Moving from CT to Denver area. Need suggestions on best schools. Willing to commute 1hr.

[philberf]

Originally Posted by dasearch

You have criteria very similar to our own. I would suggest the following:
Greenwood Village (you can absolutely find 1/2-1 acre but it is expensive)
Ken Caryl (feels like you are living in CO with pretty good schools)
Arvada (Ralston Valley HS)
Castle Pines/North/Highlands Ranch
Louisville
Evergreen (furthest away)

Stapleton is ok if that's what you are looking for. There is zero privacy, but you can walk to the store, restaurant, etc. You are also further away from trails, mountains, etc.

I agree with lots of what was said- also consider other parts of the Cherry Creek School district, such as parts of englewood and centennial on both sides of I-25. various real estate websites do a good job of allowing you to search by school boundaries. some homes are newer, some are not. It really depends on where you're looking in those suburbs.

Stapleton is FOR SURE going to limit lot size. And it's not even necessarily that easy to walk to grocery/restaurants, depending on where in stapleton you live (northfield vs. eastbridge vs the older western portion all have different amenities/access to grocery/restaurants via walking).

Ken Caryl may meet your needs, but that is for sure a long commute from Stapleton, as you would be going from far SW to far NE of the denver metro area.

In general, I think most people would agree that the best OVERALL public school system in the area is Cherry Creek school district which encompasses numerous southern suburbs, including parts of aurora, greenwood village, centennial, englewood and a few other areas (not to be confused with the cherry creek area inside denver). District Map (Click on image for full size map)

Of course, within any school district, there can be variability. Depending on what you're looking for, the best public high schools include, but are not limited to, DSST stapleton, Cherry Creek high school, and a few others that have more unique programs (such as IB or other such programs).

Private schools in Denver are very different than private schools in many other cities, and definitely different than those on the east coast. There is no equivalent to some of the typical prestigious private schools that you might find in the south or northeast, or even the west coast. Previous posters have already mentioned the 2 most well-known private schools in Garland Day and Kent, I think. The tuition is not inexpensive, as you would expect. But you're not going to find schools like Phillips Exeter or Hockaday or Harvard-Westlake or other such places in Denver.

[Haleyeah]

I don't know if you have moved or chosen a school yet, but I just wanted to let you know of STEM School and Academy. My son has been there from when they first opened it to the middle school grades, and now, it is K-12. It's a Core Knowledge, tuition free, charter school, and in Highlands Ranch. It's a great option if you would like a smaller school population, emphasis on math and science, and all your children on one campus from elementary to graduation. Best of luck in your move and welcome to CO.