Cheyenne Mountain High School

My biggest problem is the school does not care about the kids. They have a teacher that gets multiple complaints but they do nothing and they have no option because she is the only one that teaches that class and it is a required class for all students to graduate. The principle and dean support her and not the students. Many of the teachers are great, but not all of them. I am very thankful for the understanding and support of the counselors. They are amazing.
—Submitted by a parent

Raised in the Cheyenne System and graduated from the High School. It is a wonderful school that stresses excellence in everything from academics to sports to fine arts. It's also the only school I'll consider sending my own children to.
—Submitted by a student

This school prides itself on being a college prep school. I graduated ready for college and my college classes were very easy for me. If you want a dumbed down high school send your kids to Harrison. They can train to be Walmart employees,
—Submitted by a student

This is the top school district in all of Colorado Springs. As a parent of two college aged kids who came up through the CMSD, I am so glad we chose this district. As a parent of a highly successful student and one with special needs (asperger's), we felt both needs were met through CM. Through the LEAD program, our son matured and gained the confidence to become his own advocate. It gave him the ability to leave home and step out of his comfort zone. We are truly grateful to the staff and friends they made at CM. Our other student is in an engineering school and credits CM with preparing her adequately for the rigorous classes she has in college. She said she was definitely more prepared than her fellow classmates.
—Submitted by a parent

Most blaring problem is there is NO SCHOOL BUS -at all- and the public bus will not take the kids either. So you have to do all the transportation to a public shool. Do not expect them to contact you if your kid gets behind. They don't care. It is run like a university, expecting 14 year olds to take full responsibility with no parental or teacher involvment whatsoever. And God help you if your kid gets sick. Parents are required to bring kid to school for exactly the # of hours missed and make up all those hours, even PE, on your own time. It is a wealthy part of town, very snobbish and condescending, and many teachers are the same. They assume you have a servant or a stay-at-home mom who lives only to transport kids for 6 hours a day. Any missed assignment is a zero by the time you find out, with no way to fix it. My hubby and I both have graduate degrees, and any University is more focused on helping students than this place. This school honestly doesn't care at al if your kids pass or fail.
—Submitted by a parent

My four brothers and I graduated from Cheyenne, kindergarten through 12th. The school was amazing when we were there so my husband and I decided that our kids should experience the excellent education that the 5 of us received. How wrong we were! The school teaches to the top 9%, if you are not in that group you might as well be invisible, no communication from teachers until after the semester is over, horrible, horrible special education, the teachers don't give a darn. I deeply regret sending our kids through District 12, if I could do it over again they would be in Academy school district 20. Don't send your kids to Cheyenne School Distrcits.
—Submitted by a parent

I have had three children attend CMHS. Two were classic over achievers and they excelled. One of my children, however, has severe ADHD and needed a lot of assistance. I found both the administration and the teachers seriously lacking in understanding and the ability to handle a child with educational difficulties. I too found the parent portal to be of little assistance. Teachers only emailed if there was a behavioral difficulty and only identified grade issues at the end of the semester where little could be done to address the issue.
—Submitted by a parent

If you have a child that begins to struggle, you won't hear about it from a teacher or guidance counselor. You'll first learn of it from a progress report or a report card; even though emails and telephone numbers are readily available to the teachers. The administration advises you to monitor the portal page but most teachers are quite lax about keeping the portal current. Many are delinquent at responding to emails and telephone calls. Our daughter was an honor student and graduated from CMHS so we did not experience these challenges with her teachers. Our son who is four years behind her attended but has had difficulty in the math and sciences departments. The teachers we have worked with have been a disappointment, with rare exception.
—Submitted by a parent

Blue Ribbon School, yes, AP classes, yes! But leadership needs to be refreshed and the kids that are off track need more support. So, if you are a high achiever, you will excel. If you need help - this is a public school setting and you may need to look elsewhere. There is a LEAD program, but what happens if that 1 teacher is gone?
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent school in all respects. I have 3 children who graduated from CMHS, all doing well in their respective colleges. One has graduated from the University of Chicago with Honors and a higher grade point average than he was able to achieve in HS. Excellent teachers, staff facilites and coaches. I wish I could go bact to this HS!
—Submitted by a parent

I attended this school within a a reasonable amount of year. I would have gone no where else if i were educated on the educational facts and the student body. Like any other school it will contain a misfit or two but the education quality is paramount. You are in college class rooms day in and day out from the moment you step into the school. I wouldnt trade in my education or social years spent at CMHS for anything.
—Submitted by a parent

the academics are good and the art's program is fantastic but there is very little personal education focus, there is little hands on learning and too many umbrella standards, certain teachers will provide a great class while others teaching the same subject will not make the information clear,uuuuuuuuuuunsett
—Submitted by a student

CMHS is an excellent school, with great teachers and involved administrators. My child had emotional difficulties while in high school, and the folks at CM were helpful and responsive throughout her four years there. The students are held to very high standards academically and are ready for work at competitive colleges after graduation. CM's theater, musical theater, music and arts program are great. Too much emphasis on football, but isn't that the case everywhere... And it would be so much better if the student body was more diverse! But all in all, a great experience, and we never regretted having to move just to have our child in District 12.
—Submitted by a parent

While the academics are good, the kids their are out of control and parents do very little to keep the students in line.
—Submitted by a former student

Cheyenne Mountain High School is the best of quality in educational standards, communication with parents, a sense of community with sports participation and excellent teachers to top it all off. I think the district in a whole examples what public education should look like across the USA. This is what I experienced while growing up in public education and our US Dept of Education needs to review the Cheyenne Mountain District's model and share it with others schools where failure is at an all time high.
—Submitted by Ann, a parent

Cheyenne Mountain is an excellent school. The teachers really care about your child's well-being, and they care more about what you learn than what grades you receive. This school offers various AP courses, which are comparable to the rigors one will experience in college. Students leaving Cheyenne Mountain make a smooth transition to college because of the difficulty of this school.
—Submitted by a parent

Premiere school in the area. Excellent facilities and teachers. More variety and number of extracurricular activities would be nice.
—Submitted by a former student

as a former student of this high shool i would first like to say cheyenne would be one of the best choices you could make for your child. The teaching and coaching staff of cheyenne is among the best. many of the teachers themselves went to Cheyenne. The preperation that this school offers is amazing. the fact that the school does so well on all of its test scores is great too. my expierience at cheyenne is on of the best in my life so far. great school, great teachers, it would be a great choice for your student.
—Submitted by a student

I have two girls in this and it is the greatest school I have seen. The academics are high and the extracurriculers are outstanding. The teachers are amazing and flexible with their time. The students are wonderful and kind. My older children went to schools on the east coast and their education is nothing compared to what my daughters are recieving at Cheyenne. All students are encourged to do their best and strive to academic and overall achievment. I know my daughters love this school and its environment, and I would like to thank the teachers and this district for helping to shape a excellent future for them.
—Submitted by a parent

If you want your child to have a brilliant education, then by all means, this is your school. This school district has spent so much time building it's academic reputation, it has neglected it's students. The extreme elitist and judgmental atmosphere resulted in a change of schools for my children. An intelligent student will form here, but only on a scholarly level. Interpersonal skills, self-esteem, and a stable confidence must be developed elsewhere, because they sure won't be at Cheyenne.
—Submitted by a parent