Original Research by School Decision on Manitou Springs High School
Manitou Springs High School serves grades nine through twelve as a regular public school within Manitou Springs School District 14. It sits in the town of Manitou Springs, a compact historic settlement at the base of Pikes Peak in western El Paso County. The school is the only traditional high school in the district and draws its students from the town and its immediate surroundings.
The student body is small for a high school of its grade span, and the community it serves is distinctive. Manitou Springs is a tourist destination built around natural mineral springs, with a downtown corridor of independent shops, restaurants, and creekside parks. Locals describe the town’s character as proudly independent, even eccentric, favoring small businesses over chains. The geography is tight—roughly three square miles hemmed in by mountains and canyons—and the Manitou Springs Historic District places regulatory constraints on new development, so growth has been modest. For a family considering this school, the setting is not a generic suburb or exurb; it is a walkable, tourist-oriented village with a strong sense of place and a government that has recently committed to funding its schools.
The demographics of the high school reflect the town’s overall composition. A large majority of students are white. Hispanic students make up a modest share of the enrollment, and Asian, Black, and multiracial students each account for very small portions. More than a third of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which for a small town with a tourism-driven economy is a meaningful indicator of economic diversity within the community.
We looked for state assessment results, a four-year graduation rate, and chronic absenteeism data for this school but found that none of these metrics were available in the information provided. Because Manitou Springs High School serves the full high school grade range, these are measures that typically apply, and their absence is a notable gap. A parent or resident interested in academic outcomes should seek this information directly from the school or the district to get a clear picture of performance.
What is available is evidence of district-level financial support. In 2023, voters approved an extension of the district’s existing mill levy override without raising the tax rate, generating continued annual revenue that the district says is used for teacher and staff compensation and educational programs. That signal, combined with the town’s historic character and constrained geography, suggests a school that is financially stable and likely to hold relatively steady in enrollment rather than rapidly expanding.
Manitou Springs High School offers a small-school experience in a town with a vivid identity. Its peer environment is shaped by a majority-white student body with a significant share of students from lower-income households. For a family that values a close-knit, walkable community with a distinct local culture and that is willing to investigate academic and graduation data directly, this school fits a certain profile. For others, the missing test and graduation metrics are a caution that requires follow-up before forming a judgment.
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