Ponderosa High School

Ponderosa High School, commonly referred to as Pondo or PHS, is a public high school in Parker, Colorado. It is part of the Douglas County School District RE-1. Located in The Pinery, an unincorporated community south of Parker along SH 83, Ponderosa is the second oldest high school in Douglas County and the original high school in the Parker area. The school's team name is "The Mustangs" which was first adopted in 1980. Ponderosa first opened its doors in January 1983, five months later than anticipated due to construction delays. The school began with three grades with a small capacity but then added its fourth grade in 1992 as the population in Douglas County grew, thus increasing enrollment. Around the same time, additional classrooms were added on to the school to benefit the student capacity. Enrollment later dropped when two more high schools were added in the Parker area, when Chaparral opened and then later, Legend. The school earned an "Excellent" rating by the Colorado Student Assessment Program in 2004, and a "High" score in 2005. History Construction for Ponderosa High School began in December of 1980 and the school first opened its doors on January 26, 1983. Originally scheduled to open in the fall of 1982 to start the 1982–83' school year, the opening date was postponed due to construction issues. It was then delayed again due to a leaky gym roof that pushed the opening date back close to the end of the month. The school first began with only grades 10, 11, and 12, with approximately 1000 to 1200 students a year. The first Cardinal and Gold class to graduate was in 1984, thus completing the first whole school year for Pondo. The student capacity then expanded up to 1500 students by 1992, adding a 9th grade class. Around the same time, 23 additional classrooms were added. In 1994, 13 more classrooms were added with additional trailer classrooms outside due to the population growth throughout Douglas County as well as the completion of expanding the commons, bumping the student capacity to approximately 1900 and later to 2100 by 1996. By 1997, enrollment decreased for the first time ever due to the opening of Chaparral High School, falling to 1800. It then grew back up to 2000 by 2007 but decreased again to 1375 in 2008 when Legend High School opened.