Deciding on middle and high schools-moving from seattle to denver

[MissTerri]

I would suggest taking a look at the school digger site for more info about the schools you are interested. It will show you their state rankings. For example Littleton High is 86th out of 245. Smoky Hill is ranked 60th. Cherokee Trail is ranked 23rd and so on and so forth. It will also give you more information about the population of these schools. I'd also look on the school websites for newsletters, teacher pages, etc. and on Facebook for school pages to get more of a feel for each school you are considering.
https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CO/s...84/school.aspx

Are there any other factors in terms on neighborhood desires that might help narrow down the schools and area of town you wish to end up in?

[davidv]

First question, why I.B.? I understand the lure of the rigorous program, but many A.P. schools are as good/better than the I.B. schools. Furthermore, I.B. programs at many schools create a situation of the haves vs. have nots in the school. Strong academically serious students are placed in the I.B. Programme (their spelling, not mine), while the rest languish in non-I.B. track. Oftentimes, I.B. Programmes are used to attract better students to a particular lower-performing school. This is the reason why many of the I.B. schools have lower rankings.

One comment, I look at but do judge schools by the ratings of people. Ratings are compiled by those who love a place and those who hate a place, and each comment is from a person experience that varies from person to person. Very seldom is the majority represented. You need to visit these schools to see what you like.

Here is my take on the schools you have shortlisted:
1. Smoky Hill High School/Laredo Middle School: Very good school if your student is in the IB Programme. Neighborhood is in transition, so it can be hit and miss.

2. Cherokee Trail High School/Liberty Middle School: Newer schools and neighborhood. Very good all around in both I.B. and non-I.B. tracks.

3. Douglas County High School and middle feeder school is Mesa Middle School: I don't know a thing about Mesa Middle School. DCHS is an old high school with a new facility. It is good, but DCSD has issues and is not quite out of the woods yet.

4. Littleton High School combined with John Wesley Powell Middle School: Powell is a very good middle school, and Littleton HS is a really old schools with a moderately old facility. Neighborhood is transitional, with good IB Programme academics. Some problems if your student is not in the IB track.

That said. The best schools close to DTC:
1. Cherry Creek HS (CCSD). One of the the top high schools in the state. It is the standard that others use to measure themselves. Ask any school how they measure up to Cherry Creek, and you'll get an answer. Not many schools can say that. Upside: has one of the highest ACT averages in the state and strong academics top to bottom. Downside: it's huge.

2. Arapahoe HS (Littleton). A top-notch school that is up there with Cherry Creek. It is the best school in Littleton. Upside: Great academics and unique schedule. Downside: A lot of students have choiced-into the school. Not as much of a neighborhood school as others.

Me? I am a teacher in the area, and I know teachers, students, and parents at all of these schools. All of them like their school and all are successful. This is mostly because the students themselves are awesome and would succeed any place they went.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by brown_dog_us

Fairview HS and Southern Hills MS in Boulder and have a soul crushing commute.

If you can start work early and leave early it might not be completely soul crushing.

That would not be worth it considering there are other options much closer to the OP's job.

[brown_dog_us]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

That would not be worth it considering there are other options much closer to the OP's job.

I wouldn't do it, but it's the only combo of excellent MS and excellent HS with IB in the Denver Metro area.

[Katarina Witt]

^^I'm not so sure about that. A lot of us in the Boulder Valley SD are in our own little bubble and think that there's none other. That is untrue.

[OhioToCO]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

^^I'm not so sure about that. A lot of us in the Boulder Valley SD are in our own little bubble and think that there's none other. That is untrue.

My older son went to Fairview and got IB diploma. My younger one is in Summit Middle (easily rivals Southern Hills in academic rigor) and will go to Fairview. Not sure if he will do IB, we'll have to see.

That said, when my dear friends were moving for a job downtown Denver and expressed interest in great schools, living in Centennial or thereabouts, I suggested Cherry Creek High. Two excellent feeder middle schools: Campus and West.

To OP: if your child is already in the IB program, then yes, look for a school offering IB. Otherwise, I wouldn't get too attached to it. With job in DTC, I would set my eyes on the above combo.

[Gorges]

Originally Posted by pooja.a.goel

great schools is my starting point to narrow down schools.....

One bit of advice. If you're looking at Great Schools, make sure you get the data from their own website, not from a real estate site. For example, one school near me, Falcon Creek MS, is listed as a 6 on Zillow (based on Great Schools) and as an 8 on the Great Schools site. Sometimes the real estate sites are using old data and the age of the data they use can vary by location. For instance, for the area I'm in now (zip 80016), Zillow is linking to Great School's test results from 2011 and for the east-coast area that I moved from, the results are from 2014. Just be careful about the source.

[janeh777]

Ranch View Middle and ThunderRidge High in Highlands Ranch both are IB and rated 6. I think they are really good schools, my daughter goes to Ranch View, but she is not an IB student. If your kids are in IB, they are the kind of kids who will get the very most out of any school you put them in. It would be a reasonable commute - especially if you have some flexibility to start early or late to avoid the worst of it. Hope this is helpful and good luck!