The Difference

THE DIFFERENCE

September High School is an intimate and supportive community that fosters individual development and reawakens the love of learning. We empower our students to be critical thinkers, lifelong learners, and responsible citizens.

 

September School Believes in Making a Difference

What’s so different about September School? Our relationship-based approach is the key way our students thrive. Our staff and faculty is passionate about providing teens with the resources and environment they need to grow academically, relationally, and emotionally. We’re here to help students lay the foundation not just for high school learning, but for the rest of their lives.

As a small school environment, we bring individualized attention to each student. We’re here to help teenagers accept and embrace their unique strengths as they grow into adulthood. Adolescence is never an easy time. But with guidance, respect, and a welcoming environment, September School provides a place where your child can thrive as they learn the tools that will help them succeed both here and beyond.

Doing the Right Thing

For almost 50 years, September School has served as the oldest independent, progressive high school in Boulder, CO. Our approach is based on relationship-based learning, focusing on diversity and inclusion, responsibility and community, teamwork, and communication. It may sound like common sense—and in a way, it is!

We think embracing students for who they are and creating a learning environment that suits students’ needs and accelerates their interests is just the right thing to do. That’s why we’ve developed our teaching approach to reflect these values.

At September School, we believe addressing the social and emotional learning of students is as important as academic growth. In fact, one success lays the foundation for the other. By learning about ourselves and our vulnerabilities and building trust with others, September School students thrive in all forms of education and learning.

Doing it Differently

September School is different because of the beliefs and core values that make up who we are and what you can expect from us.

  • We educate using a relationship-based model that involves collaborative practice, support, and teamwork for academic, skill, and personal development.
  • We create different ways and opportunities for students to show what they’ve learned to build trust and share knowledge.
  • We intentionally teach collaborative practice and skills that support working in groups.
  • We deliver a high quality of education, and our educators hold advanced degrees.
  • We offer a student-teacher ratio of 8:1 and a student-counselor ratio of 20:1.
  • We operate using a community contract and explore breaches of trust that hurt others or our community.
  • We teach restorative justice practice to help students work out what happened, hold each other accountable, and decide on a restorative process for moving forward.
  • We deal with everything and we talk about everything. We understand that we’re all in this together!
  • We know that when students aren’t engaged, they can resort to relationships with substances or increase other risks as a way to cope.
  • We hold firm boundaries of no tolerance for abuse or substances.
  • We create an environment where students can build trust, build relationships, and take a risk to learn, understand, and share themselves.
  • We help parents with programs and support groups, knowing that they also strive to be accountable for student learning and development.

At September School, students are safe, seen, and celebrated! We embrace their thoughts, opinions, feelings, joys, and pains. We are different because we strive to help students create a life that is as unique and amazing as they are—both in high school and beyond.

About September School

September School was founded as Boulder’s community independent school in 1973. For over 40 years, we have been serving students in grades 9-12 as they learn and grow on their way to adulthood. Our school is accredited by North Central Association – Advanced, and our courses include English, Social Studies, Math Language, Science, Physical Education, and a range of electives. With a student-teach ratio of 8:1 and a student counselor of at most 20:1, we provide individualized attention that respects the unique strengths of each of our students.

Our experiential curriculum gives kids opportunities for leadership development and personal growth. We offer internships, summer school, community service, local and global field trips, and more, all gear to help teenagers bring the lessons they learn at September School into the real world. Together with our community, we’re making a difference in our students’ lives.

If you feel September School is a good school for your teen, come see us in person! Please call us at (303) 443-9933 or contact us online to schedule a time to stop by and see the difference for yourself.