Durango Area Schools Guide

Address: 373 Hermosa Meadows Rd, Durango, CO 81301 · Phone: (970) 247-0124

General feel: Small community school north of town with a school-family model. Caring teachers, welcoming atmosphere, strong parent connection.

• Good: Parents describe caring teachers and a very supportive environment.
• Challenges: Some rural families have raised concerns about bus service — families in rural areas have been denied school bus service, which has been a frustration for parents who feel this is a significant burden.

Address: 216 CO-172, Durango, CO 81303

General feel: Rural school south of Durango with an individualized, close-knit feel.

• Good: Dedicated staff, strong relationships, and small class sizes. Parents who have had children there for multiple years describe being very happy with the teachers and administrators.
• Challenges: Very few significant negatives were shared by parents — families largely appreciate the close-knit atmosphere and the patience teachers show with students.

Address: 11274 CO-140, Hesperus, CO 81326 · Phone: (970) 588-3331

General feel: Small rural west-of-town school with a family-style atmosphere.

• Good: Very tight-knit community — teachers know every student by name. Parents praise dedicated staff and the school's diverse, inclusive culture. Native American families have described feeling welcomed here.
• Challenges: Being a small school (around 100 students) means limited resources. Some families would like better communication and more peer interaction opportunities for their kids.

Address: 2425 W 3rd Ave, Durango, CO 81301 · Phone: (970) 247-4791

General feel: Popular in-town school with an IB Primary Years Programme focus.

• Good: Strong academic reputation, neighborhood feel, and supportive community. Parents describe excellent teachers with high expectations. One of the few elementaries in Durango that offers a second language.
• Challenges: A few years back, the school went through a difficult period under a principal who seldom visited classrooms, and test scores dipped during that time. Leadership has since changed and parents have described an improvement since 2019.

Address: 510 E 6th Ave, Durango, CO 81301 · Phone: (970) 247-3718

General feel: Centrally located elementary with emphasis on social-emotional learning.

• Good: Excellent leadership from the principal and VP. Parents have praised the caring teachers, exceptional support staff, and the school's strong emphasis on social-emotional learning. Bullying and behavior issues are handled with empathy. Military families and families who relocated mid-year describe being embraced immediately by the school community.
• Challenges: Communication lapses have come up occasionally in parent feedback, though families say signing up for daily updates from the school resolved this.

Address: 2900 Mesa Ave, Durango, CO 81301 · Phone: (970) 247-3862

General feel: In-town north Durango school with an enrichment-focused program.

• Good: Positive teacher culture, strong academics, and highly praised leadership. Some parents describe it as the best overall K–5 school in the district.
• Challenges: Some parents wish there were more diversity initiatives and a greater focus on language learning. School lunch quality has also come up as a recurring complaint — though this appears to be a district-wide issue rather than specific to Riverview.

Address: 75 Co Rd 218, Durango, CO 81303 · Phone: (970) 259-5249

General feel: Small rural school south of Durango with a strong community feel.

• Good: Parents uniformly praise Sunnyside. Staff are described as truly getting to the heart of issues for each child. Parents have seen strong reading improvement thanks to attentive intervention. The student-to-teacher ratio is around 13:1.
• Challenges: No significant negatives were shared by parents in conversations and reviews.

Address: 2608 Junction St, Durango, CO 81301 · Phone: (970) 247-1418

General feel: In-town public middle school with a brand-new campus opened in fall 2024.

• Good: Dedicated teachers and counselors, positive communication reported by some parents.
• Challenges: Miller has had a mixed reputation over the years. Parent feedback has included concerns about bullying not being addressed — particularly for Hispanic and Native American students — as well as complaints about drug exposure, poor discipline, and a lack of cell phone oversight. Some parents and students have described a toxic climate in past reviews. New leadership and a new building are seen as reasons for cautious optimism moving forward.

Address: 141 Baker Ln, Durango, CO 81303 · Phone: (970) 247-9490

General feel: South Durango public middle school known for a supportive culture and Expeditionary Learning approach.

• Good: Caring staff, friendly environment, strong parent perception overall. Kids frequently wake up excited to go to school, according to parents. Staff are involved with students and focused on helping them grow stronger.
• Challenges: Some isolated incidents of bullying not being addressed quickly enough have come up in parent feedback — including a situation involving a student's eating disorder being mocked without intervention.

Address: 108 W 31st St, Durango, CO 81301 · Phone: (970) 828-5600

General feel: Project-based charter school with strong academics and an innovative model.

• Good: Hands-on learning, strong math and science reputation, great fit for self-motivated students. Families love the electives, teamwork focus, and problem-solving approach.
• Challenges: Reviews are polarizing. Some parents have raised concerns about bullying not being taken seriously, leadership being dismissive of complaints, and a perception that staff favor wealthier students. Teacher turnover and leadership instability have also been mentioned. Some parents felt the school was disorganized or poorly equipped to support struggling students, and the self-directed math program has been a concern for parents of advanced learners. Admissions are lottery-based.

Address: 225 Sawyer Dr, Durango, CO 81303 · Phone: (970) 764-4185

General feel: Small charter school with a whole-child philosophy and individualized learning focus.

• Good: Small classrooms, caring teachers, flexible and student-centered approach. Described by parents as a hidden gem with a joyful learning environment.
• Challenges: Still growing and refining its curriculum as a newer school (chartered in 2017). It has a shorter school calendar with more days off than 9-R schools, which can be a scheduling challenge for working parents.

Address: 3107 Western Ave, Durango, CO 81301 · Phone: (970) 385-4834

General feel: Private specialized school focused on dyslexia and ADHD support using the Orton-Gillingham approach.

• Good: Very small classes (12 or fewer students), individualized multi-sensory instruction, and a safe and loving environment for students who learn differently. Children describe feeling connected to their teachers and knowing they have people they can go to for support.
• Challenges: Some parents feel the school could push kids a bit harder academically once foundational reading skills improve. As a private school it is tuition-based, and extracurricular offerings are more limited compared to larger schools.

Address: 2390 Main Ave, Durango, CO 81301 · Phone: (970) 259-1630

General feel: Comprehensive public high school with broad academics, arts, athletics, AP options, and career pathways.

• Good: Wide range of opportunities including AP classes, dual college credit through Fort Lewis College, internships, trade certifications, strong sports teams, a renowned theater program, and myriad clubs. Teachers and staff are described by many parents as highly dedicated and well-trained.
• Challenges: With around 1,400 students, some kids feel lost in the crowd. Attendance enforcement has been a concern — some students describe the school as allowing excessive absences. Past student reviews have described a difficult social scene with strong cliques, wealth disparities, drug use, and fighting. Some parents have also raised concerns about the school pushing certain social or political content on students, while others appreciate the inclusive environment. Experiences here vary widely depending on the student.

Address: 22 Osprey Way, Durango, CO 81301 · Phone: (970) 247-2474

General feel: Smaller college-prep charter high school with project-based learning and strong student-teacher relationships.

• Good: Close-knit culture, real-world projects, required internships, and public exhibitions of student work. Every student completes a personal passion project before graduating. College acceptance rates have historically been very high. Great fit for independent learners who do well with responsibility.
• Challenges: Smaller school size means fewer AP courses, foreign language options, and sports compared to DHS. Students who want a traditional big high school experience may miss that here. The PBL model involves a lot of public speaking and group work, which isn't the right fit for every student. Some facility challenges existed in prior years (modular buildings before the new campus). Admission is lottery-based. As one student put it: you have to be self-driven — if you are, you'll love it; if not, you might fall behind.

Address: 150 Tech Center Dr, Durango, CO 81301 · Phone: (970) 259-0203

General feel: District-run alternative high school focused on personalized learning plans, real-world internships, and student interests.

• Good: Extremely individualized — each student has an advisor and a Personalized Learning Plan tailored to their interests. Students complete a professional internship every year with community mentors. Parents describe deeply dedicated staff and a tight, accepting culture. Some students have earned college STEM credits through Big Picture despite the non-traditional format.
• Challenges: Limited on-site course offerings — students often need to take some classes at DHS or online for advanced math or AP coursework. The independent structure is not a fit for students who need more external accountability. GreatSchools gives it a low rating based on test scores, but that metric doesn't reflect the model well. Some in the community mistakenly view it as a last resort, though families involved describe it very differently.

General feel: Very small specialized program (max ~20 students) focused on behavioral and emotional support. Students remain enrolled in their home school but attend The Hub campus temporarily for intensive support alongside academics.

• Good: Extremely low student-to-staff ratio, strong therapeutic and counseling support, bus service provided. Designed for students who have experienced trauma or whose mental health needs cannot be met in a typical school setting. Success stories from parents are common, and students can transition back to their regular school when ready.
• Challenges: Curriculum is somewhat limited given its short-term intervention focus. It is not a typical school experience — no sports, clubs, or traditional social environment. There is sometimes stigma associated with placement here that students have to work through.