Total enrollment
21,778
-38 (0%) vs SY 2020-21
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 school).
4-year change in Thornton
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
39
+2 (+5%) vs SY 2020-21
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-school enrollment runs near 544, meaningfully above the state mean of about 456.
Trend over the past 4 years. Total public-school enrollment in Thornton has stayed largely flat since SY 2020-21, moving from about 21,816 students to 21,778. Over that span, Thornton gained 2 schools, going from 37 to 39.
On this page, the community for Thornton discusses open enrollment windows, redistricting talk, and busing logistics. Discussions cut across districts, schools, and grade levels.