Mapleton Public Schools
 | This article needs more citations. (November 2025) |
| Mapleton Public Schools | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
7350 Broadway
, Colorado, 80221United States | |
| Coordinates | 39°49′49″N 104°59′10″W / 39.83028°N 104.98611°W |
| District information | |
| Type | Unified school district |
| Motto | Achieve Your Dreams |
| Grades | PK–12 |
| Established | 1955 |
| Superintendent | Mike Crawford |
| School board | 5 members |
| Chair of the board | Thomas Moe |
| Accreditation | Cognia |
| Schools | 20 |
| Budget | $141,202,000 |
| NCES District ID | 0805550[1] |
| Students and staff | |
| Students | 7,095 |
| Teachers | 404.57 (on an FTE basis) |
| Staff | 914.21 (on an FTE basis) |
| Student–teacher ratio | 17.54 |
| Other information | |
| Website | mapleton |
Mapleton Public Schools is a unified school district in Adams County, Colorado, based in the unincorporated community of Sherrelwood. It encompasses industrial and commercial areas immediately north of Denver, including North Washington and parts of Sherrelwood, Thornton, Twin Lakes, and Welby. In the 2024–25 academic year[update], the school district enrolled 7,095 students at twenty schools.
Unlike other school districts in the state, schools in Mapleton do not have attendance boundaries, and students and families can choose to attend any school in the district.
History
[edit]Mapleton Public Schools was established in 1955 as Adams County School District 1 following the merger of two other districts. When Mapleton was founded, the district was primarily made up of farmland.
Up until the 2000s, the school district had performed poorly on state assessments.
In fall 2007, the district changed its school assignment policy to where all families in the district choose which schools they will send their children to, instead of having attendance boundaries for elementary and middle schools; previously the district had a single large comprehensive high school which covered the entire district. The schools were all made to be relatively small campuses, the district called them "small-by-design" schools. The district's only comprehensive high school, Skyview High School, closed at the end of the 2006–07 academic year and was replaced with several smaller high schools.[2]
In 2019 the State of Colorado was looking for a temporary manager of the Adams 14 School District. Mapleton requested to be a potential manager of the district, along with three other organizations; the other three were not school districts.[3] The state selected Mapleton to temporarily operate Adams 14.[4]
Academics
[edit]Enrollment and demographics
[edit]Mapleton Public Schools is located immediately north of Denver. It is centered on the junction of four freeways: Interstate 25 (I-25), I-76, I-270, and U.S. Route 36. Its boundaries encompass large parts of North Washington, Thornton, and Welby, as well as small parts of Sherrelwood and Twin Lakes.[5]
In the 2024–25 academic year, there were 7,095 students enrolled in Mapleton's twenty schools. The district employed 914.21 staff members (on a full-time equivalent basis), including 404.57 classroom teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.54.[1] The demographic makeup of the district is mostly Hispanic (51%) and White (41%), and 9.9% of students speak English less than well.[6]
Performance
[edit]Mapleton Public Schools was accredited with an improvement plan by the Colorado Department of Education in 2024[update].
Governance
[edit]The district's superintendent is Mike Crawford.
Schools
[edit]Mapleton has twenty schools, including a stand-alone preschool, four elementary schools (one for grades K–3 and three for K–6), one 4–8 intermediate school, six K–8 schools, one junior/senior high school, four high schools, one K–12 school, an online program, and an alternative high school for young adults. In addition to the stand-alone preschool, eight other schools offer a prekindergarten program. Ten of the schools are located on two campuses: the Skyview and Broadway Campuses, the latter of which also has the district headquarters. The other ten schools have their own locations.
| School | Grades | Enrollment (2023–24) | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy High School | 9–12 | 399 | Skyview Campus | |
| Achieve Academy | PK–8 | 370 | Stand-alone | |
| Adventure Elementary | PK–6 | 429 | Stand-alone | |
| Clayton Partnership School | K–8 | 430 | Skyview Campus | |
| Explore PK–8 | PK–8 | 557 | Stand-alone | |
| Global Intermediate Academy | 4–8 | 346 | Broadway Campus | |
| Global Leadership Academy | 9–12 | 400 | Broadway Campus | |
| Global Primary Academy | PK–3 | 272 | Broadway Campus | |
| Mapleton Early Career Preparation | 9–12 | 306 | Skyview Campus | |
| Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts | 9–12 | 393 | Skyview Campus | |
| Mapleton Online | K–12 | 152 | Online | Physical presence at Broadway Campus |
| Meadow Community School | PK–8 | 378 | Stand-alone | |
| Monterey Community School | K–8 | 440 | Stand-alone | |
| North Valley School for Young Adults | 9–12 | 102 | Skyview Campus | Alternative high school for young adults up to age 21 |
| Performing Arts School on Broadway | 7–12 | 169 | Broadway Campus | |
| Preschool on Poze | PK | 193 | Stand-alone | |
| Trailside Academy | PK–8 | 492 | Stand-alone | |
| Valley View Innovation School | PK–5 | 183 | Stand-alone | Adding grades until reaching PK–8[8][9] |
| Welby Community School of the Arts | PK–6 | 308 | Stand-alone | |
| York International School | K–12 | 776 | Stand-alone | Offers an International Baccalaureate program |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Mapleton School District No. 1 in the county of Adams & St". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
- ↑ Whaley, Monte (May 12, 2018). "How one of the lowest performing school districts in Colorado changed its fortunes by becoming "all-choice"". The Denver Post. Denver, Colorado: MediaNews Group. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
- ↑ Robles, Yesenia (February 5, 2019). "Mapleton: Why a school district wants to manage its troubled neighbor". Chalkbeat Colorado. Denver, Colorado: Civic News Group. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ↑ "Mapleton Public Schools Chosen To Take Over Adams 14 School District". CBS Colorado. Denver, Colorado: CBS News. February 13, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ↑ Geography Division (December 16, 2020). 2020 Census - School District Reference Map: Adams County, CO (PDF) (Map). 1:120,000. Suitland, Maryland: United States Census Bureau. p. 1 (PDF p. 2/3). Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ↑ "ACS-ED District Demographic Dashboard 2018–22 - Mapleton School District 1, Colorado". Education Demographic and Geographic Estimates. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ↑ "Boundary Information and District Maps". Mapleton Public Schools. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ↑ "Our School". Mapleton Public Schools. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ↑ Brady, Nicole (August 31, 2023). "Mapleton Public Schools district opens new school for gifted and advanced students". KMGH-TV. Denver, Colorado: Scripps Media. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
Further reading
[edit]- Ingold, John (December 14, 2005). "$2.6 million grant for Mapleton schools". The Denver Post. Denver, Colorado: MediaNews Group. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- Draper, Electa (June 22, 2007). "Mapleton schools splinter in move for choice". The Denver Post. Denver, Colorado: MediaNews Group. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- Meyer, Jeremy P. (August 16, 2010). "Colorado school districts a study in reform". The Denver Post. Denver, Colorado: MediaNews Group. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- "Mapleton Public Schools: Radical Change, Modest Gains". Denver, Colorado: A+ Colorado. April 1, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- Garcia, Nic (April 13, 2016). "Report: Mapleton's bold experiment in school choice paying off — slowly". Chalkbeat Colorado. Denver, Colorado: Civic News Group. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
