College Prep in a Small School Environment

Peak to Peak Charter School

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 30, 2007

Contact: Ashley Johnson

Director of Community Relations

303-453-4780

PEAK TO PEAK HIGH SCHOOL #1 TOPS IN DENVER METRO AREA

(Lafayette, CO) – Peak to Peak High School is ratednked the number one high school in metro Denver by the August 2007 issue of 5280 Magazine. The magazine looked at over 30 schools from the seven Denver metro-area counties. Four BVSD public schools and one Boulder county private school placed in the top fifteen, and Peak to Peak High School was chosen as Denver’s best high school based on approximately three dozen criteria. Statistics were gathered from the School Accountability Reports, websites, and directly from the schools.

“We’re very proud of this achievement by our high school after only five years. This success is a tribute to the community of learners, teachers, and leaders that have worked so hard to makemade us what we are in such a short amount of time,” said board member Don Ferguson. “Peak to Peak has focused on excellence in scholarship and character since day one.”

The ranking was based on an analysis of the Colorado school accountability reports, as well as approximately 20 additional statistics requested directly from the schools. The magazine initially reviewed over 300 area high schools and, after a review of SAT and/or ACT scores, cut the list to 35. The 35 schools were ranked according to quantitative categories, including total enrollment, ratio of students to teachers, ACT composite, reading, writing, and math scores, SAT critical reading, math, and writing scores, CSAP 9-10 reading and writing scores, teacher degrees, AP courses, IB courses, free & reduced lunch, dropout rates and graduation rates.

The highly accredited college-prep K-12 charter school opened as an elementary school in 2000, and has grown to over 1300 students in grades K-12 in 2007. Peak to Peak High School offers a rigorous liberal arts curriculum including AP classes, highly acclaimed fine arts, and state championship athletics. The three graduating classes to date average a 99% graduation rate, and the eighty-one 2007 graduates were awarded over $4 million in scholarship money. Graduates have been accepted to collegesschools nationwide including Yale, MIT, Duke, Baylor, Oberlin, Colorado School of Mines, and Colorado College.

You can view the article and the rankings on the 5280 magazine website at: http://www.5280.com/issues/2007/0708/feature.php?pageID=809

Check www.peaktopeak.org for information throughout the school year.