Telluride on top
THS ranked fourth-best in the state, No. 1 public school
By Heather Sackett
Associate Editor
Telluride High School has recently been named the fourth best high school in the state, according to U.S. News rankings.
The annual rankings, which were released last week, also put Telluride as the best public school in Colorado. The top three — Peak to Peak Charter School in Lafayette, Ridgeview Classical Schools in Fort Collins and The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs — are all charter schools. Telluride came in at No. 158 in the nation.
“It’s quite a feather in our cap,” said Telluride R-1 School Board President Paul Reich. “It’s one data point, but it’s a good recognition of the hard work our faculty does, the support of the community and parents and the quality of our students.”
According to the U.S. News website, the national rankings were based on three steps. The first determined whether each school’s students performed better than the average student in the state. The second step determined whether the school’s least-advantaged students were performing better than average compared with similar students statewide. Schools were then judged on college readiness using Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test data.
The annual rankings, which were released last week, also put Telluride as the best public school in Colorado. The top three — Peak to Peak Charter School in Lafayette, Ridgeview Classical Schools in Fort Collins and The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs — are all charter schools. Telluride came in at No. 158 in the nation.
“It’s quite a feather in our cap,” said Telluride R-1 School Board President Paul Reich. “It’s one data point, but it’s a good recognition of the hard work our faculty does, the support of the community and parents and the quality of our students.”
According to the U.S. News website, the national rankings were based on three steps. The first determined whether each school’s students performed better than the average student in the state. The second step determined whether the school’s least-advantaged students were performing better than average compared with similar students statewide. Schools were then judged on college readiness using Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test data.
Telluride also earned the distinction of being a Gold Medal school, which means it scored in the top 500 in the country for college readiness. Telluride scored a 65.8 in college readiness out of a possible 100. Seventy-four percent of students took AP tests and 63 percent passed. According to U.S. News, 50 percent of students were proficient on statewide math tests and 98 percent were proficient in reading.
Superintendent Kyle Schumacher said the district has seen more families moving here in recent years, something that can be attributed, in part, to the district’s growing reputation as a good school.
“I think it has something to say about this community as a whole,” Schumacher said. “It’s an opportunity to celebrate with our staff and our community that our schools are being recognized.”
The rankings are also good news for local realtors. President of the Telluride Association of Realtors Stewart Seeligson said brokers were delighted to hear about the most recent rankings. He said there are quite a few second homeowners who, after falling in love with Telluride, decide to make this their permanent home and enroll their kids in school.
“Surprisingly enough, people shopping for second homes often inquire about our public school,” Seeligson said. “They are always so pleased to hear how strong a tradition of excellence this school has had — even more now that we are ranked the No. 1 public school in Colorado.”
Reich, whose kids attend district schools, said the ranking is not just reflective of the hard work at the high school level. It’s the cumulative efforts of a quality elementary and middle school education programs. He said that although the rankings are good news, it’s important not to fall into the trap of complacency. The district should still strive to be better, he said.
“There’s always room for improvement,” Reich said. “It’s not to say we are a perfect district, but hopefully we will continue to move up in that rank.”
Superintendent Kyle Schumacher said the district has seen more families moving here in recent years, something that can be attributed, in part, to the district’s growing reputation as a good school.
“I think it has something to say about this community as a whole,” Schumacher said. “It’s an opportunity to celebrate with our staff and our community that our schools are being recognized.”
The rankings are also good news for local realtors. President of the Telluride Association of Realtors Stewart Seeligson said brokers were delighted to hear about the most recent rankings. He said there are quite a few second homeowners who, after falling in love with Telluride, decide to make this their permanent home and enroll their kids in school.
“Surprisingly enough, people shopping for second homes often inquire about our public school,” Seeligson said. “They are always so pleased to hear how strong a tradition of excellence this school has had — even more now that we are ranked the No. 1 public school in Colorado.”
Reich, whose kids attend district schools, said the ranking is not just reflective of the hard work at the high school level. It’s the cumulative efforts of a quality elementary and middle school education programs. He said that although the rankings are good news, it’s important not to fall into the trap of complacency. The district should still strive to be better, he said.
“There’s always room for improvement,” Reich said. “It’s not to say we are a perfect district, but hopefully we will continue to move up in that rank.”
For more information on Telluride area real estate, please contact Telluride Real Estate Corp. at 970-728-3111, info@telluriderealestatecorp.com, or visit www.telluriderealestatecorp.com.
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