Diversity’s Toll: Educational Failure and Rising Crime at Aurora Central High School

How do West Virginia schools, in one of the poorest states in the U.S., achieve higher graduation rates (93%) and test scores than Colorado (83%), Arizona (74%), New Mexico (78%), Oregon (84%), and California (86%)?

According to U.S. News (April 26, 2022):

Iowa, Kentucky, and Texas boasted the highest graduation rates in the country, with each graduating an average of 94% of its students in 2020. Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Virginia followed closely behind, with average graduation rates of 93%.

Meanwhile, as of September 2022, an estimated 4–6 million more, mostly illegal aliens, have entered the U.S. under the Biden administration. This influx exacerbates the diversity-driven failures in public schools like Aurora Central High School (ACHS) in Colorado.

Demographic Shifts and Educational Decline

"Diversity," often a euphemism for anti-White policies, prioritizes reducing White student populations. ACHS has succeeded beyond its wildest dreams in this regard, but at a steep cost.

In 1988, ACHS had a total enrollment of 1,667 students: White 986 (59%), Black 420 (25%), Asian 127 (7.7%), Hispanic 119 (7%). By 2020, the student body had shifted dramatically: total enrollment 2,027; White 81 (4%), Asian 118 (5.8%), Hispanic 68.7%, Black 16.5%, with low-achieving non-Asian minorities comprising ~90%.

The on-time graduation rate in 2020 was a dismal 56%, even with a 3% increase. Many of those graduating are likely functionally illiterate, a direct result of massive influxes of low-achieving, often illiterate, third-world migrants, refugees, and illegal aliens.

Without banning mass immigration from low-achieving nations, the situation is hopeless. The additional 4–6 million mostly illegal aliens entering since 2020 only add to this disaster.

The Role of Misguided Educational Policies

Megan Mitchell, a reporter for The Denver Post, wrote an article in 2016 on Aurora Central High School’s diversity-inflicted failure. Despite thousands of words, she never directly stated the real problem, much like the so-called "educators" she interviewed. But there are clues.

Over 38 percent of ACHS students are "limited English proficient," a fact that has nothing to do with claims of White racism. A 2016 report notes:

Students at ACHS represent 15 different countries and speak 12 different languages. Some of the countries represented include Jordan, Turkey, Kenya, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Sudan. As a result, English Language Learners (ELLs) make up 70% of the entire student body.

The report also noted that in 2013–2014, only 46% of ACHS students graduated. These students often reproduce the low educational achievements of their countries of origin, a pattern confirmed by global PISA scores.

Educators have proposed "reworking" ACHS to address low test scores, often giving teachers’ unions a blank check to fix a problem they refuse to acknowledge. These same unions endorse Critical Race Theory (CRT), a framework that labels high standards in math and science as "White supremacy"—a notion that absurdly extends to Asians as well, given their high performance.

One CRT-aligned trend is "Ethnomathematics," which rejects objective mathematical truths in favor of cultural interpretations. Would you trust an aircraft built on such principles?

Failed Interventions: Innovation Schools

In 2015, educators introduced the "innovation schools" model, a social engineering experiment meant to grant schools more autonomy. They claimed:

Proponents of the innovation model say it allows schools and districts to develop new practices to meet the needs of individual students. It creates more autonomy for teachers to make decisions about class structure and time management.

Parents expressed skepticism. On March 19, 2015, dozens attended public meetings, fearful ACHS would close. One parent noted:

I just want to know what's going on with the school and what the plan is... I understand that the innovation school gives teachers a little bit more say-so, but I'm not sure how that will trickle down to the individual student. Either way, closing the school is not an option, because that puts pressure on the surrounding schools to accommodate extra students where there isn't space for them. Then the problem just spreads.

ACHS never closed, but the "innovation" was never specified and ultimately failed. As of 2015, 30 other Colorado high schools faced similar mass failures, with much of the news reporting being drivel.

Rebecca Finnie and David Bouchey (not married), parents of a freshman at ACHS, commented in 2016:

We love this school, we love its teachers, but they have been handicapped by budget cuts. And there are a lot of hurdles here that aren't at other schools ... like refugee students who come in and need to learn English. They need to be incorporated better into the school.

While Finnie and Bouchey advocate for better English language programs, the root issue—mass immigration from low-achieving nations—remains unaddressed.

Rising Crime and Community Breakdown

By 2021, Aurora’s schools, including ACHS and nearby Hinkley High School, faced escalating violence tied to demographic shifts. A drive-by shooting on November 15, 2021, in a parking lot near Hinkley High School wounded six students aged 14–18. Four suspects were arrested: Larry Jefferson, Dalen Brewer, Kenneth Crump, and an unnamed juvenile, all Black, according to the Aurora Police Department. The incident was gang-related, reflecting broader crime trends in Aurora driven by the same demographic challenges seen at ACHS (e.g., 68.7% Hispanic, 16.5% Black student population). For more on Aurora’s crime surge, see our previous article.

Mugshots of Larry Jefferson and Dalen Brewer, two of four Black suspects arrested for the Hinkley High School shooting in Aurora, Colorado.

Fig. 1: Larry Jefferson and Dalen Brewer, two of four Black suspects arrested for the mass shooting near Hinkley High School in Aurora, Colorado, on November 15, 2021.

One parent was "shocked" and whined that the community "lacked affordable activities to keep kids out of trouble." But what about parental responsibility? The absence of stable family structures—often linked to high rates of single-parent households (e.g., 70–80% among Black students)—contributes to this chaos. Whites are not responsible for these cultural patterns.

The problems identified in 2015 have not been fixed and are worsening, with violence now compounding educational failure across Aurora’s schools.

PISA Scores: A Predictor of Failure

The best predictor of academic failure is the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores. According to the OECD:

PISA is not only the world's most comprehensive and reliable indicator of students' capabilities, it is also a powerful tool that countries and economies can use to fine-tune their education policies... Over ten million students represented by PISA in 2018 were not able to complete even the most basic reading tasks—and these were 15-year-olds living in the 79 high- and middle-income countries that participated in the test. In many countries, the quality of the education a student acquires can still best be predicted by the student's or his or her school's socio-economic background...

The 2012 PISA data (U.S. average 492) shows stark disparities: Whites scored 518, Asian Americans 548, Hispanics 465, and Blacks 432. Massachusetts (523) and Connecticut (516) outperformed most European nations, while high-immigration states like Florida (481), California, and Arizona scored below average. West Virginia, despite its poverty, outperforms these states due to its largely White demographic.

In 2018, the gap persisted: Whites 521, Asian Americans 549, Hispanics 470, Blacks 436. Top-tier nations are White or Asian (e.g., Singapore at 556, 76% Chinese), while no African, Latin American, or Muslim nation ranks in the top half. For example, Chile scores 436, Mexico 417, and Peru 375—replicating the low achievement seen at ACHS, where many students originate from such nations.

Failed Solutions and a Path Forward

Liberal CRT advocates have proven they cannot educate low-achieving diverse students because they refuse to confront reality. They reject treating students as individuals or holding them to high standards, labeling such expectations "White supremacy"—or, ironically, "Asian supremacy," given Asian Americans’ success.

Many immigrant parents want their children to learn English and assimilate, but CRT-driven educators see this as "White supremacy" and refuse to support it. Instead, schools hire diversity-equity enforcers—or "race police"—to address the problem. A study in The New York Post (October 27, 2021) shows these efforts have failed, with schools like ACHS deteriorating further.

There is no easy fix due to political resistance, but we can stop the bleeding with these steps:

Ban all immigration from nations scoring below the PISA average. Seal our borders, enforce immediate deportation, and bar further entry for those breaking our laws.
Restore traditional education: Ban CRT racism and all forms of multiculturalism. Fire the diversity police and other social science parasites.
Establish English as the national language, prohibiting non-English use in government or public institutions. Bring your own translator or learn to speak English.

Contact Megan Mitchell at The Denver Post for her take: 303-954-2650, mmitchell@denverpost.com.