Founded as Cheyenne Mountain District Twelve (D12), it graduated its first class in 1872. Major constructions and renovations were undertaken in 1874, 1876, 1962, and 2016.
Cheyenne Mountain High School was established in 1872 serving as a single room schoolhouse, for ranchers near Cheyenne Creek.[7] In 1874, Cheyenne Mountain High School was moved to a location near The Broadmoor, to accommodate more students in the Broadmoor Area, known for its dairy farms. The high school was moved again, in 1962, with a total of 359 students, and in 2005, the old administrative building was converted into the Cheyenne Mountain Heritage Center.[8]
Cheyenne Mountain High School, formerly District Twelve, was named after Cheyenne Mountain, and the Cheyenne American Indians, and was opened in 1872. The school selected the Cheyenne Mountain Indian as its mascot. The first school year lasted 3 months, and the school had exactly 1 teacher, and about 9 students.[11]
Campus of Cheyenne Mountain High School
In 1876 the school had more families settling in the Colorado Territory, and District 12 constructed an additional 6 classrooms. The school hosted grades 1−12. But by 1890 the school year was expanded to about 7 months. Thereafter, the Colorado Springs and Interurban Railway System, (1890−1932)[12] was established and serviced the Cheyenne Mountain Country Club, and brought more families to the area. During 1899, proposal and construction of a new school would go underway due to the growing number of students.
In 1906, land was purchased that would become the site of Cheyenne Mountain Junior High, during which the trolley, still remained operations from downtown Colorado Springs, and later The Broadmoor, and the Broadmoor Golf Club, built by Spencer Penrose, and golf course architect Donald Ross, in 1918.[13] During 1945 the students increased to around 200 allowing for opportunities in nature which the teachers incorporated into their daily education for their students. The school was relocated to its present location in 1968.[13]
Mascot
Cheyenne Mountain High School, had been of increasing controversy because of its use of the Cheyenne Mountain Indian mascot, over a dozen Native American students and multiple tribal chiefs, voiced their concern to the school.[14] Limited due to the COVID−19 pandemic (2019–2023), a group of students gathered to protest at the high school parking lot during a school board meeting taking place at night. On March 7, 2021, the Cheyenne Mountain school board voted to retire the current high school mascot, a native american wearing the traditional headdress. On July 7, 2021, the Cheyenne Mountain school board changed the mascot to the Red-Tailed Hawk after facing a $25,000 penalty.[3]
Academics
Enrolment
As of the 2023–2024school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,268 studentsand 75.30 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 16.84, the student population annual enrolment being relatively stable. The teacher population has declined by 5.0 percent in a total span of five school years since 2025.
Despite its rather stable enrollment since 1872, 15.0 percent of students are economically disadvantaged. The total minority enrollment is 30.0 percent. As of the 2023–24 school year, the largest racial/ethnic group at Cheyenne Mountain was White, followed by Hispanic, then followed by multiracial Americans.[15]
The minimum graduation requirements for Cheyenne Mountain include eight semesters of English; six semesters of Math, Science, and Social Science, one semester of health, and physical education, and one year of fine arts. Cheyenne recommends students take at least two years of a foreign language. In 2016, construction crews expanded the school by renovating the academic wings, athletic fields, and multiple other parts of the school.[18] In 2024, 95.0 percent of the student body achieved and met graduation standards.
As of 2025, the school's curriculum offered 32 Advanced Placement (AP) classes. This includes STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), social sciences, visual and performing arts, and AP Language courses and their literature complements in English, French, Spanish, and German. The school's honors and AP classes are offered under a "withdraw fail, withdraw pass" policy; students are encouraged to take advanced courses if they feel like they can.[19]
Extracurricular activities
Athletics
Cheyenne Mountain has offered athletic programs since 1916.[20] As of 2025, the school offered 28 varsity sport teams.[21] The sports are run under the Cheyenne Mountain Athletics Boosters, and include hockey (boys), tennis, cross country, soccer, swimming, golf, lacrosse, field hockey (girls), football (boys), baseball (boys), track and field, basketball, and volleyball (girls).[22][23] Athletics at Cheyenne Mountain are funded by parental donations and the Cheyenne Mountain Athletics Boosters. The school provides both facilities and an athletic trainer for the sport program. The school's athletic rival is the Air Academy High School.[24]
As of 2025 Cheyenne Mountain High School has won over 100 state championships and the most in the entire Colorado Springs metropolitan area.[25] Cheyenne Mountain competes in the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA).[26] Several school teams have won multiple 4A titles, including baseball (boys), basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football (boys), golf, ice hockey, lacrosse (boys) track, soccer, swimming, tenis, volleyball (girls), and wrestling.[27] The school's A Capella Crimson was the International Championship of High School A Capella champions in 2005; runner-up in 2006 and 2007, Slate was the International Championship of High School A Capella runner-up in 2006. In 2023, the cross country team recorded the second fastest team average in United States history.[28][29]
Notable alumni
Cheyenne Mountain High School sports and music alumni include, Major League Baseball players such as pitcher, Brandon McCarthy , and Dave Mlicki. Other athletes that graduated from Cheyenne include National Basketball Association player Canyon Barry ,[30] and Steve Johnson,[31] a member of Duke University's 2010 NCAA National Basketball Championship team. And former National Football League player, Matt Darwin. And skilled CellistJohann Sebastian Paetsch.[32] Cheyenne is also home to a soldier, recipient of the Medal of Honor in World War II, Floyd K. Lindstrom, and John Arthur Love, a former Colorado governor from 1963 to 1973 and American author Rebecca (Hampton) Yarros.[33]
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