Total enrollment
21,778
+806 (+4%) vs SY 2017-18
40 schools in Thornton
Colorado · Public K-12
Across the city, Thornton hosts 40 public K-12 schools teaching roughly 21,778 Colorado students (about 544 per campus).
7-year change in Thornton
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25School count
39
+5 (+15%) vs SY 2017-18
% White
33%
was 40%
% Hispanic
52%
was 49%
% Black
2%
was 2%
% Asian
8%
was 5%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
Residents
144,187
all ages · ACS 5-yr
Students
21,778
public K-12 · NCES
Schools
40
public K-12
About Thornton
Across Thornton, Colorado, 40 public schools hosts about 21,778 students between them.
Looking at the level breakdown, the city covers 23 elementary, 5 middle, 8 high, and 4 other.
Per-campus enrollment runs near 544, meaningfully above the state mean of about 456.
Trend over the past 7 years. Total public-school enrollment in Thornton has climbed 4% since SY 2017-18, moving from about 20,972 students to 21,778. Over that span, Thornton gained 5 schools, going from 34 to 39. Demographically, the White share of enrollment decreased from 40% to 33%.
On this page, the community for Thornton discusses open enrollment windows, redistricting talk, and busing logistics. Discussions cut across districts, schools, and grade levels.