Seeking Great Schools in the Denver Area.

My son goes to Westridge in Littleton. It's a very good school, has won a lot of awards, and there are several parents who have moved to Littleton just for Westridge. I really like it.

Cherry Creek and Douglas County are usually known as the top districts in the area. Cherry Creek high schools routinely finish in the top in the state. I echo the comment about going to the website and looking up the schools - within each district there are great schools and schools that are not good, you have to look carefully. In general, Denver Public and Aurora seem to have the worst reputations (although again, some great schools in those districts)

Both Cherry Creek and Douglas County are south of Denver, Cherry Creek is located in and around the Denver Tech center, a higher priced suburb (although prices might be coming down!). Douglas County is a little further south - Lone Tree and Highlands Ranch are the two big suburbs there - probably a little less expensive to live than DTC, and really nice neighborhoods.

We live in Douglas County and like one person posted, the problem is the overcrowding. The elementary in my area is from K-3 and then there is another school from 4-6. My first reaction was that this splitting of schools is great because it would be a smaller school and perhaps a closer community feel. I was wrong. The K-3 school has well over 600 children which is the normal size of a K-6 school. We encountered problems with the school not being able to schedule special programs, field trips, etc. For instance, no Christmas Holiday show because I was told they didn't have the ability to organize such a big production and my child's ONE field trip of the year was a day at the park across the street from the school. Unfortunatly, it was cancelled due to rain and we were told they could not reschedule. I was very disappointed in how the school was run and did take my kids out where they now attend a private school where they are thriving. I think the answer is that there are great schools in the District and not so great. Research each individual school.

You will LOVE Colorado. Douglas County Schools (south of Denver) have an excellent reputation. Here is the website: http://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD.
Good luck on your move.

The Denver area is pretty big, In Denver itself we loved Steck, Bromwell is also excellent. We spent 8 years dealing with Douglas County schools, they are good but often very crowded, with the track system in some schools. Douglas has what I consider economic discrimination, some schools (generally in the higher income neighborhoods) are certainly given preferential funding and scheduling. Douglas has grown explosively since the 80s and has very limited options for gifted kids. Douglas County also seems to be terrified of it's teens! Kind of funny given the area's economic status.

If your kids are gifted you will find the best options in Denver itself or Cherry Creek, there is open enrollment throughout the metro area.

We've moved to Littleton schools recently (my hometown) and the kids love Littleton HS. They have a excellent rep and don't have the crowding. Really you have to do your homework, like any large metro, things can vary widely from one neighborhood to another, one school to another and your kids interests and learning style are a factor too.

Dear J.,
Welcome to Denver. Overall, Cherry Creek school District probably has the best reputation, with Douglas and Littleton coming in 2nd. Aurora may be in last place. Denver School District is a very mixed picture with a few schools rated Excellent and many schools that are poor, so it is important to choose carefully. My kids went to Cory Elementary in Denver, which is rated Excellent, and I'd recommend it to anyone. Go to the Colorado Dept of Education website http://www.cde.state.co.us/ and check school ratings, but also take into account magnet programs - they are very popular here.
take care, S.

I would say that it depends on where you want to live, really. In the DPS school district there are some really fabulous schools and some not-so-great ones - we took a risk and put the munchkin in an IBO school here and she is thriving even more so than when she was at a more highly rated school in the suburbs (now she "LOVES!" school, and complains about days off because she "misses" her school, whereas before she didn't ever want to go back after break and she didn't ever tell us she loved it.) - so it really just depends on what you're looking for. DPS (Denver Public Schools) is going to have more diversity, but if you don't want to live in an urban setting, it probably wouldn't be right for you.

I'd suggest deciding if you want to be suburb or urban and then go from there.

I live on the west side of Denver in Jefferson County. My kids are in elementary school and attend Maple Grove Elementary which is a nationally recognized Blue Ribbon School. It's and excellent school and is consistantly rated in the top percintile when it comes to test scores. It's in a great neighborhood and has a great family community that is very involved with the school. You can check out the schools in Jefferson County at www.jeffco.k12.co.us. Good luck with your move!

Teller Elementary in Denver is an awesome school. My two older children have gone there for 3 years. It has an amazing gifted and talented program that they are in and the teachers are great. Michelle Foust gives tours of the school and will tell you anything you need to know from teachers, to after school programs. Our school has a high rating, according to the system that DPS uses. My son has ADHD, but instead of frowning on him when he is having an off day, they embrace his creativity, and encourage him to get back on track. The Special ED teacher and the wonderful para's they have at Teller are wonderful and help ensure he succeeds. I hope you find this helpful.

Cherry Creek are rated well, the schools in the west part of the district are the highest rated( by test scores), Douglas county as well, and south Jefferson county. Basically all the southern suburban districts are good. Boulder schools are also good. Just go where the money is, ( more expensive homes). Good luck.

We just relocated to the Denver area from the Colorado Springs area. We are in Castle Rock which is Douglas County school district. I believe that Douglas County is now the number one district in the state and we love it so far. Some schools are year round while others are conventional. My daughter just started kindergarten at Rock Ridge Elementary School and we love it so far. There are other schools in the district that have received high marks as well. Douglas County goes into Southern Denver as well. Good luck :)