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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:
259th of 349 Colorado High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $12,325 Help


Feeder schools for Brighton High School:

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

Student/teacher ratio:  19.0 Help
Number of students:  1,773

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
57.4%
White:
38.4%
Two or more races:
2.0%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  50.9% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Brighton High School ranks worse than 74.2% of high schools in Colorado. It also ranks 4th among 5 ranked high schools in the School District 27J. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 24.17. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Brighton High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a 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
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (57.4%), White (38.4%), two or more races (2%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 50.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Brighton High School is 19, which is the 3rd best among 5 high schools in the School District 27J. (See more...)
Help
Compare Brighton High School employs 93 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Brighton High School is $12,325, which is the 2nd highest among 5 high schools in the School District 27J.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Brighton High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Brighton High School 259th 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 82nd of 116 Colorado school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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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 SchoolDigger Rating
2004 22.07 230th 279 17.6%
2005 24.66 223rd 280 20.4%
2006 28.10 226th 286 21.0%
2007 36.36 200th 298 32.9%
2008 36.60 205th 301 31.9%
2009 33.45 219th 310 29.4%
2010 33.02 229th 327 30.0%
2011 37.01 230th 337 31.8%
2012 36.07 227th 334 32.0%
2013 39.53 227th 349 35.0%
2014 35.29 248th 369 32.8%
2015 24.92 221st 292 24.3%
2016 26.46 179th 255 29.8%
2017 15.77 216th 256 15.6%
2018 37.25 228th 388 41.2%
2019 36.38 246th 411 40.1%
2021 8.33 189th 210 10.0%
2022 8.24 199th 221 10.0%
2023 26.49 254th 349 27.2%
2024 24.17 259th 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 76th 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 SchoolDigger Rating
2021 18.99 164th 188 12.8%
2022 21.68 167th 203 17.7%
2023 19.24 173rd 200 13.5%
2024 14.87 190th 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 SchoolDigger Rating
2021 24.44 178th 239 25.5%
2022 20.66 196th 257 23.7%
2023 28.12 182nd 254 28.3%
2024 25.41 181st 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 83rd 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 SchoolDigger Rating
2021 46.07 72nd 118 39.0%
2022 36.67 83rd 108 23.1%
2023 34.44 103rd 135 23.7%
2024 50.93 84th 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 SchoolDigger Rating
2021 18.93 190th 240 20.8%
2022 21.11 192nd 253 24.1%
2023 21.99 193rd 252 23.4%
2024 20.50 199th 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 SchoolDigger Rating
2021 22.18 147th 181 18.8%
2022 19.83 162nd 205 21.0%
2023 25.49 149th 198 24.7%
2024 22.51 152nd 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 SchoolDigger Rating
2021 18.23 185th 225 17.8%
2022 16.80 195th 228 14.5%
2023 20.05 194th 234 17.1%
2024 20.29 187th 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.

Brighton High School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 
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Data source: Colorado Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Brighton High School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 911 3 13 319 1 n/a n/a 0 1247
1989 847 2 18 315 7 n/a n/a 0 1189
1990 792 3 10 320 6 n/a n/a 0 1131
1991 760 5 8 333 4 n/a n/a 0 1110
1992 781 4 13 336 7 n/a n/a 0 1141
1993 786 9 13 357 13 n/a n/a 0 1178
1994 788 7 12 339 9 n/a n/a 0 1155
1995 765 9 12 344 8 n/a n/a 0 1138
1996 765 9 12 344 8 n/a n/a 0 1138
1997 790 10 11 392 7 n/a n/a 0 1210
1998 776 10 10 423 20 n/a n/a 0 1239
1999 737 11 21 433 21 n/a n/a 0 1223
2000 766 8 20 438 17 n/a n/a 0 1249
2001 813 11 20 435 12 n/a n/a 0 1291
2002 905 18 27 569 12 n/a n/a 0 1531
2003 905 18 27 569 12 n/a n/a 0 1531
2004 996 27 38 605 15 n/a n/a 0 1681
2005 967 31 45 648 14 n/a n/a 0 1705
2006 1071 52 67 730 19 n/a n/a 0 1939
2007 910 29 42 642 6 n/a n/a 0 1629
2008 804 23 40 629 6 n/a n/a 0 1502
2009 770 19 28 662 6 n/a n/a 0 1485
2010 774 20 28 699 11 n/a n/a 0 1532
2011 781 13 25 797 9 3 19 0 1647
2012 769 10 20 816 10 6 22 0 1653
2013 796 11 25 909 16 5 26 0 1788
2014 814 13 20 948 16 4 28 0 1843
2015 787 16 17 1044 11 7 36 0 1918
2016 748 16 22 937 12 6 45 0 1786
2017 759 15 17 902 11 5 49 0 1758
2018 801 22 18 905 13 5 44 0 1808
2019 773 20 21 929 13 8 51 0 1815
2020 754 16 16 962 9 5 54 0 1816
2021 735 18 15 1005 7 8 46 0 1834
2022 725 19 9 1071 7 5 45 0 1881
2023 733 16 10 1038 11 2 44 0 1854
2024 680 15 14 1017 10 1 36 0 1773

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

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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
2024 1773 93.0 19.0 50.9

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

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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
2024 1773 93.0 19.0 50.9

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

Help

YearTotal 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 246th of 411 High schoolsRanks 254th of 349 High schools
 12.9%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Total Students18151854
 2.1%
African American2016
 20%
American Indian1311
 15.4%
Asian2110
 52.4%
Hispanic9291038
 11.7%
Pacific Islander82
 75%
White773733
 5.2%
Two or More Races5144
 13.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients33.7%37.7%
 4%

Schools Near Brighton High School








Frequently Asked Questions about Brighton High School

In the 2023-24 school year, 1,773 students attended Brighton High School.

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

Brighton High School is fed by the following schools:

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

Students at Brighton High School are 57% Hispanic, 38% White, 2% Two or more races.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Colorado Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.




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