Prospect Ridge Academy

2555 Preble Creek Parkway

School District

Adams 12 Five Star Schools
Grade

K-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:19
Type

charter

School Map for Adams 12 Five Star Schools School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by student on January 25, 2025

At this school, students demonstrate a significant enthusiasm for their learning experiences. The faculty is characterized by a respectful and supportive approach, fostering an environment that encourages students to reach their full potential. A strong emphasis is placed on promoting mental health and emotional well-being among students. The school also prioritizes providing the necessary support and accommodations for students with disabilities to ensure their success. Additionally, the institution maintains a safe environment, free from violence, discrimination, and overly harsh disciplinary measures. Family involvement is highly valued, with parents welcomed as crucial partners in their children’s education.
Submitted by other on July 04, 2023

I have never been more miserable in my life. The teachers don’t know how to teach, they mock and bully students, and are just really stuck up. Not only that, but they are biased towards the popular kids. It’s very rare to find good staff at this school. They could care less about bullying. Even if you bring it to their attention they do absolutely nothing. And there is a lot of bullying here. If you are “different” ex: not rich, popular, like certain things, or even have mental illness, then you are excluded, and mocked on the daily. It made it very difficult for me to be a school. Your kids grades WILL drop, they will most likely develop anxiety, and will be a total outcast. PRA has one of the most toxic environments I’ve ever seen. I’m moving schools, don’t send your kid here ever!
Submitted by other on June 12, 2023

I’m glad my kids have left this school. Do research and talk to parents before sending your kids here!
Submitted by parent on April 24, 2023

Prospect Ridge Academy has some amazing core teachers!! The focus is definitely academics! In elementary, there’s a disconnect with the admin regarding reflections, when a child is not acting right in School. Discipline and any type of process for these are all over the board. Students are asked to fill out the reflection however some staff could care less if they collect them, or read with the child had to say. The teachers and admin will pick and choose if a reflection gets email to the entire staff or not. There is no real process that has to be followed for discipline in elementary.
Submitted by parent on April 21, 2023

Our two kids have thrived in their two years at PRA elementary and middle school. The teachers have been amazing and you can be as involved in the school community as you choose. There is almost too much communication with a separate email newsletter from each school every week and additional emails from teachers quite frequently. You can't please everybody, but I suspect many of the complainers are the parents who want the school to raise their children and blame the school for their children's shortcomings. I believe you would be hard pressed to find more passionate and caring teachers at another public school. PRA is a truly great option within Adams 12.
Submitted by parent on April 21, 2023

This school claims to be a college prep school and I could not agree more. Classes at my child's university have been a breeze for my child and I have to credit the rigorous curriculum and dedicated teachers and staff at PRA, particularly the English and History departments.
Submitted by parent on April 20, 2023

PRA had an outstanding reputation in the surrounding community when we enrolled our son, but we have been highly disappointed in our three years at the school. There is a level of arrogance at the admin level that is simply unwarranted, communication is below average, we have yet to feel any sense of community within the school, my son's first grade teacher made would take up to 72 hours to respond to simple emails and in some cases never responded at all, they do little to nothing to encourage parent involvement, the Board of Directors is clueless and does not consider the opinions of the school community when making decisions, and to top it off there is no kitchen for hot lunch in the cafeteria.Our son has several close friends at PRA, but we chose to transfer him out and will be sending him to another school next year.
Submitted by parent on February 10, 2023

School has definitely gone downhill the last couple years with the new administration.
Submitted by other on December 15, 2021

I went to this school from 5th grade through 11th, and joined the community a year after it opened. During the years spent there, I’m not going to lie: I have never struggled with my ability to care about myself so much. Many of my peers came from closed minded families, including the “picture perfect” looking ones. The emphasis placed on appearance (looking put together no matter what) trumped the emphasis placed on basic human decency. At least socially. The school administration itself has changed throughout the years in an attempt to respond to the students and parents, which I do want to give them credit for. Although they may not always know the immediate answer, this school does try to work with the community to do better. However I have noticed there seems to be a slight “pick and choose” philosophy on what issues they think should be dealt with. Now, they are leaning very heavily on tolerance, but before this was a focus many children would say derogatory and disrespectful things on a frequent basis. They still do, but in private more so. I will say that the academic curriculum is generally unbiased and sets up students well. However, if you are someone struggling who needs extra help this still might not be the ideal environment for you. Two of my brothers wouldn’t even consider this school due to their learning disabilities. The academic pressure is pretty intensive. As for things pertaining to mental health, this school is lacking in a positive environment but trying very hard to not let students fail. I’m not sure where the line is on how much the admin genuinely cares about the student health, but I know that appearance is a role in this also. They enjoy being able to say 100% of their students graduate and get accepted into a college, but they don’t tell you how much they do to ensure that. And a lot of it is superficial.All in all I wouldn’t rate this as a 1, because I can see certain parts of the staff genuinely try and care. But i also won’t give it a 5 because of the elitist environment and mental neglect.
Submitted by other on June 26, 2021

I went to this school for 9 years from kindergarten to 8th. I never had one good teacher that really helped me, the principals were constantly on my case emailing my parents for the smallest of things I did wrong (a few times even for listening to music in class). the teachers have a way of making you teach yourself by giving you the work to do without proper instruction and ignoring your requests for help. your appearance matters a lot to the staff, they have even measured the space between skirts and your knees to make sure you weren't exceeding the 3 inch rule. the staff also made multiple comments on my makeup and style outside of school during online learning, to the point where I didn't even turn on my camera anymore (these comments weren't necessarily rude but they were unwelcome.) I had a problem one year with a student stealing from my locker, and after reporting him several times with evidence, I was still not allowed to move lockers nor was there disciplinary action taken. I'm extremely disappointed in the way this school is run and the way they treat the students. I would not recommend this school for anyone that needs extra assistance, those with learning disabilities, or those that generally don't do well in school.
Submitted by parent on May 30, 2021

This school has changed so much since our kids transferred there from our neighborhood elementary at PRA's inception. Early on, it was fantastic.We wanted higher academic standards so that our kids would be challenged. We wanted greater emphasis on personal accountability and a learning environment that addressed disruptive student behavior. The original leaders delivered that.Since that time 10 years ago, it has changed and now closely mirrors our neighborhood school we left. In the elementary, PRA eliminated the leveled classes based on ability (no more advanced reading or math groups), because admin wanted to avoid kids suffering from low self-esteem if others were placed in a higher reading/math group. As a result, Kids gradually shift to the middle, since advanced students are taught the same thing as kids who are behind. However, those who struggle, get extra help to bring them to parity. This is an emphasis on EQUITY. In the middle school, our kids felt increasing pressure to conform to the teachers' and most other students' liberal social and political ideology.In high school, the environment is full blown left -- from the teachers, to the majority of students to the admin. I was astonished when in high school, the leaders scheduled an assembly where students were taught they had white privilege and needed to make amends. In another assembly, the school invited a group of LGBTQIA group from Boulder to speak to PRA students about their alternative lifestyle and why it should be celebrated. Parents were not informed of any of this.It seems PRA's administration is growing top-heavy. It's all very disappointing.Some teachers are great. For others, my kids found things just went better if they fell in line with the liberal bent of the teacher and other students.The grade-level leaders are very helpful with communication. I think the school has a lot of good people, but the environment has changed dramatically from the time we arrived and is now very left-leaning. It is just like the traditional public schools, but further from our home without benefit of bus transportation and with fewer class choices. You might find it is perfect for your family. For us, it was a fail.
Submitted by parent on March 18, 2021

The question about whether you recommend the school is difficult to answer. It depends on what you are looking for and where your kids will be most successful. PRA is changing and growing a lot. It also seems to be trying to become elitist to attract wealthier families with disposable income and high profile jobs. That isn't a surprise since Broomfield is a wealthy suburb of Boulder, but people considering the school should keep that in mind. The problem we are dealing with right now is that since many other local schools have opened in the area, there is competition for students, prestige, high test scores and money. There are other charter schools, public schools and private schools that compete with us. There is a lot of talk about community and quoting people and students who say there is a strong sense of community. I know many families that don't feel like they are valued. To be fair, the board of directors and administration did make some difficult decisions about remote and in-person learning this year which showed some commitment to meeting diverse needs. The teachers have had to work under a lot of pressure and are committed. This is a college prep school. That is used to justify many decisions and policies. Sometimes it feels like decisions are more about image and being college prep is given as the reason. The school reports on many activities that seem to try to prove a strong sense of community. Many families have been there since it opened. That group is very tight. The families involved in athletics are very close. I have heard that it can be harder for older students who transfer to fit in, unless they already know families through their neighborhood, sports clubs, or church. There is a lot of talk about character and how successful that is at PRA. I don't know what the proof is, though. Many of the teachers are very highly educated and that is prestigious. If you are considering sending your kids here, look into how the teachers' effectiveness is proven to see if it works for your kids. I had trouble rating the Leadership's effectiveness since there is a lot of change going on. We're getting an Executive Director, which is a new position. The elementary and high school principals have been here since the beginning. The middle school principal is newer and making his mark. I have heard that the GT, 504 and IEP programs are just okay. PRA will be a great fit for some students but not for everyone.
Submitted by teacher on April 24, 2020

Overall, I have been really impressed with the intimacy and effort of the entire school community. There are very few places like PRA, and as a teacher and a coach here, I'm proud to be a part of it.
Submitted by parent on November 26, 2019

We absolutely LOVE this school! They have a dress code which eliminates a lot of the social class issues and potential stigma from clothing. They have a buddy/mentor system which helps the lower grades get to know some of the upper classmen and understand what it's like to be in those grades. Similarly, the middle schoolers and high schoolers help run the school events (including elementary school events and school-wide events). It's really amazing to go to these school events and see so many students there helping. Lastly, the school is very good at preparing the students for college. As of the the date of this review (2019-2020 school year), they have a 100% college acceptance rate. You won't go wrong choosing this school.
Submitted by parent on August 21, 2019

I'm not even sure why this high school exists. Someone should complain to the department of justice.
Submitted by parent on July 29, 2019

This school had a lot of potential with it's mission and vision and small setting, and it proved to be a good experience for my daughter in middle school. Unfortunately, the high school has become a full-fledged, leftist/progressive indoctrination center. It's worse than any big school in this regard, because kids can't escape the "hate Western Civilization" message imbedded in every classroom. This school is "college prep" all right, but only in the sense that your students will hate all traditions and norms of the West and become full-fledged, card-carrying Progressives. Enter here at your own risk.
Submitted by parent on May 16, 2019

Needs new High school admin. One that is an advocate for the kids.
Submitted by student on March 07, 2019

It is an amazing school, I have met some great people here, and the teachers are absolutely amazing!
Submitted by parent on March 02, 2019

I have been very pleased with the school in the 7 years my kids have attended PRA. Top notch
Submitted by parent on November 12, 2018

Outstanding! Proud to be a part of the inaugural graduating class and am so grateful for all that PRA has done for my children. Teachers, coaches, staff and Administrators are dedicated and so hard working. I know they wanted the best for my children and pushed them to reach their potential. It was the perfect place for us!