In 2006, Lewis-Palmer School District decided to build a second high school to alleviate crowding in Lewis-Palmer High School. They intended to take the land of Mary Wissler, a local ranch owner, through the use of Eminent Domain. Many people were outraged, and threatened to recall the school board by collecting thousands of signatures. The district eventually chose another plot of land.
Building
designed the building for Palmer Ridge High School. Saunders Construction built the actual building, and finished in time for the 2008-2009 school year. The building covered after its completion.
Opening
Palmer Ridge High School opened in August 2008, with approximately 530 students and 70 faculty members.
Present-day operation
Today, Palmer Ridge is a full-class 9-12 high school with approximately 1200 students enrolled. The school's first graduating class was the Class of 2011. Palmer Ridge offers a wide variety of student-centered programs, including a monthly school publication, the , which reports on athletics, academic and extracurricular issues, and news of the school and community. Other programs include PRTV's Ridgeline, PR's Student Council, DECA,Friends of Rachel, Ridge Rage, FIRST robotics team, and Forensics/Model United Nations.
Awards and recognition
Palmer Ridge High School is considered one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in the state of Colorado, as well as one of the largest geothermal projects in the state. It carries an Energy Star Label. Palmer Ridge and Lewis-Palmer School District 38 are "Accredited with Distinction" by the state of Colorado.
Academics
21 Palmer Ridge students scored 30+ on the ACT. 18 Palmer Ridge students scored a 5 in at least one area of the Advanced Placement Exam
Athletics
Palmer Ridge Football Team won Back-2-Back-2-Back State Championships in 2017, 2018 & 2019 in 3A. Despite graduating 26 seniors in 2018, the Palmer Ridge Football is one of only six teams to win state title three years in a row in all of 11-man classes in Colorado HS Football history. 5 players signed with D1 FBS schools. Palmer Ridge QB Ty Evans was the Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year in 2017 and was an Elite-11 Finalist in 2018. #PTR
Palmer Ridge Field Hockey Team won the State Championship in 2017. Runners up in 2012, 2014, and 2016.
Palmer Ridge Men’s Cross Country Team won the 4A State Championship in 2017.
Palmer Ridge men's track won the 4A State Championship in 2014, scoring a record number of points.
PR men's cross country won the 4A State Championship in 2014.
Palmer Ridge sent 5 wrestlers to the 2011 State Championships, 3 of which won state titles.
The Palmer Ridge cheerleading team is second in the league and currently holds a spot as state finalist.
In 2018 Nine out of ten Palmer Ridge fall sports teams qualified for post-season play.
PR had six three-sport athletes in 2009-2010.
PR offers 25 varsity sports.
PR produced the Colorado Athlete of the Year : its hockey goalie Brent Schwarz.
Kiersten Wang won Gymnastics NCAA National Championships 2013 with the Florida Gators.
The Lewis-Palmer District hockey team won the Colorado State Championship two years in a row; 2010 and 2011.
The Lewis-Palmer District men's swimming team won the State Championship in 2010.
Fine arts
The Palmer Ridge Band sent 22 students to the Colorado All-State Band in 2011. In 2014, more than half of the students selected to play in All City Honor Band were from Palmer Ridge. Palmer Ridge's Bear Necessity Theatre Company broke district-wide attendance records with their musical in the fall of 2010. They performed the world premier of Todd Wallinger's "The Purrfect Crime" in 2017. In 2016 they were the first school group in Colorado to perform Andrew Lloyd Webber's Musical "Starlight Express", earning a Bobby G Award from the Denver Center for Performing Arts for Outstanding Premier.
