Jeffco or Douglas Schools? (Denver, Arvada: neighborhood, buy, school districts) - Colorado (CO) - City-Data Forum

hllnwlz · 12-10-2006, 05:14 PM

I've read A LOT about Douglas schools in this forum, and haven't run into anything yet on Jeffco.

I'm a high school teacher (credentialed 7-12 in English and history, and bilingual in Spanish) looking to relocate to Colorado and it's VERY important to me that I work for a school district that's well-respected and in which I won't be too horribly abused.

I like Jeffco's location (closer to the mountains), but my husband will probably be working in Downtown, at least I think it is: HDNet at 2400 N Ulster St,
Denver, CO 80238.

Would any teachers/parents recommend working in one district over the other? And, because I'm an English teacher... WHY? (You're not going to get away with a one-word answer! Ha!)

This is a tough decision which neither visits to district offices nor the high schools alone would adequately address. Thanks for your guidance and your time, since I plan to educate some of your littl'uns. (Even when they're 18, they're littluns, dontchathink?)

2bindenver · 12-11-2006, 08:19 AM

Every school district needs qualified and resourceful teachers.

Since there are only 4 or 5 worth considering...I would include them in your research, then see which one or two come up to the top.

Some of Jeffco schools in Conifer & Evergreen are in the foothills.

gpraceman · 12-14-2006, 10:48 PM

I don't know anything about Jeffco schools, but here's an article that was published in the latest printing of the Highlands Ranch edition of YourHub newspaper regarding DC schools. It is also available online at
http://denver.yourhub.com/HIGHLANDSRANCH/Stories/Education/School-News/Story~157595.aspx (broken link)

BTW - All 3 of my kid's schools rated Excellent

Quote:

Douglas County schools rate high in report
Contributed by: Douglas County School District on 12/5/2006

Colorado Department of Education School Accountability Reports are in and Douglas County School District results are astounding!

Of the 68 non-alternative education campuses reported on to the district by CDE, 93 percent (or 63) of our schools were rated excellent or high. In addition, of the schools receiving an academic growth measure, 95 percent of our schools were stable, improving or significantly improving.

School ratings reflect continued outstanding results on the Colorado Student Assessment Program and ACT exams.

"These are phenomenal ratings. I cannot brag enough about the talent, hard work and commitment our leaders and staff display everyday to support and deliver on student learning" says Superintendent Dr. Jim Christensen. "These results validate that our students, parents and staff are proudly working together on a daily basis to improve student learning in the district."

This year's results show continued improvement for the district's high-achieving schools. On an individual school level, an impressive 8 schools moved up an entire rating category. The 93 percent of schools rated excellent or high is a 7 percent increase over the district's 2005 figure of 86 percent of schools rated excellent or high.

Congratulations to the students, staff and parents of our school district! We are very proud!

To see how each individual school fared go to
http://cfapp2.rockymountainnews.com/education/index.cfm?search=generalDistrict&dnum=900 (broken link)

They also list average teacher salaries for each school, which you may find useful.

Jeffco's performance is at
http://cfapp2.rockymountainnews.com/education/index.cfm?search=generalDistrict&dnum=1420 (broken link)

BenWolfe · 12-15-2006, 08:44 AM

Both school districts are good and safe, but from an education standpoint Douglas county typically rates a little higher overall.

A couple of my clients are teachers in Douglas County and none of them complain about "being too horribly abused."

Good luck with your move.

tfox · 12-15-2006, 09:10 AM

Unless you actually meant 2400 S Ulster, you will not want to commute from anywhere in Douglas county to that location (it appears to be in the Stapleton area). Not is it extremely far but the freeways aren't really set up in the best way to get there from the far south. Even paying tolls to take e-470 won't buy you too much since you'd have to come back on I-70 anyway.

Some places in Jefferson county like Wheat Ridge or Arvada might be realistic,certainly better than Douglas County, but would still be a cross-town haul.

Why not try the Stapleton area itself? You could then walk or bike to work, and Stapleton is a very nice area. I'm assuming that you're trying to avoid DPS, which is understandable, but the DSST charter high school in Stapleton is excellent. If your kids are younger, DPS also has some CSAP rated excellent schools (well, a few anyway) -- you might check to see if there is one near or in Stapleton.

hllnwlz · 12-21-2006, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfox

Unless you actually meant 2400 S Ulster, you will not want to commute from anywhere in Douglas county to that location (it appears to be in the Stapleton area). Not is it extremely far but the freeways aren't really set up in the best way to get there from the far south. Even paying tolls to take e-470 won't buy you too much since you'd have to come back on I-70 anyway.

Some places in Jefferson county like Wheat Ridge or Arvada might be realistic,certainly better than Douglas County, but would still be a cross-town haul.

Why not try the Stapleton area itself? You could then walk or bike to work, and Stapleton is a very nice area. I'm assuming that you're trying to avoid DPS, which is understandable, but the DSST charter high school in Stapleton is excellent. If your kids are younger, DPS also has some CSAP rated excellent schools (well, a few anyway) -- you might check to see if there is one near or in Stapleton.

I meant 2400 N. Ulster. I don't want to live in an urban area because I want easy access to snowboarding, mountain biking, and trail running.

We're thinking of Broomfield or Arvada now. How are the schools in that area? Could I get into Jeffco from there? ANd is the commute to N. Ulster bad from there?

Thanks for your help.

2bindenver · 12-21-2006, 09:56 PM

define bad? Driving from west to east in the morning & east to west can be brutal along I-70.

tfox · 12-29-2006, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hllnwlz

I meant 2400 N. Ulster. I don't want to live in an urban area because I want easy access to snowboarding, mountain biking, and trail running.

We're thinking of Broomfield or Arvada now. How are the schools in that area? Could I get into Jeffco from there? ANd is the commute to N. Ulster bad from there?

Thanks for your help.

From Arvada you'd likely take I-70 east to Stapleton, and Broomfield likely 36 to I-270 to Quebec and south to your destination. Broomfield is further and likely longer travel time than Arvada, but not by much. My guess is that at the present time it's likely to be a wash in rush hour travel time -- maybe half an hour, less at non-peak times. I-70 is likely to be completely re-done in the next 5-10 years or so, which would mean near-term problems but likely longer-term relief.

Broomfield is in the Boulder school district for now, even though it is its own county. The Boulder school district is also good. Arvada is in the Jefferson County school district. Both are considered good, but as I don't have personal experience with them, you'll have to ask someone else about that. You can also check csapscores.org

mmd_traveler · 04-06-2007, 03:18 PM

I live in Stapleton, have a child in Denver schools and work for Jeffco schools.

There are great things about both school districts. Douglas County is one of the fastest growing counties in the country and thus has some fast-growth issues. Jefferson County schools are losing students, but slowly and it is expected to stabalize. The loss is due to a general loss in county population, not because there is anything wrong with the schools. Just remember Jefferson County is huge. Jeffco has some great schools and some that struggle.

The commute from Stapleton to Jeffco is not bad (going West on I-70), but going the other way, during rush hour, from Jeffco to Stapleton is a nightmare. Going east to west during rush hour is against the major traffic flow so I usually buzz to work in 40-45 minutes.

You are missing a great opportuntiy if you don't live in the Stapleton neighborhood. Fantastic community, very outdoor oriented, quick trip to the ski areas right down I-70, lots of bike trails and parks.

Katarina Witt · 04-06-2007, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Broomfield is in the Boulder school district for now, even though it is its own county. The Boulder school district is also good.

Only part of Broomfield is in the Boulder Valley school district. The northwestern part, to be exact; west of Sheridan Blvd and north of 120th Ave. Some of Broomfield is acutually in the Jefferson Co district (south of 120th and west of Sheridan) and most of the rest is in Adams Co District 12. When Broomfield became a county, the school districts did not change. There is a great answer from 2beindenver on one of these threads about what is a "good" school district.