Reporting by Nate Trela, Fort Collins Coloradoan
One of Denver’s newer schools took the top spot in U.S. News’ rankings of the best public high schools in Colorado, making it the top high school in the best state for education.
Northfield High School was ranked No. 1 in the U.S. News & World Report list, rising up just over a decade after its first freshman class entered in 2015. It was built as part of the redevelopment of the former Stapleton Airport site into what is now the Central Park Neighborhood in northeast Denver.
The top tier for Colorado has some turnover from the 2025-26 rankings, with Northfield joining five other high schools new to the top 10 this time around.
U.S. News reviewed about 27,000 high schools nationally. They were evaluated based on six performance indicators, including student achievement on state-required assessments, graduation rates and college readiness. It ranked nearly 18,000 of the schools.
According to the report, Colorado does not have many elite public high schools. Northfield, ranked No. 601 nationally, and Aspen High School in Aspen, ranked No. 847, were the only Colorado high schools in the top 5% of the country.
What are the top high schools in Colorado?
U.S. News only published reports and rankings for public high schools, examining more than 500 in Colorado. Nine of the top 10 were along the front range.
- Northfield High School, Denver
- Aspen High School, Aspen
- Fairview High School, Boulder
- Niwot High School, Niwot
- Discovery Canyon Campus School, Colorado Springs
- D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School, Denver
- The Vanguard School, Colorado Springs
- Centaurus High School, Lafayette
- Stargate Charter School, Thornton
- Thunderridge High School, Highlands Ranch
What are the top high schools in the US?
Six of the top 10 in 2025-26 landed in the top 10 again, but there is a new No. 1.
- Central Magnet School, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
- Signature School, Evansville, Indiana
- Julia R. Masterman Secondary School, Philadelphia
- Davidson Academy, Reno, Nevada
- School Without Walls High School, Washington D.C.
- Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Virginia
- Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, Lawrenceville, Georgia
- The School for the Talented and Gifted, Dallas
- Nikola Tesla STEM High School, Redmond, Washington
- The Science Academy STEM Magnet, North Hollywood, California
Nate Trela covers trending news in Colorado and Utah for the USA TODAY Network, with an emphasis on consumer finance, legal issues and state laws.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan.
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