Enrollment
3,089
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Aurora, CO
Cherokee Trail High School
Federal NCES profile for Cherokee Trail High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 080291001951
👥 S:T ratio 19
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cherokee Trail High School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Colorado schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Colorado.
- #7 of 13
- high schools in Aurora · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 20.3:1
- large classes for Colorado
- 10.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Cherokee Trail High School has class sizes larger than 87% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cherokee Trail High School ranks #7 of 13 high schools in Aurora, CO.
School address
NCES ID 080291001951 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
152.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.3:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.6%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cherokee Trail High School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cherokee Trail High School
Cherokee Trail High School is a lower-poverty, large high school in Aurora, Colorado, enrolling 3,089 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.3:1 is larger than about 87% of Colorado schools and 22% above the 16.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 10.6% free-meal eligibility runs 72% below the Colorado average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Colorado, bigger than 99% of state schools at 3,089 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 16 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #6.
Its student body is led by White (52%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%) (diversity index 67/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 21 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 329 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah also operates Cherry Creek High School (3,852 students) and Eaglecrest High School (2,851 students) alongside Cherokee Trail High School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Cherokee Trail High School compares
Cherokee Trail High School on the metrics families compare, against Colorado and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.3:1 | ▲ 22% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.6% | ▼ 72% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 3,089 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.3:1
Leaner classes than 15% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
3,089
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
10.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% below the Colorado average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
20.3:1
students per teacher
- 22% above state mean
Top 87% in Colorado - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Funding equity
$14,137
per pupil, district-wide
- below Colorado avg of $16,273
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors9.4 FTE
Per 329 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 75 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 51.6%
Hispanic or Latino 19.8%
African American 10.1%
Asian 9.6%
Two or More 8.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 51.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.8, Cherokee Trail High School is more mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 21
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah, which includes Cherokee Trail High School.
$14,137
Per student
-13%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.6%
State 43.3%
Federal 8.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Cherokee Trail High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry Creek High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Eaglecrest High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Grandview High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Smoky Hill High School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Overland High School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cherokee Trail High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,852
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,851
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 2,684
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,297
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 2,228
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Colorado, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~3,089 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cherokee Trail High School's federal record.
- Compare Cherokee Trail High School against another school. Compare schools
- Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Cherokee Trail High School
How many students attend Cherokee Trail High School?
Cherokee Trail High School has 3,089 students enrolled. It is a high school in Aurora, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cherokee Trail High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cherokee Trail High School is 20.3:1, which is 22% higher than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 29% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cherokee Trail High School?
10.6% of students at Cherokee Trail High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cherokee Trail High School?
The largest demographic group at Cherokee Trail High School is White at 51.6% of enrollment, in Aurora, CO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cherokee Trail High School?
Cherokee Trail High School has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Cherokee Trail High School rank among high schools in Aurora?
By Resource Investment Index, Cherokee Trail High School ranks #7 of 13 high schools in Aurora, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Aurora on the city page.
Is Cherokee Trail High School a good school?
Cherokee Trail High School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Colorado schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Colorado. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah?
Besides Cherokee Trail High School, Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah also operates Cherry Creek High School (3,852 students), Eaglecrest High School (2,851 students), and Grandview High School (2,684 students). See the Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the County of Arapah district page for the complete list.
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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.