26 public K-12 schools in Highlands Ranch from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
26 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.
The highest-ranked of Highlands Ranch's 26 public schools is Rock Canyon High School, scoring 47/100, against a city average of 45/100. Computed live across every Highlands Ranch campus reporting to NCES.
How the Highlands Ranch Public-School Landscape Breaks Down
Highlands Ranch, CO enrolls 19,878 students across 26 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, 4 are charter schools, giving families genuine alternatives to the traditional neighbourhood assignment model. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 16.9:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 45/100. Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.
The most-resourced campus in Highlands Ranch on this index is Rock Canyon High School, at 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 2,325 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.
Highlands Ranch spans 1 district, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.
Highlands Ranch school enrollment varies 7.6× across entities
Highlands Ranch school enrollment ranges from 306 students (lowest) to 2,325 students (highest), a spread of 2,019 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous school portfolio for a city this size. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape, a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.
Highlands Ranch operates only 1 school district — one of the single most consolidated governance structures in the country
Most Highlands Ranch school districts are a single unified district covering the whole city, a structural feature that simplifies inter-school comparison but concentrates policy authority, and the count here is near the floor observed nationally. Consolidation produces narrower variance because resources pool across a large population, but it can also mask intra-school district inequities — sub-school district differences within a single school district are not visible at this aggregation level. Consolidated systems typically rely more heavily on top-down funding formulas than on local revenue variability.
Highlands Ranch student-teacher ratio is 16.9:1 — near the typical range (US average ~15.7) — aligned with the U.S. average of approximately 15.7:1
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Variation between sub-units within Highlands Ranch is typically wider than the Highlands Ranch-aggregate figure suggests.
Highlands Ranch has higher-than-average charter school authorisation eligibility — 15.4% of the population qualifies for charter-school enrollment options
charter-school enrollment options eligibility is the federal threshold for charter school authorisation funding allocations, established under the state-specific charter law. Areas above 30% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic charter school authorisation formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Highlands Ranch
Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.
What are the best schools in Highlands Ranch, CO? ▼
The highest-ranked school in Highlands Ranch is Rock Canyon High School with a quality score of 47/100. There are 26 public schools in Highlands Ranch with 19,878 total students.
How many schools are in Highlands Ranch, CO? ▼
Highlands Ranch has 26 public schools with a total enrollment of 19,878 students. 4 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 16.9:1.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio,
counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology, which explains how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
