If you’ve spent any time in a high school gym in Colorado lately, you know the atmosphere is getting electric. We are officially in the heart of the 2025-2026 season. The holiday tournaments are a memory, the "rust" is gone, and the CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index is starting to look like a real roadmap rather than just a collection of early-season guesses.
But honestly, looking at colorado high school basketball rankings can be a bit of a headache if you don't know which numbers to trust. You have the CHSAA official polls, the MaxPreps computer rankings, and the "eye test" from guys scouting for Prep Hoops. Sometimes they agree. Often, they don't.
The Chaos of Class 6A: Ralston Valley and the Pursuit of Perfection
Right now, if you aren't talking about Ralston Valley, you aren't watching. They are sitting at a clean 11-0 as of mid-January. They aren't just winning; they are clinical. Caiden Braketa has been a massive part of that, and the Mustangs have leapfrogged Arvada West in most conversations for the top spot.
Arvada West is still a juggernaut, though. They’ve managed to stay undefeated at 12-0, relying on a grit that keeps them in every game. It’s a fun debate—do you value the strength of schedule of a team like Chaparral, who has two losses but has played some of the toughest teams in the West, or do you stick with the unbeatens?
Current 6A Boys Leaders (CHSAA Index)
- Ralston Valley (11-0) - The undisputed favorite right now.
- Arvada West (12-0) - Haven't blinked yet.
- Chaparral (10-2) - Those losses were to elite competition; don't sleep on them.
- George Washington (8-2) - Still the kings of Denver public schools.
- Rock Canyon (9-2) - Climbing fast after a strong week.
It’s kind of wild how much the Continental League dominates these rankings. You have Rock Canyon, Mountain Vista, and ThunderRidge all essentially breathing down each other's necks. On any given Tuesday, any of these teams can beat the other. That’s why the colorado high school basketball rankings fluctuate so much in January—one league loss can drop you five spots.
5A and 4A: Where the Mid-Sized Schools Are Making Noise
In Class 5A, it’s all about Palisade. They are 11-0 and playing with a chip on their shoulder that’s hard to ignore. For a long time, the Western Slope teams struggled to get the same respect as the Front Range, but Palisade is forcing the issue this year.
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Then you have Silver Creek out of Longmont. They are sitting at 9-0. It’s a different vibe there—very disciplined, very high-IQ basketball. Rampart is also in that mix at 9-1, showing that the Colorado Springs area is still a hotbed for talent.
The 4A Power Shift
Class 4A is currently being dominated by Timnath. They are 10-0 and, frankly, they look like a team that belongs in a higher classification. Montezuma-Cortez is also undefeated at 9-0, which is a great story for the southwest corner of the state. These rankings reflect a shift where the "traditional" powers are getting pushed by newer schools or programs that have spent years building a culture.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Rankings
There’s this huge misconception that the number next to a team's name on a website is the final word on who is "better." It’s not.
The CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index (which replaced the old RPI) uses a mix of MaxPreps and various data points to determine postseason seeding. Basically, it’s a math problem. If you play a bunch of easy teams and go 20-0, the computer might actually rank you lower than a 15-5 team that played a national schedule.
You’ve gotta look at the Strength of Schedule (SOS). For example, Northfield in 6A is sitting at 8-2. Some might look at that and think they’re sliding, but their losses come against top-tier opponents. In the eyes of the selection committee, those "good losses" are worth way more than blowout wins against struggling programs.
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The Girls' Side: Cherokee Trail and the Power of the East
Switching gears to the girls' side, Cherokee Trail is making a very strong case for the #1 spot in Class 6A. They are 11-1 and playing at a pace that most teams simply can't match. Arapahoe and Broomfield are right there, though. Broomfield, in particular, has stayed undefeated at 10-0, and their defense is arguably the best in the state right now.
- Broomfield (10-0): They are holding opponents to under 40 points regularly.
- Arapahoe (10-1): Their only loss was a nail-biter.
- Simla (5-0) and Merino (9-0): These schools are absolutely wrecking the 2A scene.
Honestly, the 2A girls' race might be more competitive than 6A. Simla and Merino are playing high-level basketball that draws scouts from all over the region. When you look at the colorado high school basketball rankings for smaller schools, you see names like McClave and Nucla—teams that might not have 2,000 students but have players who have played together since the third grade. That chemistry is a "stat" the computers can't always track.
Players to Watch (Who Influence the Rankings)
Rankings move because of people. In the 2026 class, Eric Fiedler from Regis Jesuit and Madden Smiley from Windsor are names you'll see on every leaderboard. Fiedler’s presence in the paint for Regis is the only reason they stay competitive in a brutal 6A schedule.
On the girls' side, Hannah Kugler at Prairie is putting up video-game numbers, averaging over 25 points per game. When one player can account for 40% of a team's offense, the rankings become very dependent on their health and consistency.
Small School Spotlight: Class 1A and 2A
Don't ignore the 1A boys. Cheyenne Wells is 7-0 and they play a brand of basketball that is just fun to watch—lots of fast breaks and high energy. McClave is right behind them at 6-1. In these smaller towns, the basketball rankings are basically the local news. If the team drops from 2nd to 4th, everyone at the diner is talking about it the next morning.
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In 2A, Twin Peaks Classical is the team everyone is trying to figure out. They are 9-0. They haven't played the toughest schedule yet, but you can only beat who is in front of you. Whether they can hold that #1 spot once the conference tournament starts is the big question.
Strategic Insights for Fans and Coaches
If you are tracking colorado high school basketball rankings to see where your team stands for the playoffs, keep these three things in mind:
- Ignore the "Prev" Column: It doesn't matter where a team was last week. The Index is cumulative. A big win today can fix a bad loss from December.
- Watch the League Standings: CHSAA rankings often favor league champions. If a team like Denver West wins their league decisively, the computer will reward them, even if their overall classification isn't the highest.
- The February Slide: Every year, a top-5 team loses three games in February because of injuries or fatigue. That’s when the rankings truly "solidify" for the state tournament bracket.
The best way to stay ahead of the curve is to check the CHSAANow updates every Monday afternoon. That’s when the "voters" (coaches and media) weigh in, which often provides a more human perspective than the MaxPreps algorithms.
To get the most out of the current season, start looking at the match-ups between top-10 teams in different leagues. These cross-league games are the "weight" that determines who gets home-court advantage in the Great 8. Check the schedules for upcoming Friday nights; that's when the real movement happens. Be sure to verify the latest scoreboards on MaxPreps or the Mile High Prep Report to see how the top-ranked teams fared in their most recent outings.