Is Sierra High School a good school?

Sierra High School ranks in the bottom 17.5% of Colorado high schools.

How many students attend Sierra High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 822 students attended Sierra High School.

What is the racial makeup of Sierra High School?

Students at Sierra High School are 55% Hispanic, 18% African American, 15% White, 8% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What schools feed into Sierra High School?

Sierra High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Bricker Elementary School Elementary : Centennial Elementary School Elementary : Giberson Elementary School Elementary : Sand Creek International School Elementary : Soaring Eagles Community School Elementary : Turman Elementary School Elementary : Wildflower Elementary School Middle : Panorama Middle School

Sierra High School

Summary:

Sierra High School is a public high school in Colorado Springs, Colorado, serving 908 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Harrison School District No. 2. The school faces several key challenges, including lower academic performance, a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, and a student population that is more racially diverse compared to nearby schools.

Sierra High School consistently ranks in the bottom half of Colorado high schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger in recent years. Its test scores, particularly in mathematics, are significantly lower than the state and district averages. The school has a high percentage of students (53.85%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a higher proportion of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. In contrast, the nearby charter schools like James Irwin Charter High School and Atlas Preparatory High School generally outperform Sierra High School in academic metrics and have lower percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

Another notable difference is the racial makeup of Sierra High School, which has a significantly higher percentage of Hispanic (54.74%) and African American (19.71%) students compared to the nearby schools, which tend to have a higher percentage of White students. This raises questions about potential equity and access issues within the Harrison School District No. 2. Addressing these challenges will be crucial for improving the educational outcomes and opportunities for the students at Sierra High School.

Detail:

Public 9-12

2250 Jet Wing Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80916-2427

(719) 579-2090

District: Harrison School District No. 2

SchoolDigger Rank:
288^th of 349 Colorado High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $15,485

Feeder schools for Sierra High School:

Elementary:	Bricker Elementary School
	Centennial Elementary School
	Giberson Elementary School
	Sand Creek International School
	More...
	Soaring Eagles Community School
	Turman Elementary School
	Wildflower Elementary School
Middle:	Panorama Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 17.1

Number of students: 822

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

55.2%

African American:

18.4%

White:

15.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 83.8%

See top rated Colorado high schools

Compare Sierra High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Sierra High School ranks worse than 82.5% of high schools in Colorado. It also ranks last among 5 ranked high schools in the Harrison School District No. 2. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 18.38. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Sierra High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

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

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

Compare Details Student population at Sierra High School is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (55.2%), African American (18.4%), White (15.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 83.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sierra High School is 17.1, which is the 3^rd best among 5 high schools in the Harrison School District No. 2. (See more...)

Compare Sierra High School employs 48 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sierra High School is $15,485, which is the 2^nd highest among 5 high schools in the Harrison School District No. 2.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sierra High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Sierra High School 288^th of 349 Colorado public high schools. (See Sierra High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Harrison School District No. 2:

SchoolDigger ranks Harrison School District No. 2 72^nd of 116 Colorado school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Sierra High School?

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Rank History for Sierra High School

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Rank History for all students at Sierra High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2004	21.51	231^st	279	17.2%
2005	18.77	237^th	280	15.4%
2006	20.84	236^th	286	17.5%
2007	29.29	227^th	298	23.8%
2008	25.07	234^th	301	22.3%
2009	18.91	260^th	310	16.1%
2010	19.05	269^th	327	17.7%
2011	24.34	261^st	337	22.6%
2012	28.98	244^th	334	26.9%
2013	24.18	260^th	349	25.5%
2014	34.21	257^th	369	30.4%
2015	15.80	255^th	292	12.7%
2016	16.95	211^th	255	17.3%
2017	12.95	228^th	256	10.9%
2018	16.65	308^th	388	20.6%
2019	16.56	330^th	411	19.7%
2022	1.85	215^th	221	2.7%
2023	9.89	315^th	349	9.7%
2024	18.38	288^th	349	17.5%

See the entire list of Colorado High School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Sierra High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	20.52	63^rd	77	18.2%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	20.79	159^th	188	15.4%
2022	18.28	175^th	203	13.8%
2023	16.63	177^th	200	11.5%
2024	28.35	153^rd	211	27.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Sierra High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	9.89	218^th	239	8.8%
2022	7.78	238^th	257	7.4%
2023	7.34	237^th	254	6.7%
2024	17.72	207^th	257	19.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at Sierra High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	5.14	231^st	240	3.8%
2022	12.56	218^th	253	13.8%
2023	10.18	228^th	252	9.5%
2024	16.93	213^th	256	16.8%

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

Rank History for African American students at Sierra High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	29.17	23^rd	29	20.7%
2022	12.34	32^nd	34	5.9%
2023	15.64	35^th	36	2.8%
2024	30.10	27^th	38	28.9%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sierra High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2021	6.00	179^th	181	1.1%
2022	13.96	183^rd	205	10.7%
2023	14.80	174^th	198	12.1%
2024	31.30	129^th	199	35.2%

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

Rank History for White students at Sierra High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	10.81	214^th	234	8.5%
2024	14.50	203^rd	229	11.4%

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 Sierra High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	646	288	70	182	6	n/a	n/a	1192
1989	611	292	60	172	10	n/a	n/a	1145
1990	576	293	62	155	10	n/a	n/a	1096
1991	570	278	56	176	12	n/a	n/a	1092
1992	596	291	59	186	9	n/a	n/a	1141
1993	618	311	68	196	10	n/a	n/a	1203
1994	602	336	54	180	11	n/a	n/a	1183
1995	585	368	89	185	9	n/a	n/a	1236
1996	585	368	89	185	9	n/a	n/a	1236
1997	552	397	73	188	16	n/a	n/a	1226
1998	494	395	76	181	17	n/a	n/a	1163
1999	500	405	83	215	14	n/a	n/a	1217
2000	496	384	81	225	17	n/a	n/a	1203
2001	421	392	82	241	18	n/a	n/a	1154
2002	383	420	81	267	15	n/a	n/a	1166
2003	383	420	81	267	15	n/a	n/a	1166
2004	359	433	79	282	18	n/a	n/a	1171
2005	342	418	73	296	20	n/a	n/a	1149
2006	329	450	64	317	23	n/a	n/a	1183
2007	357	467	65	347	21	n/a	n/a	1257
2008	296	434	60	368	17	n/a	n/a	1175
2009	274	379	55	341	24	n/a	n/a	1073
2010	239	335	58	322	29	n/a	n/a	983
2011	195	281	40	319	13	5	34	887
2012	178	309	42	311	13	4	4	861
2013	159	250	102	318	14	2	3	848
2014	184	295	22	303	13	11	36	864
2015	147	284	22	329	16	11	44	853
2016	149	237	24	320	11	11	35	787
2017	125	220	19	365	13	10	48	800
2018	120	194	26	375	10	8	52	785
2019	144	181	29	363	9	10	56	792
2020	149	192	28	400	6	7	66	848
2021	132	169	27	406	7	7	60	808
2022	160	189	26	488	6	7	69	945
2023	141	179	22	497	8	4	57	908
2024	125	151	21	454	4	5	62	822

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 Sierra High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1192	69.8	17.0	n/a
1989	1145	70.2	16.3	18.2
1990	1096	70.1	15.6	17.2
1991	1092	72.4	15.0	20.6
1992	1141	73.0	15.6	20
1993	1203	70.7	17.0	22.1
1994	1183	71.4	16.6	28.2
1995	1236	66.6	18.6	27.2
1996	1236	66.6	18.6	27.2
1997	1226	67.8	18.1	27.7
1998	1163	73.5	15.8	25.2
1999	1217	65.9	18.5	25.7
2000	1203	75.2	16.0	35.6
2001	1154	67.6	17.1	33.3
2002	1166	71.0	16.4	41.9
2003	1166	71.0	16.4	41.9
2004	1171	74.1	15.8	42.6
2005	1149	77.4	14.8	48.8
2006	1183	74.3	15.9	54.3
2007	1257	76.5	16.4	52.3
2008	1175	74.9	15.7	54.5
2009	1073	75.5	14.2	57.9
2010	983	77.2	12.7	64.9
2011	887	69.4	12.7	62.9
2012	861	50.7	16.9	64.9
2013	848	47.8	17.7	66.5
2014	864	48.0	18.0	68.3
2015	853	42.0	20.3	69.3
2016	787	48.0	16.3	66.6
2017	800	46.2	17.3	69.1
2018	785	53.3	14.7	75.5
2019	792	62.5	12.6	68.1
2020	848	56.7	14.9	76.9
2021	808	61.0	13.2	80.6
2022	945	60.0	15.7	66.3
2023	908	57.5	15.7	53.9
2024	822	48.0	17.1	83.8

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 Sierra High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1192	69.8	17.0	n/a
1989	1145	70.2	16.3	18.2
1990	1096	70.1	15.6	17.2
1991	1092	72.4	15.0	20.6
1992	1141	73.0	15.6	20
1993	1203	70.7	17.0	22.1
1994	1183	71.4	16.6	28.2
1995	1236	66.6	18.6	27.2
1996	1236	66.6	18.6	27.2
1997	1226	67.8	18.1	27.7
1998	1163	73.5	15.8	25.2
1999	1217	65.9	18.5	25.7
2000	1203	75.2	16.0	35.6
2001	1154	67.6	17.1	33.3
2002	1166	71.0	16.4	41.9
2003	1166	71.0	16.4	41.9
2004	1171	74.1	15.8	42.6
2005	1149	77.4	14.8	48.8
2006	1183	74.3	15.9	54.3
2007	1257	76.5	16.4	52.3
2008	1175	74.9	15.7	54.5
2009	1073	75.5	14.2	57.9
2010	983	77.2	12.7	64.9
2011	887	69.4	12.7	62.9
2012	861	50.7	16.9	64.9
2013	848	47.8	17.7	66.5
2014	864	48.0	18.0	68.3
2015	853	42.0	20.3	69.3
2016	787	48.0	16.3	66.6
2017	800	46.2	17.3	69.1
2018	785	53.3	14.7	75.5
2019	792	62.5	12.6	68.1
2020	848	56.7	14.9	76.9
2021	808	61.0	13.2	80.6
2022	945	60.0	15.7	66.3
2023	908	57.5	15.7	53.9
2024	822	48.0	17.1	83.8

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 Sierra High School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$13,486
2020	$13,727
2021	$15,441
2022	$14,578
2023	$15,485

Data source: Colorado Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Sierra 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 330^th of 411 High schools	Ranks 315^th of 349 High schools	10%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	792	908	14.6%
African American	181	179	1.1%
American Indian	9	8	11.1%
Asian	29	22	24.1%
Hispanic	363	497	36.9%
Pacific Islander	10	4	60%
White	144	141	2.1%
Two or More Races	56	57	1.8%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	68.1%	53.9%	14.2%

Schools Near Sierra 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 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 Science 11th Grade	Total
Sierra High School	Public	9-12	2250 Jet Wing Drive	Colorado Springs	80916	El Paso County	Harrison School District No. 2	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 579-2090	822	48	17.1	83.8%	125 (15.2%)	151 (18.4%)	454 (55.2%)	21 (2.6%)	4 (0.5%)	5 (0.6%)	62 (7.5%)	18.4	288^th of 349 public high schools	17.5%		9.9	315^th of 349 public high schools	9.7%	27	40.0		45.0		37.0	11.0	20.8	$15,485
Atlas Preparatory High School	Public, Charter	9-12	1628 South Murray Blvd	Colorado Springs	80916	El Paso County	Harrison School District No. 2	Yes	No	No	Yes	(719) 358-7196	481	26	18.5	92.9%	24 (5.0%)	19 (4.0%)	421 (87.5%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.9%)	36	213^th of 349 public high schools	39.0%		50.6	157^th of 349 public high schools	55.0%	56		24.0	51.0	31.0	45.0	34.0		$3,627
James Irwin Charter High School	Public, Charter	9-12	5525 Astrozon Blvd.	Colorado Springs	80916	El Paso County	Harrison School District No. 2	Yes	No	No	No	(719) 576-8055	412	27	15.3	45.9%	113 (27.4%)	29 (7.0%)	211 (51.2%)	9 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.2%)	44 (10.7%)	80	62^nd of 349 public high schools	82.2%		82.7	54^th of 349 public high schools	84.5%	8	85.0	50.0	82.0	58.0	78.0	43.0	34.9	$16,123
Spring Creek Youth Services Center	Public	5-12	3190 East Las Vegas	Colorado Springs	80906	El Paso County	Division of Youth Services	No	No	No	No	(719) 329-6924																			(n/a)								$00
Harrison High School	Public	9-12	2755 Janitell Road	Colorado Springs	80906	El Paso County	Harrison School District No. 2	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 579-2080	1,143	51	22.3	82.5%	209 (18.3%)	164 (14.3%)	638 (55.8%)	26 (2.3%)	10 (0.9%)	8 (0.7%)	88 (7.7%)	18.9	287^th of 349 public high schools	17.8%		17.2	289^th of 349 public high schools	17.2%	2	48.0	11.0	52.0	18.0	39.0		11.8	$13,862
Career Readiness Academy	Public	9-12	2883 South Circle Drive	Colorado Springs	80906	El Paso County	Harrison School District No. 2	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 579-2580	85	4	21.2	92.9%	8 (9.4%)	18 (21.2%)	52 (61.2%)	1 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.2%)	5 (5.9%)								(n/a)								$14,410
Eastlake High School of Colorado Springs	Public, Charter	9-12	2520 Airport Road	Colorado Springs	80910	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	Yes	No	No	No	(719) 271-0145	123	8	15.7	90.2%	33 (26.8%)	12 (9.8%)	73 (59.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	1 (0.8%)	3 (2.4%)								(n/a)								$15,689
Mitchell High School	Public	9-12	1205 Potter Drive	Colorado Springs	80909	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 328-6600	784	47	16.5	77.0%	191 (24.4%)	71 (9.1%)	458 (58.4%)	7 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	54 (6.9%)	7.6	325^th of 349 public high schools	6.9%		7.7	321^st of 349 public high schools	8.0%	4	32.0	7.0	33.0	9.0	24.0	5.0	9.8	$17,588
Discovery High School	Public	9-12	701 Widefield Drive	Colorado Springs	80911	El Paso County	School District No. 3	No	No	No	No	(719) 391-3121	62	6	10.3	80.6%	27 (43.5%)	4 (6.5%)	23 (37.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (12.9%)								(n/a)								$18,776
Widefield High School	Public	9-12	615 Widefield Drive	Colorado Springs	80911	El Paso County	School District No. 3	No	No	No	No	(719) 391-3200	1,239	72	17.2	48.5%	536 (43.3%)	105 (8.5%)	409 (33.0%)	24 (1.9%)	6 (0.5%)	13 (1.0%)	146 (11.8%)	35.6	220^th of 349 public high schools	37.0%		32.8	223^rd of 349 public high schools	36.1%	3	58.0		61.0	25.0	48.0		21.3	$13,597

Sierra High School

Sierra High School:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Harrison School District No. 2:

What do you think?

Rank History for Sierra High School

Rank History for all students at Sierra High School

Rank History for Special Education students at Sierra High School

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

Rank History for Female students at Sierra High School

Rank History for Male students at Sierra High School

Rank History for African American students at Sierra High School

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sierra High School

Rank History for White students at Sierra High School

Enrollment information for Sierra High School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Sierra High School

Student/Teacher Ratio Sierra High School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Sierra High School

Impact of COVID-19 on Sierra High School

Rankings

Student Body

Schools Near Sierra High School

Frequently Asked Questions about Sierra High School

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