North High School is a comprehensive, traditional neighborhood high school located in Northwest Denver committed to ensuring all students are college and career ready. North has 1,610 main campus (9th-12th grade) students in 2024-25, and offers small school supports and personal attention with all of the opportunities of a traditional, comprehensive high school.
North High ensures the post-secondary academic and personal success of our diverse community of learners through the use of data-informed, differentiated supports. We celebrate and leverage the assets of our rich legacy and culture of Viking Pride to create a climate of high expectations and mutual respect.
Founded in 1883, traditions about at North and the school boasts a long history of graduates who have gone on to become leaders in our community and beyond. Our state-of-the-art campus underwent a $35 million renovation completed in 2011 and our Gymnasium wing saw $2.5 million in renovations in 2019. Our 1911 building is the historic centerpiece of Northwest Denver. Click here for a flyover tour of our campus.
North offers diverse electives, a robust concurrent enrollment program and over 50 rigorous Honors, Advanced Placement and Concurrent Enrollment classes. Elective include musical arts, world languages, theater, physical education, engineering, medical sciences, visual arts, JROTC leadership training and career and technical education options both in-house and at CEC Early College. Most importantly, our outstanding, caring, passionate teachers work with our students in our classrooms every day. North has a thriving arts scene. We offer 28 different arts classes including drama, fine art, instrumental music, choir, filmmaking and audio production. We encourage you to view Courses Offered 2024-2025 for a complete list of our course offerings.
North offers 26 competitive CHSAA athletic teams and two club sports in 2024-25, Nearly half of all students participate in at least one sport. Viking athletes consistently compete in and win league and state championships and are known for high levels of sportsmanship. North Army JROTC is an extremely strong program. Student leadership opportunities abound and high quality extracurriculars and clubs offer additional ways for students to get involved.
For the fourth year in a row, North High School has achieved the third highest graduation rate in DPS among all comprehensive high schools with a 4 year, on time graduation rate for the Class of 2023 of 93.6%. Only East and Northfield (non-Title I schools) had higher graduation rates than North.
North High School prepares students for post-secondary success. It is our mission to ensure every child in our building is college and career ready and will flourish in a 21st Century workforce. We offer a small school environment with large school facilities, offerings and an outstanding faculty and administration team.
Read some of the reasons our students and their families choose North:
“North gives me a place to be myself. I am challenged to be my best self and given infinite opportunities to grow. I can always count on North teachers and staff to empower me and give me what I need to succeed.”
Ada, Class of 2022
“North has all of the offerings of a big high school without compromising the sense of community that small high schools have. It’s the best of both worlds!”
Rico, Class of 2021
“North is an amazing place to be. I have been to three different high schools and by a landslide North is my favorite. I have never been at a place where diversity is so accepted and appreciated and the people here will go out of their way to help you. Homecoming week is the best week of the year and everyone is so happy. Biggest advice? Get involved. I play volleyball and I love it but anything you can do to get yourself involved is so important. North High is the place to be!”
Maggie, Class of 2021
“What I like about North is all the amazing opportunities and all the supports that it provides. They have amazing classes, all the events North has are always so fun, especially Homecoming.”
Elisa, Class of 2022
“The beautiful thing about North High school is that it will always be what you want it be: a team, a stepping stone to college, a friend, a family, a home, or all of the above.”
Evan, Class of 2020
“I like that when ever you need support North goes above and beyond to help you. Any staff in the building you can go to if you’re falling behind on grades or need something personal. I enjoy all the opportunities they provide, to help you reach your goals during high school and after high school.”
Alani, Class of 2021
“North is a crazy place, but crazy in a good way. People you never thought could come together come together and it’s really beautiful to see. We have an amazing community which is something that’s hard to find.”
Ayla, Class of 2020
“North offers so many different classes and extracurricular activities that help you to push yourself in a variety of ways and build strong bonds with the people you meet.”
Madison, Class of 2021
“North never gives up on its students. It pushes us all to do our very best, teaches us to believe in ourselves, and loves us all for who we are.”
Priscilla, Class of 2022
At North High School, our teachers are organized on teams that share a group of students, enabling them to collaborate more effectively on student needs. Before a new 9th grader enters our door, our freshmen team teachers and counselors have reviewed student data and developed an individualized academic plan for each student so that they can reach their full potential. This model is adapted for all grade level teams to ensure students are continually challenged and pushing themselves toward college and career readiness.
Instruction time at North High School emphasizes a structure where students are expanding their learning in core subjects. A longer school day (8:25 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) provides increased class time and the opportunity for our students to take seven classes daily typically including the four core subjects of math, English, social studies and science and three electives. All students who are not yet proficient in reading and/or math take an additional reading or math intervention class. We encourage you to view Courses Offered 2024-2025 for a complete list of our course offerings.
North’s student to teacher ratio across all core subject classes is 20:1. The average core class size is 24.
North’s school culture values rigorous academics, diversity, equity, and inclusion and North teachers are deeply committed to these values. We regularly engage in brave dialogue on race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and other dimensions of culture. This leads to the development of a welcoming environment for students and families from diverse backgrounds.
North is the only DPS high school designated as a “DPS Teacher Academy”, proof of the strength and high quality of instruction provided to our students. 14 student teachers are full-time in many core subject classrooms working with students alongside master teachers. North has a staff retention rate of over 90% for the past three years, far outpacing the DPS average.
North teachers post grades online at least weekly. Students and their parents/guardians are able to view grades online through Schoology real time.
North provides a wide array of Honors, Pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement (AP) courses for students who want to delve deeper into content. Students can take AP courses like: Computer Science, English Language, English Literature, Spanish Language, Spanish Literature, Biology, Environmental Science, and many others.
Please view Courses Offered 2024-2025 to see Advanced Placement options.
Students in AP classes take an exam in May and, based on their scores, are eligible for college credit.
North High School partners with the University of Colorado at Denver (CU Succeeds), Metro State University and Community College of Denver via concurrent enrollment to provide college level classes on the North High campus. Students in their sophomore, junior and senior year can take Concurrent Enrollment courses at North. Course tuition is paid for by Denver Public Schools. Courses include college-level classes like: Statistics, English Composition I and II, Creative Writing, College Algebra and Trigonometry, Women in US History, Intro to Computer Graphics and many others. We encourage you to view Courses Offered 2024-2025 for a complete list of our Concurrent Enrollment course offerings.
Advisement is key to the close-knit, family culture at North. Students meet with their small Advisement class and teacher weekly for one hour. Advisement teachers focus on establishing close relationships with their students and getting to know their students’ families as well. Lessons are delivered in during Advisement, including SAT test prep lessons and others.
The Deans and Student Support Liaisons at North are an integral part of our school community. Our Student Support Team comes with 35+ years of combined experience in education. The Student Support Team’s philosophy is based on Restorative Practice. Restorative Practice is grounded in the guiding principle that everyone has a voice in any situation of wrong doing. Restorative Practice supports thriving relationships, student voice and accountability among students, their peers, and educators.
North High School prides itself on its ability to meet the individual needs of each student. There are programs at every level of student learning.
North also provides a wide array of wrap-around services for additional student support.
At North High School we encourage students to explore their passions outside of the four core subject areas. North offers a wealth of electives, from Theater and Filmmaking to Engineering and AP Studio Art. Electives allow students to develop a depth of knowledge in their interest area over time. Read more about elective course offerings at North High.
North has an exceptionally strong athletic program and offers teams for all student levels of ability. North also has an impressive history with several of its teams that can been seen from the variety of banners hanging in the Gymnasium. Most recently, Cross Country, Boys Soccer, Boys and Girls Tennis, Boys and Girls Golf, Boys Baseball, Cheerleading, Wrestling, and Boys Basketball have earned invitations to CHSAA League and State Playoffs and CHSAA State Tournaments in their respective divisions during the the past several years. Our athletic programs are making accelerated growth and we anticipate that all of our scholar-athletes and teams will continue to compete and challenge themselves and each other, on a daily basis with the highest level of sportsmanship,
Athletics offered at North:
Fall:
Winter:
Spring:
Faculty and staff at North host an array of clubs, affinity groups and activities for students. Some of these clubs and groups include: Mock Trial, Jewish Cultural Club, Diversity in STEM Club, Gender and Sexualities Alliance (GSA), Asian Pacific Islander Student Alliance, Sustainable Solutions Club, Speech & Debate, National Art Honors Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, and many others
North High has a thriving, inclusive, powerhouse drama program, the Black Masque Theatre. Under the direction of Ms. Megen Gilman, North’s thespians and behind-the-scenes tech students mount several productions annually:
Under the provisions of the Concurrent Enrollment Programs Act, college-ready sophomores, juniors and seniors may take courses through post-secondary institutions and apply credit earned toward high school graduation as well as receive college credit.
North High School’s Advanced Placement (AP) and Concurrent Enrollment courses are a rigorous choice that strengthens students’ transcripts for college applications and provides college credit. Read about these course offerings at North High.
Denver Public Schools will pay the tuition for up to two courses per academic term. Costs for books, fees, and transportation will not be paid. If a student fails the course(s), he or she or his or her parent/guardian will be required to reimburse the district for the cost of tuition.
The ASCENT/College First Program allows students who meet the specifications to take a full year of tuition-free college credit the year following their senior high school year. Students must submit an Intent to Participate application to their counselor during registration of their senior year and have completed 9 college credit hours by the end of their senior year.
Our Class of 2024, 300 strong, earned over $16M in scholarship awards and are currently attending colleges and universities around the state and country, including: