STEM School Highlands Ranch

8773 South Ridgeline Boulevard

School District

Douglas County Re 1
Grade

K-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:21
Type

charter

School Map for Douglas County Re 1 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 parent on January 12, 2024

Many activities and programs (besides STEM based. Kids are very accepted and easy for students to make friends.
Submitted by parent on May 09, 2023

I have two kids at STEM in 5th and in 9th grade. I am hoping to find a better environment for them, but looking at other school ratings it seems like most of the schools in the state are in disarray. My oldest has been at STEM since 6th grade and my youngest has been there for two years. I feel like my youngest completely missed out on a healthy elementary experience. The playground is pathetic and they often take away their recess for tests and classroom work. They also often require a silent lunch as a punishment for the kids. It's not a healthy environment for kids who need to move their bodies. My oldest used to love it here, but the toxicity kept increasing each year. Recently it was required to read a book in language arts about two boys having intercourse. Explain to me why that is required in a high school setting and for what purpose? He has had death threats for his own respectful use of freedom of speech, but refuses to give names out of fear so the school can't do anything. I'm not sure if it's the schools themselves that are the problem or the internal destruction of our school system that was already flawed to begin with. I think the teachers, staff, and counselors are good people and try their best despite a very broken system.
Submitted by parent on May 09, 2022

Whereas I would have given STEM a 5 star rating in the past, the leadership at STEM combined with the STEM Board of Directors leads me to make a one star review. Their constant avoidance of addressing issues, hearing parent concerns, or taking accountability has led this school to crumble. The toxic workplace culture creates massive teacher turnover. It has led STEM to be the only Charter School in Douglas County with declining enrollment. Teacher Turnover is a systemic problem. Kids get inconsistent educational experiences because of the revolving door of teachers and administrators. STEM's BOD fails to hold leadership accountable and they do not value parent voice. Stem high school fails to meet the metrics of a great educational experience. The kids will continue to bring success to the school in the way of great test scores and rankings, but that is in spite of the leadership and in no way because of it.
Submitted by parent on April 05, 2022

We have all 3 of our children at STEM and have been a STEM family for over 5 years. Yes, COVID and online school and back to in-person school has been tough but STEM has tried VERY hard to keep our kids education a priority. This is a priority for us and therefore are very glad that we were at STEM during the pandemic. The school involves parents with teacher and leadership hiring. Communication is amazing. They have a weekly newsletter of important events but also send out emails. The teachers incorporate “real life” scenarios in the learning which makes the learning relatable and fun. If you are interested in attending, you can have a tour and ask questions. We are very lucky to have the opportunity of having such an amazing school in our community.
Submitted by other on March 08, 2022

Worst school in colorado, overloads students with work, teachers don't care about students nor try's to help them, the school admin is a complete mess, has no sports. Most kids that go there can't keep up with work and have no time to do anything else.
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2022

Bullying a huge problem and is a systemic problem. My son was severely bullied which resulted in significant bodily harm and instead of the school supporting my son who spoke up and reported being bullied and physically assaulted, the school administration and leadership dismissed my son worse minimized his injuries and took no action against the other student. The school is more concerned with its reputation than the safety of its students which is a systematic problem clearly demonstrated by the schools prior school shooting in the past. The degree of dismissiveness and tolerance of bullying and assault resulting in severe body harm by the school leadership and administration is incomprehensible.
Submitted by parent on April 06, 2021

I have had the displeasure of both having a student as well as someone close who works for the school. I get Covid has changed a lot in the educational field but this school seems to be a chicken with it's head cut off. They constantly change the schedules, they revert to online to in person to online... They don't treat any of their faculty right. The administration has been on record telling their teachers if they don't like being both online and in person (two jobs in itself) that they can leave. This has caused extraneous turn over once again causing so much inconsistency there. They only seem to care about money and in doing so sacrifice the happiness of the faculty and their students! If you have a child going or are looking at this school I highly advise you look elsewhere. The administration is in turmoil and the turn over for next year has about half their faculty as new hires! Most of their veterans have abandoned ship!
Submitted by other on January 12, 2021

I graduated from this school as part of the class of 2020 and my younger brother is currently in 7th grade. My experience at STEM couldn’t have been better. As many have already mentioned the school is fast paced but it truly prepared me for the rigor I would experience in college. I just finished my first semester and am expected to graduate within the next year due to the college credit I was able to secure during my time at STEM. I was a student at STEM for 7 years (6th - 12th) and was able to form long lasting relationships with many of my peers, teachers and even some of the administrators. I struggled to fit in with my peers at other schools and found the STEM community to be incredibly inclusive of all different types of students. As with most schools there are some issues such as teacher turn over but the school does a great job of finding quality teachers that genuinely care about their students. The biggest issue really has been the addition of the elementary school and the presence the new parents bring. Overall, STEM allowed me to find myself and it taught me valuable life skills in addition to my academics. I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to go to STEM for as long as I was able to.
Submitted by parent on February 02, 2020

I can hardly wait for the semester to be over. We have been at STEM for 2 years and it has been a battle every step of the way. If your child has any sort of lack of control over their computer usage, do not send them here. The kids play Roblox and Fortnite IN class and in study hall. The fact that everything is on the computer means that you have no control over their computer usage at home since they need the computer to do homework. Classes are geared 2-3 years ahead of where the public schools are. That's great for truly bright, self-motivated kids. For the other 95 percent of kids, they are constantly drowning in homework, fighting to gain any sort of self control over their computer usage and gaming, and getting poor grades. If your child is truly self motivated and gifted, this school might be a good option for you. Otherwise, it's hellish for the parents, who have to monitor and micromanage. Of the 1800 kids in this school, there are probably 200 that really should be there. The rest "loveit", as my son says, because they can play computer games all day. This school has been a nightmare and one of the biggest parenting mistakes I've made
Submitted by parent on December 16, 2019

The focus is on academics at the expensive of everything else. Kids have a hard time socially and emotionally at this school and very little attention is give to such issues. The gender imbalance of 70% boys and poor LGBT inclusion is difficult for lots of kids. Amount of time kids spend on electronics and little sunshine and sports activities kids are exposed to through the day (some none) make it difficult for lots of kids. The collaborative and hands on style of most classes is good, and the focus and value placed on learning is also good. Kids are valued for knowing stuff or being smart. But kids need balance, and need to be taught balance. This school does not provide the balance, neither teach kids balance. The result is that there is bullying of kids perceived as not as smart, and there is little encouragement for social interactions (lots of kids spend lunches on their iphones alone) and huge gaps in social acceptance and inclusion.
Submitted by parent on January 17, 2019

I am extremely happy that we brought our kids here and have also brought others that are happy with it as well. The school is relatively free of drugs and bullying and the kids are learning in different ways that they can apply to real life. The technological aspects are fantastic and they are always innovating to provide more. Concurrent Enrollment is huge and they actually get taught by a teacher rather than doing an online class. I am very happy with the education that my children are receiving and am looking forward to the new programs that they are starting!
Submitted by student on December 15, 2018

This is a great school if you are very passionate about technology and willing to try new things. This is not the school for you if you take advanced academics, social life, varsity sports, or dating seriously.
Submitted by student on July 19, 2018

This school certainly has a lot to do as far as working out it’s kinks goes, but it provides an opportunity whose importance far outweighs the school’s issues. STEM School Highlands Ranch is exactly what is sounds like: A high school in Highlands Ranch that focuses on students with interests in the science, technology, engineering, and math topics. Because of this, the school has developed a culture very different from that of other schools. The school is focused on teaching its students “How to be real world problem solvers” and preparing them for the work force. While this does sometimes cause problems like forcing students to deal with things they shouldn’t have to yet (common example: being punished with a lower grade because a group member did do their work), it also teaches them skills that will help them one day in the future. Other notes about STEM:We have awful school spirit. No one cares about sportsWe’re kinda too big for our space and hallways are crowdedClass sizes vary extremely. In my 5 years, I’ve had multiple classes with less than 7 people, and quite a few with about 4The boy-girl ratio isn’t as dramatic as the numbers make it seem.In my experience, everyone is relatively accepting.Everyone talks and plays on their phone or computer during class. The teachers typically leave it alone unless it becomes an issue.Students have been known to form “cults” around some teachers. We had at least two last year.The school is filled with geeks. We’re everywhere and you can’t escape us.Avoid groups in non-honors/AP classes at all costs.All in all, I’d say that this school is great if you’re kind of person who can excel in it, and awful if you aren’t.
Submitted by parent on April 27, 2018

Not impressed. STEM's leaders are more interested in expanding STEM and opening new STEM schools than they are about fixing the issues with STEM. When we started there 2 years ago, there were promises of a big, beautiful playground and grass for the kids. Now, that's not happening. They built a tiny playground with no swings and no grass - the kids still play in the parking lot. The school is filthy. They do not clean it - and it's dirty even when there are events. I understand the focus is on STEM, but what kind of a learning environment is it for kids if the school is dirty with trash overflowing and old food on the floor everywhere in the lunch room - even at 6 PM after school. Teachers are disorganized. Office is disorganized. Communication is terrible. They are not doing anything special for STEM that other Douglas County public schools aren't doing as well. We're leaving at the end of the year.
Submitted by parent on April 15, 2018

The school uses a PBL method that engages my children and creates a buy in for the curriculum. They love the computer science program and engineering. We were also pleasantly surprised at the strength of the arts programs at STEM.
Submitted by parent on March 03, 2018

I am so glad that I removed my children from STEM last year. This year they are doing so much better. While I feel like the teachers make an attempt to be effective, they are not given the tools or training to be so. The recent restructuring was a disaster on every level and I am very glad to have distance from the whole situation. The school is performing well now, but once the students start to decline due to a poorly trained staff and lack of funding the director will have her other schools bringing in revenue.
Submitted by parent on February 11, 2018

It is chaotic and the administration is looking to make it a "flagship" and replicate the model at the cost of the students already in the school.
Submitted by parent on January 20, 2018

Disappointed as a Parent, no accountability of teachers, no communication, principal not effective, teaches to the box - no differentiation, teachers tend to bully parents if they ask too many questions.
Submitted by student on November 26, 2017

Let me just start off by saying that I have been at STEM for 2 years now and when I first got here I thought it would be great. The most popular girls showed me around and she seemed very nice, but what I didn't know is that she was the daughter of the most popular teacher of the school and everyone didn't like her daughter because she was a bully to everyone outside her friend circle. Within the first 5 months I had been bullied and all you hear there is talk about suicide and how bad the teachers are. The teachers tell us how much they hate us and how much they love seeing us get a lot of homework and since everything is on the computer and we don't have internet... they just say well figure it out because it is due very soon. They don't ever use paper and I don't think that's how it should be done. The drama here is ridiculous and if the popular kids don't get what they want or don't like you then be prepared for some tough times. The hallways are so crowded that you can't even move during passing periods and then when you are late to class the teachers get you in trouble. I give this school 0 stars because everyone here is disrespectful, there is no school spirit, the teachers give you info to learn by yourself, and the environment is all negative.
Submitted by parent on October 02, 2017

This is our first year at the school, but and he loves it. So far in my son kindergarten class he has started to learn Chinese and even made solar ovens that he has ran different experiments using. His after school fencing teacher...SHE will be competing in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Did I mention that this is a PUBLIC school!