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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at STEM School Highlands Ranch?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,394
Combined
DISTRICT 1,376 · STATE 523
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DOUGLAS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. RE 1·NCES 080345006493
STEM School Highlands Ranch
8773 RIDGELINE DRIVE, HIGHLANDS RANCH, CO 80129 · (303) 683-7836 · Douglas County
GRADES KG–12COMBINED21-SUBURBCHARTERREGULAR SCHOOL1,394 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 90% of Colorado public K-12 schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Colorado public K-12 schools
Student : Teacher
17.6:1
79 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.9:1 · STATE 14.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
13%
188 students
DISTRICT 19% · STATE 50%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other combined schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 74 | 5% |
| Grade 1 | 64 | 5% |
| Grade 2 | 77 | 6% |
| Grade 3 | 95 | 7% |
| Grade 4 | 79 | 6% |
| Grade 5 | 117 | 8% |
| Grade 6 | 134 | 10% |
| Grade 7 | 162 | 12% |
| Grade 8 | 177 | 13% |
| Grade 9 | 114 | 8% |
| Grade 10 | 105 | 8% |
| Grade 11 | 96 | 7% |
| Grade 12 | 100 | 7% |
This year's kindergarten class (74) is 58% smaller than its 8th grade class (177).
Student demographics
65%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 52% · STATE 62% · US 70%
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
Test scores
CMAS 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
65.0%
CO avg 44.9% . +0.8pp since 2023
Math
56.6%
CO avg 36.1% . +0.8pp since 2023
What this means: On the CMAS, Colorado's statewide test, about 65 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 57 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Colorado schools, those numbers are about 45 and 36. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2023, while math scores have held steady.
CMAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 65.0% | 56.6% |
| 2023-24 | 64.2% | 55.8% |
% Met or Exceeded Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CMAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
61.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
58.5%
based on CO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 61% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 59% typical for Colorado schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Colorado's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,394
-367 (-21%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
17.6:1
was 20.7:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,394 | 79 | 17.6:1 | 13% (188) |
| 2023-24 | 1,399 | 74.7 | 18.7:1 | 12% (164) |
| 2022-23 | 1,498 | 74.7 | 20.1:1 | 6% (83) |
| 2020-21 | 1,761 | 85 | 20.7:1 | 7% (115) |
| 2017-18 | 1,816 | 84 | 21.6:1 | 5% (95) |
| 2015-16 | 1,296 | 57 | 22.7:1 | 7% (93) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for STEM School Highlands Ranch.
Since 2017-18: students down 23% (1,816 to 1,394); teachers down 6% (84 to 79).
About STEM School Highlands Ranch
STEM School Highlands Ranch is a large combined-grade school located in HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colorado. The school's enrollment of 1,394 students covers kindergarten through 12. Statewide, combined schools in Colorado average about 523 students each.
STEM School Highlands Ranch is part of a district of 89 schools: Douglas County School District No. Re 1, with 61,550 students.
At 51%, White students outnumber all other groups at STEM School Highlands Ranch combined. The remaining students are 26% Asian, 12% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, and 3% Black. Among people living in Douglas County, the White share is about 80%. STEM School Highlands Ranch has a diversity index of 65%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Federal data list 79 full-time-equivalent teachers at STEM School Highlands Ranch in 2024-25, for a ratio of 17.6:1. The average ratio among combined schools in Colorado is 14.3:1, lower than at this school. The school's rate of free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 13%.
allk12 grades STEM School Highlands Ranch an A. The grade compares the school only with Colorado public K-12 schools, because each state gives its own test.
The model predicts 58.5% for a school in Colorado with STEM School Highlands Ranch's free or reduced-price lunch share. STEM School Highlands Ranch posts 61.4%.
Within Douglas County, median household income is about $149,594, about 62% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 3% of residents are in poverty. Federal data list 92 public schools in Douglas County, with a combined enrollment of about 63,841.
Nearby, Northridge Elementary School is about 0.9 miles away. STEM School Highlands Ranch is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. Local comparison: STEM School Highlands Ranch ranks 7th of 9 nearby schools, at 61.4% versus a 64.4% average.
The school's locale code, Suburb: Large, means it is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more. STEM School Highlands Ranch is run as a public charter school.
The number of students declined from 1,761 to 1,394 over 4 years. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio fell from 20.7:1 to 17.6:1.
The discussion area below is open to posts about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Douglas County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
377,150
Census ACS
Median income
$149,594
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
62%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
3%
Below federal line
Schools in county
92
63,841 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Douglas County School District No. Re 1
- American AcademyElementary · 2,803 students
- Rock Canyon High SchoolHigh · 2,325 students
- Legend High SchoolHigh · 2,206 students
- Mountain Vista High SchoolHigh · 2,169 students
- Chaparral High SchoolHigh · 2,007 students
- Castle View High SchoolHigh · 1,938 students
Other schools in HIGHLANDS RANCH
- Rock Canyon High SchoolHigh · 2,325 students
- Mountain Vista High SchoolHigh · 2,169 students
- Thunderridge High SchoolHigh · 1,820 students
- Skyview AcademyCombined · 1,358 students
- Highlands Ranch High SchoolHigh · 1,323 students
- Ben Franklin AcademyElementary · 956 students
Nearby schools
- Northridge Elementary School0.9 mi · 560
- Ben Franklin Academy1.0 mi · 956
- Eldorado Elementary School1.1 mi · 377
- Littleton Academy1.2 mi · 455
- Bear Canyon Elementary School1.4 mi · 368
- Thunderridge High School1.6 mi · 1,820
Frequently asked questions
About STEM School Highlands RanchHow many students attend STEM School Highlands Ranch?
STEM School Highlands Ranch enrolls approximately 1,394 students in grades KG-12.
What age range does STEM School Highlands Ranch serve?
STEM School Highlands Ranch serves students from grade KG through grade 12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at STEM School Highlands Ranch?
The student-to-teacher ratio at STEM School Highlands Ranch is approximately 17.6:1 (79 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at STEM School Highlands Ranch?
Student demographics at STEM School Highlands Ranch are roughly 51% White, 12% Hispanic, 3% Black, 26% Asian, 8% Two or more.
What district is STEM School Highlands Ranch in?
STEM School Highlands Ranch is part of Douglas County School District No. Re 1.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.