The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Bringing home the gold
According to U.S. News and World Report, the Crested Butte Community School is one of the most elite high schools in the state, earning a gold medal award in 2014. The magazine ranked CBCS at number six among the 363 high schools in Colorado and at 318 among some 31,200 high schools across the country.
Looking at the high schools that surround CBCS on the list, many are charter schools and private high schools that have the advantage of being selective in their admissions policy, while CBCS is one of just a few public high schools ranking at the top.
“We’re competing against other schools that have gatekeepers and only let certain students in,” CBCS principal Stephanie Niemi says. “We don’t have gatekeepers here.”
Instead, Niemi says, a combination of factors help make CBCS exceptional. Among them are the students, 99 percent of whom give school their best effort, she says, and a staff of professional teachers.
“These are people who are really constantly perfecting the art of teaching. They want to deliver the best teaching they can to enhance student learning,” she says. “The caliber of educators here is phenomenal.”
In its algorithm for determining how high schools compare, U.S. News pulls data such as test scores and enrollment in advanced placement courses, as well as teacher-to-student ratios and other information about the school and its setting.
In the last two years, CBCS has been awarded a bronze and a silver medal for its performance. This year, Niemi says, “We rocked it.” The schools have 41 teachers for 573 students and almost 90 percent of its students are proficient in reading.
Along with a student math proficiency score of 62 percent, by the magazine’s calculations CBCS scores a 55.6 on the college readiness index.
Behind much of that success lies a network of supportive parents and community members who help ensure students get, and make, the most out of their high school experience. Niemi says it’s a draw for families with kids in school. “I think people do move here for the school,” she says. “It’s a great place to raise your kids.”
Beyond the intangible or hard-to-measure benefits of being recognized as one of the top performing high schools in the state and in the country, Niemi says there’s a real benefit for local students trying to get into competitive college or university programs.
“In terms of moving on to college and university, it helps that CBCS is receiving national recognition as a high-performing high school. We produce a school profile for students and send it to admissions offices,” she says. “But there’s also some inherent pride that goes along with the hard work and the pay-off.”
