High Schools in Boulder County (Broomfield, Louisville: houses, buy, school district)

[Jane7]

My family is relocating to Boulder County from Europe this summer. I know there are already threads regarding schooling but I want to ask if anyone out there has an unbiased view on the differences between Boulder High, Fairview and Monarch schools? My son is 14 and because we have moved around a bit, it is important now that we try and find the school that best suits him. Academia is important, but my main concern is that he finds himself in a friendly environment with teachers who care about the pupils' welfare. Second question is: do people buy houses in one area and send their kids to school in another? I know in this case I would have to provide transport to get him there but I guess the problem is that he wouldn't be living in the same district as any friends he makes in class.

[Micktooth]

I can tell you from our experience. We moved to Louisville 1.5 yrs ago from New Orleans. My 14yo son only knew one other person his age and she was in a grade ahead of him. Well now, he has sooo many good friends. He goes to Monarch. My wife and I are happy with the school. Back in New Orleans, we had to enroll him in a private school for a similar education. I think the community is open to new kids since so many people are moving into the area. I don't think you will go wrong with any of the schools. It just depends upon where you want to live.

[jkcoop]

Keep in mind that by saying Boulder County....well that encompasses more than the Boulder School District. It is also St. Vrain. Niwot High is an excellent school. You do need to be careful though in assuming you can open enroll your child in a school you are not zoned for. If the school is full, you won't get in. Niwot is one of those school with a waiting list to get in.

[Katiana]

Each of these schools has its own "culture", as does every school. I only really know about Monarch, and that is second-hand from my kids. They both loved it. My oldest was a freshman the year it opened, and she was a member of the "first in 4" graduating class (2002). By the time my younger daughter went there, it was a more established school and had a lot more course offerings. Still, the oldest one was able to take some AP classes and got into a good college.

I think the teachers in all the schools care about the pupils' welfare. Yes, some kids open-enroll to the various schools for vairous reasons. Some like Boulder High's more "urban" environment, near CU. Some go to Fairview for the IB program, or its music programs. Monarch gets open-enrollees from the Centaurus area, possibly b/c Monarch is larger and has more course offerings. Many times, it boils down to wanting to go to the same school as a friend or sibling.

My daughters did gymnastics at Broomfield High (also in BVSD), so they got to know kids from there as well. I think it was helpful. They had less of an "us" vs "them" attitude.

[TropicanaRose]

If a particular school is important to you, you need to live in the boundaries for that school. The BVSD is not that supportive of open enrollment, and St. Vrain evaluates each school on a yearly basis- you can lose your spot if they close the school to open enrollment.

I think you will find friendly students at all of the local schools. None of them are really "bad." My preference among the public high schools would be Fairview or Niwot.

[jkcoop]

Originally Posted by TropicanaRose

If a particular school is important to you, you need to live in the boundaries for that school. The BVSD is not that supportive of open enrollment, and St. Vrain evaluates each school on a yearly basis- you can lose your spot if they close the school to open enrollment.

I think you will find friendly students at all of the local schools. None of them are really "bad." My preference among the public high schools would be Fairview or Niwot.

Totally agree with that. My son knows a couple of girls who had been open enrolling at Sunset Middle School and now have the problem that they are on a waiting list to get into Niwot and even if they get in next year they will have the same issue each year. If the school reaches capacity due to kids in the boundaries, they are out.

[Jane7]

Thanks so much to everyone who replied to this thread. I appreciate the positive feedback and feel more comfortable with the situation regarding schooling for my son. Looking forward to the move to Colorado!