The school is notable in Colorado for how it came to have an automated external defibrillator (AED) unit.

Chaparral student Cody Schmidt died in 2003 after his heart stopped while in gym class, spurring his parents to raise funds to acquire AED units for all Douglas County schools.

Chaparral High School's theatre department was named the number one high school theatre program in the southwest US by Stage Directions magazine in November 2011.

Their production of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables was awarded a total of five Bobby G awards by the Denver Center of the Performing Arts in 2013, including Best Overall Production, Best Direction, Best Musical Direction, and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

The unified basketball team was organized for the first time at Chaparral High School in winter 2006.