ABOUT US
PCCS was created to help families stay well-informed and engaged with important issues that can impact our children's education and Charter Schools. Boulder Valley School District has five charter schools that educate 2300 students: Boulder Prep High School, Horizons K-8, Justice High School, Peak to Peak, and Summit Middle School.
Key Issues Impacting Children’s Education Arise But Parents Are Unaware
PCCS will serve to educate parents about Key Issues Impacting Charter School
Parent Engagement Occurs When There Is Little Time To Advocate - Firefight Versus Thoughtful Planning
PCCS will establish a network of charter school parents that can easily be mobilized and activated when needed – A focus on Proactive instead of Reactive Advocacy.
Concise and Consistent Messaging On Issues Across Schools
PCCS will help the charter school community promote focused messaging that presents a clear Understanding of the Issues.
Strength In Numbers
Our collective voice gives us more power to Be Heard
PARTNERS
There is strength in numbers. Our voices are more powerful collectively than individually. Therefore, we partner with multiple organizations to gain and share knowledge about key issues that are impacting our children.
COLORADO LEAGUE OF CHARTER SCHOOLS
PCCS is partnering with The Colorado League of Charter Schools (The League) a non-profit, membership organization dedicated to supporting the charter schools in the state, to share information about education initiatives within BVSD and the State of Colorado. Learn more and join the League at https://coloradoleague.org. Also, by signing up here, you will receive valuable information about education in Colorado.
BVSD PUBLIC SCHOOL
“The Board of Education encourages the development of a variety of high quality educational programs, options, or alternatives for students and parents that may best fit their particular educational needs or preferences. All schools in the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) prepare students to meet or exceed the content standards in each subject area. All District schools except charter schools implement the adopted curriculum of the District.
Each school in the District is considered a school of choice. Neighborhood schools are available as a choice within designated attendance areas or through open enrollment, space permitting, and are the predominant choice among public school families. Other school formats available in the School District include focus school programs, strands, and charter schools." (BVSD Policy IFF)
BVSD CHARTER SCHOOLS
A charter school is a public, non-sectarian, non-religious, nonhome-based school within the School District that has received a charter from the Board of Education as provided by state law. A charter school may differ from neighborhood schools and focus school programs in various ways. Differences include, but are not limited to: the authorization it has received from the Board to implement a different curriculum; to establish a separate governance structure; and to negotiate the amount and application of funds.” (BVSD Policy IFF)
Peak to Peak’s rigorous curriculum has demonstrated amazing results. Peak to Peak consistently ranks “Excellent” at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, and has earned multiple “John Irwin School of Excellence Awards.” The Excellent ratings and the John Irwin Awards are based on state assessment scores and are presented to schools that rate within the top 8% of all Colorado public schools.
Horizons was founded, and continues to lead the way, in order to:
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Have a dynamic, K-8 school of choice that has the sustainable capacity to prioritize and maintain a focus on individual learners and their needs.
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Allow for committed, professional educators to have the autonomy to make choices, based on the most current research, as to how to develop and implement relevant, challenging and innovative curriculum K through 8.
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Build and maintain an innovative, caring, and rigorous learning environment where the needs of the whole child are addressed in support of high academic and behavioral expectations.
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Utilize strong community partnerships, which provide students opportunities to make positive contributions to their community as a whole.
Summit Middle School was founded in 1996 as Boulder Valley School District's first public charter school. The school was founded by a group of parents who wanted a rigorous curriculum that was academically challenging in a caring community that supported students development and instilled a life long love of learning.
These are the core values of the school continue to guide Summit to this day. Since its inception, Summit has been extremely successful in helping students to achieve their potential and the school's standardized test scores are always among the top schools in Colorado.
In 1997 the founders of Boulder Preparatory High School saw an opportunity to create a charter high school that would use research-based, alternative strategies to create an innovative college preparatory program. The school would engage youth who were frustrated and disillusioned with the traditional high school environment. Over twenty years later, Boulder Prep still sees disenfranchised youth who have, for a variety of reasons, not made a meaningful connection with their school and/or their education. Here, we offer up the opportunity to find a way of learning that works for all. We put forward our best efforts to engage as many students as possible so that they can be successful, functioning adults in both higher education and the work force. We encourage and support students to value the pursuit of education as a way to improve their own lives.
Justice High is a charter school for at-risk youth in the Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley communities. It is a pre-collegiate academic program, requiring all graduates to have taken and passed two college-level courses and be accepted into a minimum of three colleges. All students are required to participate in extra-curricular activities and work in their community. Justice High School also offers students some vocational courses and opportunities to complete their GED or Hi Sett.
