Mayor Hancock and Sup. Boasberg Celebrate DSST’s Top Academic Growth

DSST Public Schools (DSST) was honored to host Mayor Michael Hancock and Denver Public Schools (DPS) Superintendent, Tom Boasberg, this morning on the first day of school for students at our Green Valley Ranch High School, which posted the highest median growth scores in Denver Public Schools and the second highest in the state of Colorado. Mayor Hancock and Superintendent Boasberg welcomed students as they arrived at school and celebrated with the entire student body of 300 ninth and tenth graders at the school's Morning Meeting to kick off the first day.

Highlighting the extraordinary success of the school, Mayor Hancock said to students, "I am so proud of you. We want you to attack this next year so profoundly and so hard that you feel suffocated by the desire to continue to be successful, to beat the 98 percent [median math growth rate] that you earned this year. There are those who don't believe you deserve this school. There are those who don't believe you deserve this opportunity. I want you to fight for it in that classroom."

Superintendent Boasberg told students that he is "filled with pride" with the results.  He noted that, "If we look out across the state, there are 2,000 schools in the state of Colorado. And for growth, to be one of the top two schools in the state of Colorado, is extraordinary."

DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School posted median growth percentile scores of 98 in mathematics, 77 in reading and 77 in writing. As many of you know, DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School opened its doors one year ago, enrolling 150 ninth grade students from far northeast Denver, predominantly, the Green Valley Ranch and Montbello neighborhoods.  Seventy percent of high school students qualify for free or reduced price lunch and over 85 percent are students of color.