As many people know, Palmer Ridge High School has a long-standing rivalry with Lewis Palmer High School, which began in 2008 when Palmer Ridge was established. This rivalry has persisted because these two schools are the only high schools in the county.
Both Lewis-Palmer and Palmer Ridge schools have students who generally do not show any outward discrimination towards each other. However, there are instances where they tend to indirectly oppose each other. For instance, if someone praises Lewis-Palmer, students from Palmer Ridge may react by rolling their eyes and acting cold toward the person.
It is worth noting that although both schools are considered rivals, their student bodies do not typically treat each other differently. This mutual respect is because they will not compete after their senior year in high school. However, when it comes down to sports, both schools have demonstrated great sportsmanship time and time again in many competitions against each other.
It is also true that sports tend to have a much tenser rivalry in everything from football to volleyball, to track. The toughest competitors are varsity basketball and varsity football, considering they are the most popular sports played in high school. It is rumored and proven that Palmer Ridge has a better varsity football team. Yet, Lewis-Palmer has a better varsity basketball team.
Most students attending the rival schools seem to agree on one thing, which is that it is hard to determine which school has better social events. Palmer Ridge has already organized a navy and gold tailgate along with a homecoming dance. But, Lewis-Palmer has only hosted its homecoming dance at this point in the year.
According to national rankings, Palmer Ridge High School is ranked at #1,281 and Lewis Palmer High School is ranked at #2,084. Based on public school reviews, Palmer Ridge has a math proficiency ranking in the top five percent, while Lewis-Palmer is in the top ten percent.
For reading and language arts; Palmer Ridge is in the top five percent as well as Lewis-Palmer. Palmer Ridge’s graduation rate is in the top twenty percent, whereas Lewis-Palmer is in the top five percent again for the graduation rate for high schools in Colorado.
Palmer Ridge has a student population of 1,206, with 56 teachers. On the other hand, Lewis-Palmer has 1,151 students and 51 teachers. In Colorado, Palmer Ridge ranks #33 out of 1,734 schools for their test score rankings, while Lewis-Palmer is ranked #82.
Lewis-Palmer has 268 freshmen, 308 sophomores, 279 juniors, and 296 seniors. Palmer Ridge has 285 freshmen, 282 sophomores, 310 juniors, and 329 seniors.
This season, the Palmer Ridge women’s basketball team has been performing remarkably well, winning consecutive games. However, the men’s team is struggling to win. In the last season, Palmer Ridge men’s basketball lost 66:44 while the girls won 44:32, which further supports the rumor that Lewis-Palmer has a better varsity basketball team.
Both schools have excellent connections to help their students achieve their desired career paths. Palmer Ridge offers a variety of language classes such as German, French, and Spanish, as well as unique courses like theatre production, weight training, ceramics, yearbook, and wood shop. Meanwhile, Lewis-Palmer offers a bio-med program and animation courses.
