Is Brighton High School a good school?

Brighton High School ranks 259 th of 349 Colorado high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Brighton High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,854 students attended Brighton High School.

What is the racial makeup of Brighton High School?

Students at Brighton High School are 56% Hispanic, 40% White, 2% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Brighton High School?

Brighton High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Mary E Pennock Elementary School Elementary : Northeast Elementary School Middle : Overland Trail Middle School

Brighton High School

Summary:

Brighton High School is a public high school serving 1,854 students in grades 9-12 in Brighton, Colorado. The school is part of the School District 27J, which is ranked 82 out of 116 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Brighton High School faces several challenges, including a higher percentage of Hispanic students (55.99%) compared to the state average, and consistently ranking in the bottom half of Colorado high schools, with a ranking of 259 out of 349 schools in the 2023-2024 school year and a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's performance on standardized tests, such as CMAS, SAT, and PSAT, is generally lower than the state and district averages. Additionally, Brighton High School has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (37.7%), indicating a higher proportion of students from low-income families, and a higher student-teacher ratio of 18.7 compared to the state average.

Compared to other high schools in the same district, such as Riverdale Ridge High School and Prairie View High School, Brighton High School generally performs worse on academic measures, with lower proficiency rates in CMAS, SAT, and PSAT assessments. The nearby Eagle Ridge Academy, a public charter school, consistently outperforms Brighton High School on academic measures and has a higher statewide ranking, suggesting that educational options and quality can vary significantly within the same geographic area.

Detail:

Public 9-12

270 South 8th Avenue
Brighton, CO 80601-2132

(303) 655-4200

District: School District 27J

SchoolDigger Rank:
259^th of 349 Colorado High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,325

Feeder schools for Brighton High School:

Elementary:	Mary E Pennock Elementary School
	Northeast Elementary School
Middle:	Overland Trail Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 18.7

Number of students: 1,854

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

56.0%

White:

39.5%

Two or more races:

2.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 37.7%

See top rated Colorado high schools

Compare Brighton High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Brighton High School ranks worse than 74.2% of high schools in Colorado. It also ranks 4^th among 5 ranked high schools in the School District 27J. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 24.17. (See more...)

The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of Brighton High School freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a high school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Brighton High School has the largest high school student body size in the School District 27J. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Brighton High School is $12,325, which is the 2^nd highest among 5 high schools in the School District 27J.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Brighton High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Brighton High School 259^th of 349 Colorado public high schools. (See Brighton High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Gifted and Talented students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

School District 27J:

SchoolDigger ranks School District 27J 82^nd of 116 Colorado school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Brighton High School?

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Rank History for Brighton High School

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Rank History for all students at Brighton High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2004	22.07	230^th	279	17.6%
2005	24.66	223^rd	280	20.4%
2006	28.10	226^th	286	21.0%
2007	36.36	200^th	298	32.9%
2008	36.60	205^th	301	31.9%
2009	33.45	219^th	310	29.4%
2010	33.02	229^th	327	30.0%
2011	37.01	230^th	337	31.8%
2012	36.07	227^th	334	32.0%
2013	39.53	227^th	349	35.0%
2014	35.29	248^th	369	32.8%
2015	24.92	221^st	292	24.3%
2016	26.46	179^th	255	29.8%
2017	15.77	216^th	256	15.6%
2018	37.25	228^th	388	41.2%
2019	36.38	246^th	411	40.1%
2021	8.33	189^th	210	10.0%
2022	8.24	199^th	221	10.0%
2023	26.49	254^th	349	27.2%
2024	24.17	259^th	349	25.8%

See the entire list of Colorado High School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Brighton High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	10.20	76^th	77	1.3%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Brighton High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	18.99	164^th	188	12.8%
2022	21.68	167^th	203	17.7%
2023	19.24	173^rd	200	13.5%
2024	14.87	190^th	211	10.0%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Brighton High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	24.44	178^th	239	25.5%
2022	20.66	196^th	257	23.7%
2023	28.12	182^nd	254	28.3%
2024	25.41	181^st	257	29.6%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Brighton High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	10.74	83^rd	84	1.2%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Brighton High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	46.07	72^nd	118	39.0%
2022	36.67	83^rd	108	23.1%
2023	34.44	103^rd	135	23.7%
2024	50.93	84^th	140	40.0%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for Male students at Brighton High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	18.93	190^th	240	20.8%
2022	21.11	192^nd	253	24.1%
2023	21.99	193^rd	252	23.4%
2024	20.50	199^th	256	22.3%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Brighton High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	22.18	147^th	181	18.8%
2022	19.83	162^nd	205	21.0%
2023	25.49	149^th	198	24.7%
2024	22.51	152^nd	199	23.6%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Brighton High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	18.23	185^th	225	17.8%
2022	16.80	195^th	228	14.5%
2023	20.05	194^th	234	17.1%
2024	20.29	187^th	229	18.3%

See the entire list of Best Colorado High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Colorado Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Colorado Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Brighton High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	911	3	13	319	1	n/a	n/a	1247
1989	847	2	18	315	7	n/a	n/a	1189
1990	792	3	10	320	6	n/a	n/a	1131
1991	760	5	8	333	4	n/a	n/a	1110
1992	781	4	13	336	7	n/a	n/a	1141
1993	786	9	13	357	13	n/a	n/a	1178
1994	788	7	12	339	9	n/a	n/a	1155
1995	765	9	12	344	8	n/a	n/a	1138
1996	765	9	12	344	8	n/a	n/a	1138
1997	790	10	11	392	7	n/a	n/a	1210
1998	776	10	10	423	20	n/a	n/a	1239
1999	737	11	21	433	21	n/a	n/a	1223
2000	766	8	20	438	17	n/a	n/a	1249
2001	813	11	20	435	12	n/a	n/a	1291
2002	905	18	27	569	12	n/a	n/a	1531
2003	905	18	27	569	12	n/a	n/a	1531
2004	996	27	38	605	15	n/a	n/a	1681
2005	967	31	45	648	14	n/a	n/a	1705
2006	1071	52	67	730	19	n/a	n/a	1939
2007	910	29	42	642	6	n/a	n/a	1629
2008	804	23	40	629	6	n/a	n/a	1502
2009	770	19	28	662	6	n/a	n/a	1485
2010	774	20	28	699	11	n/a	n/a	1532
2011	781	13	25	797	9	3	19	1647
2012	769	10	20	816	10	6	22	1653
2013	796	11	25	909	16	5	26	1788
2014	814	13	20	948	16	4	28	1843
2015	787	16	17	1044	11	7	36	1918
2016	748	16	22	937	12	6	45	1786
2017	759	15	17	902	11	5	49	1758
2018	801	22	18	905	13	5	44	1808
2019	773	20	21	929	13	8	51	1815
2020	754	16	16	962	9	5	54	1816
2021	735	18	15	1005	7	8	46	1834
2022	725	19	9	1071	7	5	45	1881
2023	733	16	10	1038	11	2	44	1854

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Brighton High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1247	41.7	29.9	n/a
1989	1189	68.2	17.4	9.8
1990	1131	67.5	16.7	13.5
1991	1110	65.9	16.8	0
1992	1141	65.0	17.5	n/a
1993	1178	64.4	18.3	0
1994	1155	63.0	18.3	0
1995	1138	62.4	18.3	0
1996	1138	62.4	18.3	0
1997	1210	62.3	19.4	10.6
1998	1239	66.0	18.8	10.3
1999	1223	66.1	18.5	10.1
2000	1249	65.6	19.0	14.9
2001	1291	66.9	19.3	15.1
2002	1531	79.3	19.3	17.7
2003	1531	79.3	19.3	17.7
2004	1681	88.4	19.0	20.3
2005	1705	96.8	17.6	12.1
2006	1939	96.2	20.2	8.3
2007	1629	80.7	20.2	8.7
2008	1502	78.9	19.0	3.5
2009	1485	79.4	18.7	1.8
2010	1532	77.4	19.7	19.7
2011	1647	69.5	23.6	13.8
2012	1653	70.6	23.3	21.3
2013	1788	68.5	26.0	20.8
2014	1843	77.2	23.8	19.2
2015	1918	77.0	24.9	38
2016	1786	82.0	21.7	36.6
2017	1758	79.4	22.1	37.3
2018	1808	75.2	24.0	38.4
2019	1815	77.0	23.5	33.7
2020	1816	86.2	21.0	36.5
2021	1834	87.4	20.9	30.9
2022	1881	84.8	22.1	35.2
2023	1854	98.7	18.7	37.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Brighton High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1247	41.7	29.9	n/a
1989	1189	68.2	17.4	9.8
1990	1131	67.5	16.7	13.5
1991	1110	65.9	16.8	0
1992	1141	65.0	17.5	n/a
1993	1178	64.4	18.3	0
1994	1155	63.0	18.3	0
1995	1138	62.4	18.3	0
1996	1138	62.4	18.3	0
1997	1210	62.3	19.4	10.6
1998	1239	66.0	18.8	10.3
1999	1223	66.1	18.5	10.1
2000	1249	65.6	19.0	14.9
2001	1291	66.9	19.3	15.1
2002	1531	79.3	19.3	17.7
2003	1531	79.3	19.3	17.7
2004	1681	88.4	19.0	20.3
2005	1705	96.8	17.6	12.1
2006	1939	96.2	20.2	8.3
2007	1629	80.7	20.2	8.7
2008	1502	78.9	19.0	3.5
2009	1485	79.4	18.7	1.8
2010	1532	77.4	19.7	19.7
2011	1647	69.5	23.6	13.8
2012	1653	70.6	23.3	21.3
2013	1788	68.5	26.0	20.8
2014	1843	77.2	23.8	19.2
2015	1918	77.0	24.9	38
2016	1786	82.0	21.7	36.6
2017	1758	79.4	22.1	37.3
2018	1808	75.2	24.0	38.4
2019	1815	77.0	23.5	33.7
2020	1816	86.2	21.0	36.5
2021	1834	87.4	20.9	30.9
2022	1881	84.8	22.1	35.2
2023	1854	98.7	18.7	37.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Brighton High School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$8,913
2020	$9,878
2021	$10,375
2022	$10,619
2023	$12,325

Data source: Colorado Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Brighton High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 246^th of 411 High schools	Ranks 254^th of 349 High schools	12.9%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	1815	1854	2.1%
African American	20	16	20%
American Indian	13	11	15.4%
Asian	21	10	52.4%
Hispanic	929	1038	11.7%
Pacific Islander	8	2	75%
White	773	733	5.2%
Two or More Races	51	44	13.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	33.7%	37.7%	4%

Schools Near Brighton High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				PSAT10 Reading and Writing (2024)	PSAT10 Mathematics (2024)	PSAT9 Reading and Writing (2024)	PSAT9 Mathematics (2024)	SAT Reading and Writing (2024)	SAT Mathematics (2024)	CMAS English Language Arts (2024)	CMAS Science (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT10 Reading and Writing 10th Grade	PSAT10 Mathematics 10th Grade	PSAT9 Reading and Writing 9th Grade	PSAT9 Mathematics 9th Grade	SAT Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	CMAS Science 11th Grade	Total
Brighton High School	Public	9-12	270 South 8th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-4200	1,854	99	18.7	37.7%	733 (39.5%)	16 (0.9%)	1,038 (56.0%)	10 (0.5%)	11 (0.6%)	2 (0.1%)	44 (2.4%)	24.2	259^th of 349 public high schools	25.8%		26.5	254^th of 349 public high schools	27.2%	5	56.0	20.0	49.0	18.0	42.0	18.0		15.7	$12,325
Innovations & Options	Public	6-12	830 Bridge Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-2850	216	12	18.0		66 (30.6%)	4 (1.9%)	139 (64.4%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	4 (1.9%)								(n/a)									$15,646
27J Online Academy	Public, Virtual	6-12	89 N. 6th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	Yes	No	(303) 655-2527	297	21	14.1		101 (34.0%)	2 (0.7%)	172 (57.9%)	8 (2.7%)	2 (0.7%)	6 (2.0%)	6 (2.0%)	24.9	255^th of 349 public high schools	26.9%					(n/a)	24.0				50.0		12.0		$4,706
Eagle Ridge Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	3551 Southern Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 345-4380	510	33	15.3	25.3%	234 (45.9%)	8 (1.6%)	245 (48.0%)	10 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.4%)	51.4	161^st of 349 public high schools	53.9%		68.7	99^th of 349 public high schools	71.6%	62	74.0	28.0	54.0	32.0	77.0	35.0		35.0	$8,899
Riverdale Ridge High School	Public	9-12	13380 Yosemite Street	Thornton	80602	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-6800	1,463	60	24.2	27.8%	662 (45.2%)	23 (1.6%)	621 (42.4%)	82 (5.6%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	70 (4.8%)	34.4	222^nd of 349 public high schools	36.4%		38.8	204^th of 349 public high schools	41.5%	18	66.0	21.0	62.0	27.0	47.0	16.0		11.9	$5,854
Prairie View High School	Public	9-12	12909 E 120th Ave	Henderson	80640	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-8800	1,821	76	24.0	36.5%	565 (31.0%)	86 (4.7%)	1,030 (56.6%)	73 (4.0%)	6 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (3.3%)	23.8	260^th of 349 public high schools	25.5%		26.9	248^th of 349 public high schools	28.9%	12	59.0	15.0	51.0	17.0	46.0	9.0		10.3	$12,025
Horizon High School	Public	9-12	5321 East 136th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-4400	2,026	99	20.5	26.3%	1,076 (53.1%)	23 (1.1%)	684 (33.8%)	113 (5.6%)	8 (0.4%)	3 (0.1%)	119 (5.9%)	67.4	103^rd of 349 public high schools	70.5%		71.7	89^th of 349 public high schools	74.5%	14	74.0	44.0	70.0	48.0	64.0	39.0		33.3	$12,931
Fort Lupton High School	Public	9-12	530 Reynolds Street	Fort Lupton	80621	Weld County	Weld re-8 schools	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 857-7100	763	38	20.2	54.0%	140 (18.3%)	5 (0.7%)	605 (79.3%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.8%)	9.7	315^th of 349 public high schools	9.7%		11.2	312^th of 349 public high schools	10.6%	3	32.0	8.0	29.0	11.0	31.0	9.0		12.0	$13,556
Pathways Future Center	Public, Virtual	6-12	550 E. 124th Avenue	Thornton	80241	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(720) 972-4723	390	18	21.4	62.1%	98 (25.1%)	9 (2.3%)	266 (68.2%)	6 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.6%)								(n/a)									$14,319
Mountain Range High School	Public	9-12	12500 Huron Street	Westminster	80234	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-6300	1,761	85	20.8	47.3%	736 (41.8%)	35 (2.0%)	799 (45.4%)	107 (6.1%)	12 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	71 (4.0%)	35.8	218^th of 349 public high schools	37.5%		46.1	174^th of 349 public high schools	50.1%	44	60.0	19.0	55.0	28.0	56.0	25.0		22.2	$13,033

Brighton High School

Brighton High School:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

School District 27J:

What do you think?

Rank History for Brighton High School

Rank History for all students at Brighton High School

Rank History for Special Education students at Brighton High School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Brighton High School

Rank History for Female students at Brighton High School

Rank History for Disabled students at Brighton High School

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Brighton High School

Rank History for Male students at Brighton High School

Rank History for Hispanic students at Brighton High School

Rank History for White students at Brighton High School

Enrollment information for Brighton High School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Brighton High School

Student/Teacher Ratio Brighton High School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Brighton High School

Impact of COVID-19 on Brighton High School

Rankings

Student Body

Schools Near Brighton High School

Frequently Asked Questions about Brighton High School

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