East High School
East High School serves 2,581 students in grades 9-12.
East High School placed in the top 5% of all schools in Colorado for overall test scores (math proficiency is top 10%, and reading proficiency is top 5%) for the 2018-19 school year.
The percentage of students achieving proficiency in math is 60% (which is higher than the Colorado state average of 35%) for the 2018-19 school year. The percentage of students achieving proficiency in reading/language arts is 77% (which is higher than the Colorado state average of 47%) for the 2018-19 school year.
The student:teacher ratio of 21:1 is higher than the Colorado state level of 15:1.
Minority enrollment is 48% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is equal to the Colorado state average of 48% (majority Hispanic).
Top Rankings
East High School ranks among the top 20% of public schools in Colorado for:
Category
Attribute
Overall Rank
Math Proficiency
Reading/Language Arts Proficiency
Graduation Rate
School Overview
East High School's student population of 2,581 students has stayed relatively flat over five school years.
The teacher population of 124 teachers has declined by 7% over five school years.
Grades Offered
Grades 9-12
(offers virtual instruction)
(offers virtual instruction)
Total Students
2,581 students

Gender %

Total Classroom Teachers
124 teachers

Students by Grade

School Calendar
School Rankings
East High School is ranked within the top 5% of all 1,783 schools in Colorado (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2018-19 school year.
The diversity score of East High School is 0.66, which is more than the diversity score at state average of 0.61. The school's diversity has stayed relatively flat over five school years.
Overall Testing Rank
#86 out of 1783 schools
(Top 5%)
(Top 5%)

Math Test Scores (% Proficient)
60%
35%

Reading/Language Arts Test Scores (% Proficient)
77%
47%

Student : Teacher Ratio
21:1
15:1

American Indian
1%
1%

Asian
3%
3%

Hispanic
21%
34%

Black
16%
5%

White
52%
52%

Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
Two or more races
7%
5%

All Ethnic Groups



Graduation Rate
94%
80%

Eligible for Free Lunch
26%
33%

Eligible for Reduced Lunch
4%
7%

School Statewide Testing
School District Name
Source: 2020-2021 (latest school year available) NCES, CO Dept. of Education
School Notes
- East High School is a High School located in Denver, Colorado. It is part of the Denver Public Schools System.
- History: East opened in 1875 at 1731 Arapahoe Street and was the first high school in Denver. The first graduating class was in 1877. In 1889 it moved to 19th and Stout because of a need for more room. This location is now referred to as "Old East." The school featured a gracious flight of stairs leading to the entrance, which was notable for its sculpture of the face of a young girl, sculpted as an Angel. School architect Robert S. Roeschlaub and the school board decided to use a local childhood beauty instead of a Greek face to symbolize the school's "dedication to youth." The sculptor was Preston Powers, famous for his statue of the Indian on the grounds of the state capitol. Five thousand girls across the city were visited as part of a campaign to find the model for the face and six-year-old Ella Catherine Matty was selected. The statue was so lovely that East High students have since been East Angels. When "Old East" was demolished in 1925, this keystone was removed and placed in a rock garden at the current location of East, 1545 Detroit St. The architect was Denver native George Hebard Williamson, an 1893 graduate of East High. He won national recognition for his design of the "new" East, which has a clock tower modeled after Independence Hall in Philadelphia. East is the largest school In early 1991, the East High building was declared an official Denver Historic Landmark by the Denver Landmark Commission and the Denver City Council. In July 2005 a music video for the song Over My Head (Cable Car), The Fray (band) was filmed in East High. East is also a Colorado 5A sports powerhouse in several sports including basketball (State Champions in 2004) soccer, lacrosse, rugby (state champions in 1997, 2002, and 2004) and football (In 2006 the Angels made it to the 5A playoffs for the first time in 12 years). The East men's basketball was recentley named the best basketball team in the state according to RISE Magazine and Sports Illustrated.
- Alumni: Beat icon Neal Cassady attended East for a short time.
- Don Cheadle.
- Judy Collins.
- Three members of Earth, Wind & Fire who were East Alumni were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Philip Bailey, Andrew Woolfolk, Larry Dunn.
- Douglas Fairbanks, who was expelled from East High went on to become one of the most famous silent movie stars of all time.
- Pam Grier.
- General Robert T. Herres, first Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
- Harold Lloyd.
- Hattie McDaniel (the first African American to win an Oscar for her performance in Gone with the Wind).
- Ron Miles.
- Antoinette Perry (the namesake of the Tony Awards).
- Dianne Reeves.
- Marilyn VanDerBar (1958 Miss America).
- Paul Whiteman.
- George Hebard Williamson architect of East High.
- Bill Frisell jazz guitarist.
- Adam Cayton-Holland writer at the Westword newspaper.
- Golda Mier attended though did not graduate from East High School.
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