (2.8%)	13.1	293^rd of 328 public high schools	10.7%		14.5	298^th of 349 public high schools	14.6%	5	48.0	13.0	36.0	11.0	39.0	8.0						16.7	$15,768
Mapleton Early Career Preparation	Public	9-12	8980 York St	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 853-1960	306	16	19.3	72.2%	19 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	271 (88.6%)	10 (3.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.3%)	13.7	289^th of 328 public high schools	11.9%		12.5	306^th of 349 public high schools	12.3%	17	44.0	11.0	43.0	15.0	38.0	14.0						12.5	$13,376
Vantage Point	Public	6-12	10900 Huron Street	Northglenn	80234	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 972-5800	331	32	10.3	74.0%	68 (20.5%)	8 (2.4%)	240 (72.5%)	5 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.7%)								(n/a)					14.0								$23,959
Global Leadership Academy	Public	9-12	7480 Conifer Road	Denver	80221	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(303) 853-1930	400	17	23.9	75.8%	13 (3.3%)	3 (0.8%)	379 (94.8%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	6.6	316^th of 328 public high schools	3.7%		14.1	301^st of 349 public high schools	13.8%	15	33.0		33.0		33.0								$14,216
Performing Arts School on Broadway	Public	7-12	7350 North Broadway Suite 200	Denver	80221	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(303) 853-1000	169	10	16.5	63.3%	57 (33.7%)	6 (3.6%)	98 (58.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.6%)								(n/a)				22.0			36.0	28.1	31.6	16.1	31.3		$16,645

Frequently Asked Questions about Thornton High School

What is the racial makeup of Thornton High School?

Students at Thornton High School are 71% Hispanic, 15% White, 10% Asian, 2% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What district is Thornton High School in?

Adams 12 Five Star Schools

Is Thornton High School a good school?

Thornton High School ranks in the bottom 4.3% of Colorado high schools.

How many students attend Thornton High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,439 students attended Thornton High School.

What schools feed into Thornton High School?

Thornton High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Coronado Hills Elementary School
Elementary : Leroy Elementary
Elementary : McElwain Elementary School
Elementary : Riverdale Elementary School
Elementary : Stukey Elementary School
Elementary : Thornton Elementary School
Middle : Thornton Middle School

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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.