What makes Cherry Creek the best high school? (Denver, Aurora: relocating, transplants)

[pastpete]

We may be relocating there in about a month or so and school will be starting very quickly so we need to decide which school district to settle in. My kids are 16, 15 and 11 so we will only be looking for middle schools and high schools. Are there other high schools that are good?

[Katiana]

I wish I had time to fully answer this right now, but alas, work is interfering with my City-Data life! Yes, there are lots of good high schools here. Lots of people will chime in with their opinions, so weigh each carefully. My kids graduated from Monarch High School in Louisville, part of the Boulder Valley School District. Where will you be working? That will be the big determinate about where you locate, e.g. N, S, E, or W. Then you can take it from there.

[MileHi]

You may also want to check out this list for ideas on top ranked schools in the area. Filter on Colorado.

America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com

[BlueWillowPlate]

As Katiana says, look at where you will be working, and try to add that into your decision.
Much as been posted here about Denver public schools. (And parochial. And private...)
Use your "Search" button at the top of your City Data screen.
I had one kid graduate from George Washington, while my younger one (and I) attended East High.

[pastpete]

My husband's job would be in Aurora so we'd like to settle close to there. I will check out the link you gave MileHi. Thanks.

[formercalifornian]

You might want to consider how well your kids do in LARGE schools. As transplants, your children will not belong to the "school within a school" that comes with attending lower grades in the district. Some kids find their niches quickly, while others flounder trying to find their places. The academics can be great, as they apparently are at Cherry Creek, but if your kids will be overwhelmed by the size of the community, it won't matter. If smaller would be better for your family, D'Evelyn Junior/Senior High School frequently comes up in conversations about great Denver Metro schools. On the flipside, large schools like Cherry Creek offer lots of extra-curricular activities that smaller schools can't even dream of offering, so if your kids are football stars, musical prodigies, or chess champions, a large school may be just the place for them. My suggestion is to make a list of all the schools that interest you and then make an appointment to visit each one with your kids before you make your final decision.

[2bindenver]

Cherry Creek school district is considered one of the best in the metro area - what specifically make a school good is personal to you - and the kids.

What is important to you in a school? What interests do your kids have?

[wanttomoveeast]

Is it the money (from the parents living in the area) that makes Cherry Creek so good? Katiana, answer whenever your annoying work is done. hahaha

[bhcompy]

You may want to look into Douglas county schools as well. In our research, the douglas county schools(in highlands ranch and parker) are every bit as good as cherry creek schools and overall(when you take every school into account) rate higher as far as performance numbers go from the data we went off of. houses there are also more affordable(better $/sqft)

[wanttomoveeast]

this is interesting. You just mentioned two other Denver areas that are rumored to contain wealthy people. Although housing prices do differ. I think that might be because Cherry Creek is very central, unlike Highlands Ranch or Parker.