City: Denver, CO

Category: Education

Telephone: (303) 387-0100

Address: 620 Wilcox St.

Description: This district’s 42 elementary schools, four charter schools, seven middle schools, eight high schools, and three alternative schools cover a far-­flung area ranging from the southern edges of Jefferson and Arapahoe Counties much of the way to Colorado Springs. Douglas is one of the fastest-­growing counties in the US. The district currently has 48,000 students. The majority of the county’s elementary students go to school on a four-­track, year-­round calendar, a rotation of nine weeks in school followed by a three-­week break, throughout the year. Douglas County has one of the highest graduation rates and the lowest dropout rate. How do they do it? The system overall places a high value on educational excellence. Cherokee Trail Elementary School in Parker was named by Child magazine as one of the 10 best schools in the nation. Metro Denver’s first charter school, Academy Charter School, is in Castle Rock. Beginning in the 1994–95 school year, the county approved a teacher-­compensation plan linked to performance rather than longevity. Douglas County is one of four school districts partnering in the Renaissance Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound School, which is located in Parker. The K through 12 school has won national grants and acclaim for its challenging learning program.