Information on STEM High and Academy? (Denver, Highlands Ranch: home, neighborhood, schools)

[Virginiagrrrl]

We are moving to Denver in March of this year, and I have been checking out the Douglas County Schools website for a while. We have a son who is four, but won't be starting kindergarten this Fall, and a daughter who is in 5th grade. She is in the GT program here in Fairfax County, VA, so I want to make sure that she is challenged at her new school as well.

While looking around at the charter schools in Douglas County, I noticed that some of them had lottery deadlines coming up last week, so for fun I signed up for them. I figured that it wasn't committing to anything, so why not? Well, surprise, we got a notice that she is being offered admission to one of them. Now, I know nothing about them, so I was hoping someone would have some knowledge and advice.

The school is STEM High and Academy in Highlands Ranch. It looks like it is really new, so there isn't much information on it. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge? My daughter is STEM oriented, so that part sounded good. They don't have a GT program, but they do group by ability, and honors classes are available. I'm just concerned about it being new and not having a whole lot of information on testing and that sort of thing.

Also, does anyone have an opinion on whether it is better to be in a school like STEM, as opposed to the Douglas County Discovery Program (which appears to be the same as what my daughter is in now, but ends in 8th grade). It would seem that the school's focus on STEM would be better in the long run, especially once she gets to 9th - 12th, when the GT program won't matter at all. It is all really confusing.

Right now, she will likely finish the school year out there in whatever our neighborhood school ends up being, then switch to the STEM school next year (it starts in sixth grade). We planned to look for a home in Parker, so it would have been better if she cleared the lottery at one of the Parker schools, but if this school is good enough, we can always adjust where we move to get closer. I am used to driving her to school as it is though.

Any information on the school would be appreciated, and any opinion on a STEM focused school versus the Discovery Program would also be welcome. Heck, any advice at all about moving to the area would be great as well.

P.S. I have read up on the Douglas County issues, but my husband's job will be there, and he lived there before moving out to Northern Va, so that is where he/we want to be.

Thanks!

[2bindenver]

How about calling the principal or the PTA president to start? If it's a new school and a new program - it only has a small history to share. https://www.dcsdk12.org/schools/STEMSchool/index.htm

The 10 or so regular posters here aren't there.

I would never live in Parker when your kid went to school in Highlands Ranch. Her friends and her social life will revolve around the kids at that school.