About the Event
Please join us to celebrate DSST's first 20 years and to honor Bill Kurtz in his last year as CEO of DSST Public Schools. As the Founding Head of School of the Denver School of Science and Technology (now DSST Public Schools), Bill has been instrumental in the growth of DSST and transforming the educational landscape of Denver and Aurora. He was inducted into the National Charter School Hall of Fame in 2016 and was named the 2010 Entrepreneur of the Year by New Schools Venture Fund. He is a graduate of the Broad Superintendent Program and an Aspen Institute-Pahara Fellow.
HONORARY CO-CHAIRS
Senator John Hickenlooper
Governor Bill Owens
Governor Jared Polis
Governor Bill Ritter
Mayor Mike Johnston
Mayor Michael Hancock
Mayor Wellington Webb
Event Details
Celebrating 20 Years of Success
2004
Founded as Denver School of Science and Technology, a single high school in Denver's Central Park neighborhood.
2008
DSST's first class graduates with 100% of graduates earning admittance to a four-year college or university.
Middle school opens on founding campus.
2010
DSST: Green Valley Ranch Middle School opens.
Founding campus becomes known as DSST: Stapleton.
DSST Home Office founded.
2011
DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School opens.
DSST: Cole Middle School opens.
2012
2013
2014
DSST: Cole High School opens.
DSST: Conservatory Green Middle School opens.
Founding DSST: GVR class graduates with 100% college admittance.
2015
DSST: College View High School opens.
Senators Michael Bennett and Cory Gardner visit DSST: Green Valley Ranch.
2016
DSST: Henry Middle School opens.
DSST: Byers High School opens.
DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School named National Blue Ribbon School
2017
DSST: Conservatory Green High School opens.
DSST celebrates first network-wide Senior Signing Day.
2018
DSST Middle School @ Noel opens.
Founding DSST: Cole class graduates with 100% college admittance.
DSST wins Broad Prize for Urban Education, awarded to public school systems that have demonstrated the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while narrowing achievement gaps among low-income students and students of color.
2019
Aurora Science & Tech Middle School, DSST's first school in Aurora, opens.
DSST: Byers Middle School named National Blue Ribbon School.
Founding DSST: College View class graduates with 100% college admittance.
DSST: Stapleton renamed DSST: Montview after a student-led name-change process.
DSST Public Schools becomes the organization's official name as reach expands beyond Denver.
2020
DSST wins State Board of Education Appeal to open DSST: Elevate High School, demonstrating deep family and community engagement.
Founding DSST: Byers class graduates with 100% college admittance.
2021
DSST: Elevate High School opens, marking the first facility owned and operated by DSST.
Founding DSST: Conservatory Green class graduates with 100% college admittance.
DSST: Henry consolidates with DSST: College View.
2022
Aurora Science & Tech High School opens.
DSST Middle School @ Noel renamed DSST: Elevate Middle School and relocates.
2023
First STEM and Creative Core Showcase hosted at CSU SPUR.
DSST: Byers renamed DSST: Cedar after an inclusive community name-change process.
