STRIVE Prep – Lake constitution center faculty in Denver to shut

STRIVE Prep, Denver’s second-largest constitution faculty community, is closing one in all its center colleges on the finish of this faculty 12 months, the community introduced Tuesday.

STRIVE Prep – Lake in west Denver will shut after 12 years in operation. The varsity presently serves 188 college students in grades six by eight, a community spokesperson stated.

By closing the varsity, “we’re guaranteeing college students have entry to well-resourced colleges that supply the broad and strong programming that each one college students deserve,” STRIVE Prep stated in a letter. “This can even permit us to raised meet staffing challenges and focus sources to construct out educational, social, extracurricular, and scholar assist applications and companies.”

Final 12 months, 84% of STRIVE Prep – Lake college students had been Hispanic, 6% had been Black, and 4% had been white. Practically all college students — 93% — certified for backed faculty meals.

Enrollment in Denver Public Faculties is declining, and extra faculty closures are probably. Superintendent Alex Marrero has stated the varsity board will vote subsequent month on suggestions for closing underenrolled elementary and center colleges.

The STRIVE Prep closure is separate in that the community is voluntarily closing the varsity. Will probably be the twelfth Denver constitution faculty — and the second STRIVE Prep — to shut prior to now 4 years. In 2020, STRIVE Prep closed its Excel highschool attributable to declining enrollment. 

STRIVE Prep – Excel was co-located with a district-run faculty, North Excessive College. Equally, STRIVE Prep – Lake is co-located with district-run Lake Center College. 

STRIVE Prep has a complete of 10 colleges, together with STRIVE Prep – Lake. The community is describing the Lake closure as a consolidation in that the varsity’s sixth and seventh graders may switch subsequent 12 months to one of many community’s 4 different close by center colleges. 

STRIVE Prep – Kepner center faculty is about 4 miles south of the community’s Lake faculty, and STRIVE – Prep Sunnyside center faculty is about 4 miles north. College students may additionally select to attend a faculty exterior the STRIVE community. 

Melanie Asmar is a senior reporter for Chalkbeat Colorado, overlaying Denver Public Faculties. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org.