Denver Public Schools (living in, child, boundary)

[denverian]

Originally Posted by leosmama

We are looking to move bc of DPS

My kids are in DPS and we love it. We live in Stapleton, which has great schools.

[SouthXSW]

From what I've gathered the Stapleton schools are some of the best in the city, but they do not yet have a high school. Stapleton limits those who can choice in from other areas so it's majority neighborhood kids.

The other Denver schools have more challenges due to the demographics of the city, and the fact that you can choice into schools. The best elem. schools are in the higher income neighborhoods like University Park (in the same neighborhood by DU), Steele (Wash Park), Cory (Bonnie Brae), Bromwell (Country Club/Cherry Creek) and Steck (Hilltop). There are also decent schools to be found in Highland, Platte Park, West Wash Park and Park Hill but you also have more transfers from other areas which affect school quality.

Middle schools and high schools in DPS are not as good with the exception of the magnet schools which are excellent. I've heard encouraging things about how Grant and South High are being turned around which makes sense since that area is one of the most desirable in Denver but many kids go to private school.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by SouthXSW

From what I've gathered the Stapleton schools are some of the best in the city, but they do not yet have a high school. Stapleton limits those who can choice in from other areas so it's majority neighborhood kids.

The other Denver schools have more challenges due to the demographics of the city, and the fact that you can choice into schools. The best elem. schools are in the higher income neighborhoods like University Park (in the same neighborhood by DU), Steele (Wash Park), Cory (Bonnie Brae), Bromwell (Country Club/Cherry Creek) and Steck (Hilltop). There are also decent schools to be found in Highland, Platte Park, West Wash Park and Park Hill but you also have more transfers from other areas which affect school quality.

Middle schools and high schools in DPS are not as good with the exception of the magnet schools which are excellent. I've heard encouraging things about how Grant and South High are being turned around which makes sense since that area is one of the most desirable in Denver but many kids go to private school.

This is my take as well. My kids will go to Steele and we are very excited about that. We will probably be looking for different options when it comes time for middle school. Had we not moved, our kids would be at Lincoln which is another very solid option.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by SouthXSW

From what I've gathered the Stapleton schools are some of the best in the city, but they do not yet have a high school. Stapleton limits those who can choice in from other areas so it's majority neighborhood kids.

The other Denver schools have more challenges due to the demographics of the city, and the fact that you can choice into schools. The best elem. schools are in the higher income neighborhoods like University Park (in the same neighborhood by DU), Steele (Wash Park), Cory (Bonnie Brae), Bromwell (Country Club/Cherry Creek) and Steck (Hilltop). There are also decent schools to be found in Highland, Platte Park, West Wash Park and Park Hill but you also have more transfers from other areas which affect school quality.

Middle schools and high schools in DPS are not as good with the exception of the magnet schools which are excellent. I've heard encouraging things about how Grant and South High are being turned around which makes sense since that area is one of the most desirable in Denver but many kids go to private school.

Yeah, I always wondered why South HS wouldn't be great, condidering its location.

Stapleton has plans for a high school. I'm pretty sure it's already designed, but there isn't much need for it yet. Not many kids in Stapleton are HS age yet. But it's going to be built north of I-70 in the near the new housing that's the latest push for development (just north of Northfield)

[petedoty]

No rocks being thrown here, please understand.
In my years of doing what I do, I have found that if you ask someone who just bought a Cadillac if they like it they will say "YES!" It is the same with a school.... so as you review the input of others here, they could have a dog in the fight or live in the neighborhood they are touting. There really is no good way to judge schools.
Back in the 1980's we were in CC School dist in a great school. Then they changed the attendance boundaries. Things change.
Talk to the principles of your favorite schools on-line, see if they match your philosophy of education, evaluate from there and decide. It is not hard to find homes in particular school attendance areas.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by denverian

Yeah, I always wondered why South HS wouldn't be great, condidering its location.

I'm having difficulty finding the article, but I recall that the lower scores were attributed to having a larger proportion of international students and English language learners.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

I'm having difficulty finding the article, but I recall that the lower scores were attributed to having a larger proportion of international students and English language learners.

1. Ethnic makeup of South - Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
some interesting comments below the data

2. Ethnic makeup of the surrounding are - Front Range Race/Ethnicity You have to play with it.

3. Based upon 1 and 2 above, I would say that many students come from outside the school boundary.

4. During my 24 years of living in Bonnie Brae, I never met one neighborhood child who went to South.

[SouthXSW]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

4. During my 24 years of living in Bonnie Brae, I never met one neighborhood child who went to South.

Did most go to a DPS magnet HS or nearby private schools?

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by SouthXSW

Did most go to a DPS magnet HS or nearby private schools?

Mostly private all over greater Denver.
Some to East's X-track.

[davidv]

If you want to compare high schools, the best measurement to use is the ACT scores.

1) The ACT is a curriculum-based test, so it measures how much the students know.

2) It is a college admission test, so students take it seriously (unlike the CSAP/TCAP), and parents do not opt their children out of the ACT very often.

3) It is a national test, so you can compare schools in many different states.

A good secondary option is to find out what the pass rates are for the AP/IB tests that students take. While there is benefit to a student taking AP and IB courses, passing the tests are a good measure of college readiness.