Denver Public Schools
Encyclopedia
The Denver County School District No. 1, more commonly known as the Denver Public Schools (DPS), is the public school system in the City and County of Denver, Colorado
, United States
.
s, 38 High School
s, and 30 Charter School
s. They also operate other school programs including the Denver School of the Arts
, the Center for International Studies, Emily Griffith Opportunity School
, DPS Online High School, an International Baccalaureate program, a Highly Gifted and Talented Program, and CEC Middle College of Denver. DPS also operates the Balarat Program, an outdoor education, western history, and environmental studies program at a 720 acres (2.9 km²) site in the mountains northwest of Boulder.
In total, DPS educates 78,352 students as of October 2009. The ethnic/racial composition of these students are:
According to the DPS website, the graduation rate of DPS students is 52%. The district's dropout rate is 10.4%.
Although Denver is about 40% non-Hispanic White, minority groups represent double the regular Denver population. The reason for this has been white flight
over the past few decades and extremely strong Hispanic school-age growth due to relatively high birth rate
s. The predominant heritage in the Denver Public School system is Mexican American
. Denver has a high Hispanic percentage of roughly 40% and they are a majority in the public school system. In addition, Denver's African-American percentage overall is half that of Denver Public Schools.
There are 13,087 employees of DPS; 4,555 of them are teachers.
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The first school was a log cabin on the corner of 12th Street between Market and Larimer streets that opened in 1859. The school district was created in 1902 by a constitutional amendment that created the City and County of Denver and consolidated five school districts into today's School District No. 1.Organization
Currently, DPS operates 87 elementary schools, 9 K-8 schools, 24 Middle SchoolMiddle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
s, 38 High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s, and 30 Charter School
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
s. They also operate other school programs including the Denver School of the Arts
Denver School of the Arts
The Denver School of the Arts was founded in 1991 as part of the Denver Public School District. It was a pioneer of the magnet school concept.-History:...
, the Center for International Studies, Emily Griffith Opportunity School
Emily Griffith Opportunity School
Emily Griffith Opportunity School is a public technical college in downtown Denver, Colorado. Founded by Emily Griffith in 1916 as Opportunity School, it was renamed in her honor in 1933...
, DPS Online High School, an International Baccalaureate program, a Highly Gifted and Talented Program, and CEC Middle College of Denver. DPS also operates the Balarat Program, an outdoor education, western history, and environmental studies program at a 720 acres (2.9 km²) site in the mountains northwest of Boulder.
In total, DPS educates 78,352 students as of October 2009. The ethnic/racial composition of these students are:
- American Indian: 1.1%
- Asian: 3.5%
- Black: 16.2%
- Hispanic: 54.1%
- White: 25.2%
According to the DPS website, the graduation rate of DPS students is 52%. The district's dropout rate is 10.4%.
Although Denver is about 40% non-Hispanic White, minority groups represent double the regular Denver population. The reason for this has been white flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
over the past few decades and extremely strong Hispanic school-age growth due to relatively high birth rate
Birth rate
Crude birth rate is the nativity or childbirths per 1,000 people per year . Another word used interchangeably with "birth rate" is "natality". When the crude birth rate is subtracted from the crude death rate, it reveals the rate of natural increase...
s. The predominant heritage in the Denver Public School system is Mexican American
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
. Denver has a high Hispanic percentage of roughly 40% and they are a majority in the public school system. In addition, Denver's African-American percentage overall is half that of Denver Public Schools.
There are 13,087 employees of DPS; 4,555 of them are teachers.
Elementary schools
- Westerly Creek Elementary school - School Web Site
High schools
- Denver Online High SchoolDenver Online High SchoolDenver Online High School is an online school that is run by the Denver County School District 1. First opened in 2003, it enrolls students full time, as well as provides supplementary classes for students enrolled at other high schools and online classes for home schooled families...
- School Website - North High SchoolNorth High School (Denver, Colorado)North High School is a High School located in Denver, Colorado. It is part of the Denver Public Schools System. It is located in the Highland neighborhood of North Denver.-Demographics:...
- School Web Site - South High SchoolSouth High School (Denver)South High School is a high school in the Washington Park neighborhood on the south side of Denver, Colorado. It is part of Denver Public Schools.-History:...
- School Web Site - East High School - School Web Site
- West High SchoolWest High School (Denver)West High School is a high school located in Denver, Colorado. It is part of the Denver Public Schools System. West High School is located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of the original section of West Denver.-Demographics:...
- School Web Site - Thomas Jefferson High School - School Website
- George Washington High SchoolGeorge Washington High School (Denver)George Washington High School is located near the intersection of South Monaco Parkway and Leetsdale Drive in Denver, Colorado. The school is located in the Glendale neighborhood on the southeast side of Denver. GW is recognized as the first school in Colorado to offer International Baccalaureate...
- School Website - John F. Kennedy High SchoolJohn F. Kennedy High School (Denver, Colorado)John F. Kennedy High School is a public secondary school located in the Bear Valley neighborhood on the southwest side of Denver...
- School Website - Emily Griffith Opportunity SchoolEmily Griffith Opportunity SchoolEmily Griffith Opportunity School is a public technical college in downtown Denver, Colorado. Founded by Emily Griffith in 1916 as Opportunity School, it was renamed in her honor in 1933...
- School Website - Abraham Lincoln High SchoolAbraham Lincoln High School (Denver)Abraham Lincoln High School is a public high school in Denver, Colorado, United States, and is named after President Abraham Lincoln. Founded in 1959, ALHS currently has 1,900 students, 4 administrators, and 100 teachers. The principal is Josefina Higa...
- School Web Site - Bruce Randolph 6-12 School - School Website
- Denver School of Science and TechnologyDenver School of Science and TechnologyThe Denver School of Science and Technology is a public charter high school in Denver, Colorado. It has received financial support from various corporations, individuals, and foundations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. -External links:*...
(Charter)- School Website - Manual High SchoolManual High School (Denver)Manual High School is located in the Whittier neighborhood on the east side of Denver, Colorado.-Demographics:*5.6% white*40.9% African American*58.1% Latino*0% Native American*0.3% Asian- Manual Today :...
- School Website - Montbello High SchoolMontbello High School (Denver)Montbello High School is a high school located in Denver. Montbello is part of the Denver Public Schools system. It is located in the Montbello neighborhood on the east side of Denver.-Demographics:Enrolled in the 2009-2010 school year were 1,686 students....
- School Website - Contemporary Learning Academy - Alternative High School School Website
- CEC Middle College of Denver - School Website
- Denver Center for International Studies - School Website
- Denver School of the Arts 6-12 - School Website
Schools to open in 2010-2011
- Denver Green School - School Website
- Denver Language School - School Website
- Denver School of Science and Technology, GVR Campus - School Website
- Girls Athletic Leadership School (GALS) - School Website
- SOAR Charter School - School Website
- West Denver Prep, Lake Campus - School Website
- West Denver Prep, Northwest Campus - School Website