How Colorado Academy Prepares Students for Success
Possessing a rigorous academic curriculum, Colorado Academy in southwest Denver provides a robust learning environment that aims to empower students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade to achieve academic success. In this article, we look at how Colorado Academy helps young people in Colorado to flourish in an ever-changing world.
Established in 1906, Colorado Academy provides a dynamic liberal arts education designed to foster leaders who will shape the future. Located on a 94-acre wooded campus, the school encompasses dedicated buildings for the arts, athletics, and more. Possessing a student-to-teacher ratio of 9:1 and an average class size of 15 students, the school offers an academically rigorous curriculum that emphasizes individual and group study of the sciences and liberal arts. The school aims to engage with students through service and experiential learning.
With 991 students, Colorado Academy has a student body that represents more than 70 different zip codes in Denver. Colorado Academy is dedicated to creating a culture of inclusivity, and 25 percent of its students come from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds.
Tuition and financial aid
Colorado Academy’s comprehensive tuition is designed to provide students with a challenging and highly rewarding experience. The fees cover all basic costs, which include lunches, classroom supplies, computer use, yearbooks, field trips, and student publications. For grades 5-9, tuition covers the cost of an iPad, and parents are required to supply a keyboard and case. For grades 6-12, caregivers are responsible for covering the cost of textbooks. Transportation to and from school is also available for an additional fee.
At Colorado Academy, students receive a comprehensive education irrespective of their family’s economic situation. In the 2019-2020 school year, Colorado Academy offered qualifying students more than $3.7 million in financial aid, providing support to over 19% of the student body. Current and newly admitted students may qualify for financial aid where there is a demonstrated need. Eligibility is determined by taking into consideration factors such as income, assets, liabilities, and family size.
Financial aid is essentially treated as a gift, and repayment is not required. The financial aid process is reviewed on a yearly basis and takes into account any changes in family circumstances or tuition for each new school year.
Education about the natural world
The Colorado Academy’s Outward Bound USA program carries on a tradition of embracing the natural world while simultaneously pushing boundaries. Immersive learning in an outdoor environment offers a hands-on opportunity to study geography, history, geology, natural history, anthropology, and the environment. The lessons that students learn through outdoor studies are translated to the classroom with the goal of helping students to succeed in all aspects of their lives.
Colorado Academy’s 2019-2020 outdoor program calendar features a comprehensive range of outdoor activities. For the Lower School, excursions range from camping in Golden Gate State Park to hiking in the Lair o’ the Bear Park and taking a yurt trip in the Tennessee Pass.
Students at the Colorado Academy’s Middle School can enjoy activities such as climbing in Clear Creek Canyon, fly fishing in North Platte River, and hiking into the High Lonesome Hut. Colorado Academy also offers a comprehensive range of outdoor activities for Upper School students, which includes hiking to the Tundra Hut in the Colorado mountains and ice climbing in Lake City.
Computer science festival
At Colorado Academy, other activities include a computer science festival. In 2019, Colorado Academy hosted its 5th Annual Computer Science Festival, with students gathering in the Raether Library to experiment with a variety of advanced technology that included the following:
· Pro-Bots and dancing Bee-Bots
· Virtual and augmented reality
· iRobot and Ozobots
· Turing Tumble marble computers
· Little Bits electronics
Caring for students’ emotional and social health
Colorado Academy’s commitment to its students is illustrated by the story of 17-year-old Waleed Khalifa, who attended Colorado Academy for four years. He acknowledges that his experiences at the school taught him to prioritize his own emotional and social development, invest in himself, take pride in his accomplishments, and develop high standards of excellence. Waleed credits much of his personal growth and achievements to Colorado Academy’s willingness to let him make his own mistakes and learn from them.
As Waleed explains, when he made a mistake, an academic counselor would chat with him and provide an opportunity to reflect and learn from his mistakes. From this, Waleed points out, he would grow and learn. He says that all he needed from his mentors was for them to witness his potential. When Waleed realized how much they had invested in him, he became determined to succeed.
These experiences reflect a deliberate culture fostered by Colorado Academy that is designed to support students’ social and emotional wellness. As the Head of School Mike Davis explained, Colorado Academy’s students are ambitious and motivated, but the pressure they put on themselves can actually sabotage their success. Davis emphasized that, in this age of anxiety, the school has a duty to respond. Colorado Academy not only encourages its educators to take care of their students, but also urges its students to take care of one another.
