The School District No. 1 in the City and County of Denver and State of Colorado, more commonly known as Denver Public Schools (DPS), is the public school system in the City and County of Denver, Colorado, United States.
Robert W. Steele Elementary School in Denver, 1918
In 1859, Owen J. Goldrick established the Union School, Denver's first school, a private school that served thirteen students.[2] Other private schools opened shortly thereafter to accommodate Denver's rapidly growing population during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. In 1861, the new territorial government established Goldrick as the superintendent in Arapahoe County (which then encompassed Denver). Soon after the first two public school districts in Denver were formed: District One on the east side of the city and District Two on the west side. District Two opened the first public school in Denver on December 1, 1862 in a rented log cabin and District One followed suit soon after. On April 2, 1873 the first purpose built school building, the "Arapahoe School", opened.[3]
In 1902, the 20th Amendment to the Constitution of the State of Colorado, known as the Rush Amendment, created the City and County of Denver, separating it from Arapahoe County. In 1903, Denver Public Schools was established. All school districts in Denver County were consolidated into Denver Public Schools, and Aaron Gove became the first-ever DPS Superintendent. Margaret Tupper True was president of the Denver School Board from 1906 to 1908, one of the first women to serve in such a role in a major city.[4]
In 1994, Denver Public School teacher went on strike over classroom size, working conditions, and pay.[5]
In 2015, the Brookings Institution ranked Denver Public Schools first in school choice among large school districts in the United States.[6][7]
In 2018, Denver Public Schools joined other regional districts in banning its students from attending school-sanctioned trips to the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge citing the history of the area's plutonium contamination and previous designation as a Superfund site.[8][9]
In February 2019, teachers in the Denver Public Schools went on strike for three days as part of the larger wave of teachers' strikes across the United States that began in 2018. The teachers union, Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA), demanded higher pay and school funding as well as a change to the teachers' compensation structure, which they said was overly reliant on bonuses instead of salary increases. It was the first strike in the district in 25 years.[10] The deal that the union ultimately reached with the district kept some bonuses in place but also increased base salaries by 7 to 11 percent and created a new pay scale that puts more emphasis on teacher training and experience.[11][12]
In 2020, all members of the board voted to remove police officers from schools in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.[13]
Organization
DPS is the sole public school district in Denver.[14]
According to the Colorado Department of Education, DPS operates 198 schools with a total enrollment of 90,450 students as of October 2024. Of those, 52.6% of the school district's enrollment were Hispanic or Latino, 24.6% were White, 12.9% were Black or African American, 5% were two or more races, 3.2% were Asian, 1% were Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and 0.5% were American Indian or Alaskan Native. 31.3% were English language learners, 9.1% were classified as Gifted and Talented, and 18.6% were Students with Disabilities (14% under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act and 4.6% under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973).[15]
The official Denver Public Schools website listed somewhat different statistics, also as of October 2024. The number of schools was listed as 207, with a total enrollment of 90,452 students. The DPS website stated that 36.3% of students were classified as English language learners, 10.11% as Gifted and Talented, and 14% as Students with Disabilities. In addition, 62.63% of students were Free/Reduced-Price Lunch Eligible.[16] However, the district provided all students regardless of family income a complete breakfast and lunch at no charge as of the 2024-2025 school year. [17]
Under the leadership of Superintendent Tom Boasberg and guided by the tenets of the Denver Plan, DPS had the second-highest academic growth in the nation.[18] The total of DPS graduates grew from 2,655 in 2006 to 3,608 in 2014. Drop-out rates dropped from 11.1% in 2006 to 4.5% in 2014.
School board
The Denver Board of Education is the policymaking body for DPS. The school board is made up of one representative from five districts and two at-large representatives, for a total of seven members. Dr. Carrie Olson was elected the school board president in 2019.[19]
Schools
As of August 2025, there are 198 active schools operated by Denver Public Schools, as identified by the Colorado Department of Education.[20][21]
Elementary schools
Academia Ana Marie Sandoval
Academy 360
Asbury Elementary School
Ashley Elementary School
Barney Ford Elementary School
Barnum Elementary School
Beach Court Elementary School
Bradley Elementary School
Bromwell Elementary School
Brown International Academy
Carson Elementary School
Centennial School
Center for Talent Development - Greenlee
Charles M. Schenck Community School
Cheltenham Elementary School
Cole Arts and Sciences Academy
Colfax Elementary School
College View Elementary School
Columbine Elementary School
Cory Elementary School
Cowell Elementary School
Denver Center For International Studies at Fairmont
In the 2016–2017 school year, 92,331 students were enrolled in 207 Denver Public Schools consisting of 8 Early Childhood Education or K-12 schools, 92 elementary, 18 ECE-8 or K-8, 34 middle, 12 schools with grades 6-12, and 44 traditional high schools.
71.7 percent (62,977) of public school students qualified for free or reduced price lunch in the 2013–2014 school year.[23]
There were 11,932 employees of DPS; 4,329 of them were teachers.[24]
Race
Although Denver is more than 52 percent 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 rates. The predominant heritage in the Denver Public School system is Mexican American. Denver has a high Hispanic percentage of roughly 32%, and they are a majority in the public school system.[citation needed]
↑ "Denver Public Schools: History". dpsk12.org. Denver Public Schools. Retrieved February 18, 2016. The first school bells in Denver rang out on October 3, 1859 when professor Owen J. Goldrick opened his "Union School". The school, a log cabin, was located on the west side of 12th Street between Larimer and Market Streets. It was a private school with an enrollment of thirteen children and lasted until late in the winter of 1859-60...School resumed classes on May 7, 1860 with Goldrick and an assistant, Miss Miller.
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