On Friday, Denver Public Schools released the 2019 School Performance Framework results, an annual evaluation of school performance. 

DSST is proud of ALL our schools and the work they did during the 2018-19 school year. We are thankful for the growth of our students and schools across the network. Though a really good indicator, we know SPF doesn't capture all of the impact our educators have each day.  Whether in top ten for 2019, or not there YET,  we have a lot to be proud of in each one of our schools.  

We are especially proud that our schools comprised 6 of the top 10 middle schools in Denver and 6 of the 10 top traditional high schools in the city. This continues a fifteen year track record of consistently running the best secondary schools in Denver. Of particular note, DSST Middle School @ Noel Campus was the #1 - highest performing Denver Public School and the top middle school in the city!  And DSST: Conservatory Green was the #1 high school in the city.

While DSST represents just 16% of DPS secondary students, we represent 51% of DPS students attending green or blue secondary schools. And 59% of the DPS FRL secondary students in green and blue schools are DSST students.  As you may have seen in the recent 9News story, as well as on the Helix, our network has made significant gains in closing achievement gaps for FRL, ELL, and African-American/Black students that glaringly persist throughout the city.

At Cole MS, both ELA and Math MGP have grown substantially over the past year.  At Henry MS, which was 1 point away from being a green school, we’re excited to see the continued growth and progress toward reducing the achievement gaps among students of color.

We all should be proud of the hard work that has led to these exemplary results.  Every day we work to create communities of academic excellence, creativity and belonging - and as a result are making a difference in the lives of students across Denver.  Our students have demonstrated over the last 15 years that with access to a high quality education, they can achieve great things. This consistency of excellence is critical to achieving generational change in our city.

And while we are pleased with this growth, we know we still have work to do.  We continue to see achievement gaps across all of our sub-groups - gaps that we must close if we are going to eliminate educational inequity. We are confident that our priorities around building math and literacy foundations, innovating High School STEM offerings, and acting on data will move the needle in the right direction with these gaps. We look forward to seeing how these new strategies, paired with this team’s talent, dedication, and focus, will serve our students with excellence throughout the year.