Best school districts in CS (Denver, Black Forest: real estate, houses, neighborhood)

[Postal77]

With four kids, I'm interested in knowing which school districts are best for public schools.

An area where housing isn't super expensive would bed be preferred.

[Vision67]

I suggest you do a search in this forum because that topic has been discussed many times.

Short answer is districts 12, 20, and 38 seem to get the best reviews. However, the houses in those districts are also on the high side.

[TCHP]

What constitutes best and what is inexpensive? Typically the two are diametrically opposed, but it can be somewhat varied in Cos.

Using basic test scoring results, Cheyenne Mtn D12 is typically near the top, and has been for decades. In the Upper Skyway, Stratton Preserve, and Broadmoor area, real estate admission that area is typically not cheap, but there are some fringes of the district you may find lower priced housing such as Ivywild, lower Skyway, and Stratton Meadows.

Lewis Palmer D38 is also a higher performing district. On the northern fringe of the county, this area is subject to wide swings in real estate prices, tends to be somewhat rural while drawing from the small towns and spread out areas of Monument, Palmer Lake, Woodmoor, and Black Forest. There are a large number of Denver commuter families in this area and while most real estate here tends to be pricey, there are some suburban housing developments that may have a lower price of admission.

Academy D20 also tends to rate well. At the northern fringe of the city limits of Colo Spgs, D20 encompasses the area north of Woodmen Rd up to the North Gate and Gleneagle areas. Much more city oriented than D38, this district is within the city and may offer the broadest range of housing through the variety of developments that have evolved there over the last 30 years.

Try a search on here as there are quite a few opinions and recommendations for various school districts based onwhat exactly you may be after. Colo Spgs is home to a dozen different districts and over 200 different schools with different emphasis placed in different areas. While not every school is top rated in testing criteria, there are some very productive and engaging schools located within lower rated districts than the three mentioned above.

[otowi]

I'd suggest that focusing on districts is too wide a focus and that you'd do better focusing on particular schools. There are lots of great schools within districts that might not be the top rated. I am also rather skeptical of rating and performance systems for schools in general. What they really tell you is mostly about the relative wealth of that area.

[Postal77]

Thanks. I don't mean a cheap neighborhood. I just don't want the most expensive neighborhood in the area if i can help it. But even then, that's fine if it's the best option for schools.

What kind of rating? I guess tests mostly. I just need to pick areas that have good school ratings to show my wife we should consider the area. I assumed the ratings mean something. But i do get they don't mean everything.

[Vision67]

District 20 has excellent schools. My kids graduated from Rampart in their IB program and they ended up graduating from two of the best colleges in the country.

I do think, however, that parental involvement makes a huge impact on educational achievement. So perhaps school ratings are over blown.

If you simply do a Zillow search for house sold prices within a 1 mile radius of Rampart high, you can get an idea of the relative house affordability.

[TCHP]

Within Cos the three above districts are all highly rated within not just the immediate area, but the state as well. Within all districts we also have numerous charter schools within the public districts as well as several STEM, IB, and AP focused schools.

[Postal77]

Thanks. How do charter schools work in Colorado? How do gets get in one?

[otowi]

Charter schools are big time hit or miss here - some of them are absolutely terrible. So do your homework. The good ones are likely to have waiting lists and lottery systems. However, our best charter schools are not better than our best regular public schools - they're just a bit different. This is not a state where one needs to go charter to get a good education. To the contrary, for the most part the regular public schools do quite a bit better at educating all kids.

[Belle99]

I would also like to add that if your kids have Special Needs, D11 is your best bet.