Highlands Ranch School Guide 2026: Boundaries and Enrollment

Highlands Ranch schools are run by one public district, the Douglas County School District (DCSD), and the home's street address decides the assigned elementary, middle and high school. This Highlands Ranch school guide lists the district's four feeder patterns inside the community, the 13 DCSD elementary schools with Highlands Ranch addresses, the charter and alternative schools, the 2026-27 consolidations, the open enrollment dates and the one tool that settles every boundary question: the DCSD School Locator Map. No rankings here, on purpose; the district and each school publish their own performance data, and we are real estate agents, not educators. REALTOR® Brian Lee Burke and our team of real estate agents at The Kenna Group at Keller Williams DTC check the assigned schools on every Highlands Ranch home we show. Call or text 303-955-4220. A live person answers.

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The four Highlands Ranch feeder patterns

DCSD assigns schools in feeder chains: the elementary boundary feeds one middle school, which feeds one high school. These are the chains that cover Highlands Ranch addresses, from the district's locator layers (July 27, 2026). Addresses are the schools' own; ZIP codes are Highlands Ranch unless noted.

Highlands Ranch High School feeder

• High school (9-12): Highlands Ranch High School, 9375 Cresthill Ln, Highlands Ranch 80130
• Middle school (6-8): Cresthill Middle School, 9195 Cresthill Ln, Highlands Ranch 80130
• Elementary (K-5): Arrowwood (10345 Arrowwood Dr, 80130); Cougar Run (8780 Venneford Ranch Rd, 80126); Silver Spruce (6585 Collegiate Dr, 80130); Eagle Ridge (7716 Timberline Rd, Lone Tree 80124)

Mountain Vista High School feeder

• High school (9-12): Mountain Vista High School, 10585 Mountain Vista Ridge, Highlands Ranch 80126
• Middle school (6-8): Mountain Ridge Middle School, 10590 Mountain Vista Ridge, Highlands Ranch 80126
• Elementary (K-5): Bear Canyon (9660 Salford Ln, 80126); Copper Mesa (3501 Poston Pkwy, 80126); Mountain Peak (10200 Piedmont Dr, 80126); Northridge (555 Southpark Rd, 80126); Sand Creek (8898 S Maplewood Dr, 80126)

ThunderRidge High School feeder

• High school (9-12): ThunderRidge High School, 1991 W Wildcat Reserve Pkwy, Highlands Ranch 80129
• Middle school (6-8): Ranch View Middle School, 1731 W Wildcat Reserve Pkwy, Highlands Ranch 80129
• Elementary (K-5): Coyote Creek (2861 Baneberry Ct, 80129); Golden Ridge (1305 Timbervale Trl, 80129); Stone Mountain (10625 Weathersfield Way, 80129); Trailblazer (9760 S Hackberry St, 80129); Roxborough Primary and Intermediate (Littleton 80125, for the Roxborough area)

Rock Canyon High School feeder

• High school (9-12): Rock Canyon High School, 5810 McArthur Ranch Rd, Littleton 80124
• Middle school (6-8): Rocky Heights Middle School, 11033 Monarch Blvd, Littleton 80124
• Elementary (K-5): Redstone (9970 Glenstone Cir, Highlands Ranch 80130); Wildcat Mountain (6585 Lionshead Pkwy, Littleton 80124); Buffalo Ridge and Timber Trail (Castle Pines 80108)

Rock Canyon and Rocky Heights sit just east of Highlands Ranch in the Lone Tree 80124 area but take Highlands Ranch addresses around Redstone; Eagle Ridge Elementary in Lone Tree feeds into the Highlands Ranch High School chain. That is why the map, not the city name, is the check.

2026-27 consolidations: three Highlands Ranch elementary schools have new names

On April 22, 2025 the DCSD Board of Education approved pairing six Highlands Ranch elementary schools into three, effective fall 2026, after enrollment in the older sections declined. The names were approved December 16, 2025 (DCSD Growth and Decline page):

• Acres Green + Fox Creek became Silver Spruce Elementary (6585 Collegiate Dr, 80130), Highlands Ranch High School feeder.
• Heritage + Summit View became Mountain Peak Elementary (10200 Piedmont Dr, 80126), Mountain Vista feeder.
• Saddle Ranch + Eldorado became Golden Ridge Elementary (1305 Timbervale Trl, 80129), ThunderRidge feeder.

The district kept the closed buildings in use: the Heritage building now houses Cloverleaf Enrichment School (DCSD's home-school enrichment program), the Saddle Ranch building houses the Bridge transition and Child Find programs, and the Acres Green building is getting roof work through the 2026-27 year. If a listing or an older map still names Acres Green, Fox Creek, Heritage, Summit View, Saddle Ranch or Eldorado, run the address through the locator for the current assignment.

Charter, alternative and private schools in Highlands Ranch

DCSD-authorized charter schools have no attendance boundary; any district resident can apply through the school's own enrollment process, usually a lottery when demand exceeds seats. Those with Highlands Ranch addresses (DCSD locator, 2026):

• Ben Franklin Academy, PK-8, 2270 Plaza Dr, 80129
• Platte River Academy, PK-8, 4085 Lark Sparrow St, 80126
• SkyView Academy, PK-12, 6161 Business Center Dr, 80130
• STEM School Highlands Ranch, K-12, 8773 Ridgeline Blvd, 80129

DCSD alternative programs in Highlands Ranch: Plum Creek Academy (grades 6-12, 9340 Commerce Center St, 80129) and the Bridge transition program at 805 English Sparrow Trl. Several private schools also operate in Highlands Ranch; private schools set their own admissions and tuition and are not on the DCSD locator, so confirm details with each school directly.

Open enrollment in DCSD: the 2027-28 dates

DCSD lets a student apply to any district school on a space-available basis. For the 2027-28 school year (DCSD Choice Programming page, October 2026):

• First round: 8:00 a.m. November 2, 2026 to 4:00 p.m. December 1, 2026. Offers post in the EngagED parent portal December 8; accept by 4:00 p.m. December 15. The first round is ordered by district preference points, not first come, first served.
• Second round: 8:00 a.m. January 22, 2027 to 4:00 p.m. August 2, 2027.
• Returning to the neighborhood school after an open enrollment: intent-to-return forms are due to the assigned school's registrar by January 5, 2027.
• New to the district: admissions paperwork is due by January 11, 2027 for the 2027-28 year; families who move in after the windows close enroll at the assigned school for the address.

A student already at the assigned neighborhood school does nothing; the assignment follows the address.

Highlands Ranch pages

• Highlands Ranch homes for sale
• Highlands Ranch area guide
• Highlands Ranch neighborhood guide
• HRCA, rec centers and address checks
• Highlands Ranch property taxes guide
• First-time home buyers in Highlands Ranch
• Moving to Highlands Ranch: prices, HOA fees, pros and cons
• Highlands Ranch Realtors and real estate agents

The Kenna Group is a real estate group with Keller Williams Realty DTC, LLC (Keller Williams DTC), 6300 S Syracuse Way, Suite 150, Centennial, CO 80111, formerly known as Kenna Real Estate Group, serving Denver metro home buyers and sellers.

We are real estate agents, not school district staff. School assignments, boundaries, enrollment windows and program details come from the Douglas County School District as of October 2026 and change; confirm every detail with DCSD or the school before you rely on it. Equal Housing Opportunity.