 Denver Public Schools ( DPS ) is the public school system in Denver . It currently educates about 73 @,@ 000 students in 73 elementary schools , 15 K @-@ 8 schools , 17 middle schools , 14 high schools , and 19 charter schools . The first school of what is now DPS was a log cabin that opened in 1859 on the corner of 12th Street between Market and Larimer Streets . The district boundaries are coextensive with the city limits . The Cherry Creek School District serves some areas with Denver postal addresses that are outside the city limits . 
