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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHERRY CREEK SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 080291000203

Smoky Hill High School

16100 EAST SMOKY HILL ROAD, AURORA, CO 80015 · (720) 886-5300 · Arapahoe County
GRADES 09–12HIGH11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,297 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded

This school has no state test results for 2023-24 or 2024-25 to grade, which is common for schools that end before third grade. How grades work

Enrollment
2,297
High
DISTRICT 1,950 · STATE 627
Student : Teacher
20.0:1
115 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.9:1 · STATE 16.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
49%
1,117 students
DISTRICT 38% · STATE 50%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 960026%
Grade 1057525%
Grade 1157825%
Grade 1254424%
Student demographics
73%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 71% · STATE 62% · US 70%
White
78534%
DISTRICT 44% · STATE 49% · US 43%
Hispanic
76533%
DISTRICT 25% · STATE 37% · US 30%
Black
37416%
DISTRICT 12% · STATE 5% · US 15%
Asian
1276%
DISTRICT 9% · STATE 3% · US 6%
Two+
21910%
DISTRICT 10% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Native American
70%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 1% · US 1%
Pacific Islander
121%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
1,21353%
Female
1,07647%

Discussions

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BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of CO schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
15.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
37.2%
based on CO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-21.6pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 16% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 37% typical for Colorado schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.

BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

Schools most like Smoky Hill High School

Smoky Hill High School's state test result (15.6% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Smoky Hill High School this school2,29748.6%15.6%
Thomas Jefferson High School
DENVER
1,39050.9%31.9%
Eaglecrest High School
CENTENNIAL
2,85135.1%22.5%
Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory
AURORA
2,04562.1%15.3%
Sand Creek High School
COLORADO SPRINGS
1,42650.7%18.1%
George Washington High School
DENVER
1,32655.2%30.1%
Matched among Colorado high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.

Where Smoky Hill High School ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn ColoradoIn Arapahoe County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
15.6%#184 of 231#12 of 19
Enrollment
ranked largest first
2,297#7 of 409#5 of 25
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
20.0:1#182 of 250#9 of 21
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
73.2%#1 of 250#1 of 21
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
48.6%#158 of 320#13 of 22
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+10.9%#53 of 108#4 of 10
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.

4-year change

SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
2,297
+89 (+4%) vs 2020
+4% since 1990-91, when it was 2,201
Student : Teacher
20.0:1
was 21.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-252,29711520.0:149% (1,117)
2023-242,281116.419.6:151% (1,161)
2022-232,252118.419.0:142% (955)
2020-212,20810121.9:143% (941)
2017-182,071104.319.9:141% (844)
2015-162,04410419.6:136% (732)
2010-112,32412418.7:127% (635)
2000-012,86814919.3:15% (136)
1990-912,20113516.3:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Smoky Hill High School.

Since 2017-18: students up 11% (2,071 to 2,297); teachers up 10% (104.3 to 115).

About Smoky Hill High School

Smoky Hill High School, a large high school, is located in AURORA, Colorado. Students in grades 9 through 12 attend, and enrollment is 2,297 students. The school's enrollment is 266% larger than the 627 average for high schools in Colorado.

Smoky Hill High School is one school in Cherry Creek School District, a system of 70 schools with 52,099 students.

Smoky Hill High School's enrollment has no majority group, and White students are the largest at 34%. Other students are 33% Hispanic, 16% Black, 10% multiracial, and 6% Asian. By comparison, Arapahoe County residents are about 59% White. Smoky Hill High School has a diversity index of 73%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.

The school reported 115 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 20.0:1. For comparison, high schools in Colorado average 16.9:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 49%. Across public schools in Arapahoe County, the average is about the same, 50%.

Smoky Hill High School ranks in the bottom 10% of Colorado schools after adjusting test results for student poverty. Actual: 15.6%. Predicted: 37.2%. Difference: 21.6 points.

Census estimates describe Arapahoe County this way: median household income is about $101,087, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 47% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 6%. Federal data list 176 public schools in Arapahoe County, with a combined enrollment of about 115,502.

The shortest distance from Smoky Hill High School to another public school is about 0.3 miles, to Laredo Middle School. The five-mile area around Smoky Hill High School holds at least 8 other public schools. Smoky Hill High School comes in 8th of 8 nearby schools on average proficiency.

Locale data from NCES put Smoky Hill High School inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more (City: Large).

The student count in 2024-25 was 2,297, 4% above the 2,208 of 2020-21. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio fell to 20.0:1, from 21.9:1.

Families, students, and staff can use this page to discuss science fairs, picture day, and bus routes at Smoky Hill High School. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.

Arapahoe County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
659,844
Census ACS
Median income
$101,087
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
47%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
176
115,502 students

Quick facts

School name
Smoky Hill High School
District
Cherry Creek School District
Address
16100 EAST SMOKY HILL ROAD, AURORA, CO 80015
Phone
(720) 886-5300
County
Arapahoe County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
2,297
Teachers (FTE)
115
Student–teacher ratio
20.0:1
Free and reduced lunch
1,117 (49%)
Locale
11-City: Large
NCES ID
080291000203
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Cherry Creek School District
Other schools in AURORA
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Smoky Hill High School
What is the total enrollment at Smoky Hill High School?
Smoky Hill High School enrolls approximately 2,297 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Smoky Hill High School serve?
Smoky Hill High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many teachers does Smoky Hill High School have?
Smoky Hill High School employs 115 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 20.0:1.
What is the student diversity at Smoky Hill High School?
Student demographics at Smoky Hill High School are roughly 34% White, 33% Hispanic, 16% Black, 6% Asian, 10% Two or more.
Who oversees Smoky Hill High School?
Smoky Hill High School is overseen by Cherry Creek School District in Arapahoe County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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