1715 Columbine Ave
Boulder, CO 80302

I was a student here for 4 years. The location is not super great as it is right next to the Boulder Creek Path which has some really sketchy people and behavior. I can say that there were only 3 teachers I actually liked and 2 that I could call a good teacher. For reference, I took mainly advanced or AP classes. Most of the teachers I had were terrible teachers and I, as well as many of my peers, ended up having to teach ourselves the material. Classes at BHS, especially advanced classes are very test-heavy and, in my opinion, do not actually ensure you learn or comprehend the material. Most teachers are either unwilling to help you once you seek it out or, are generally unhelpful despite their best efforts. It's a school that favors the students who are "good at school" rather than the smart, but not good at school, or creative students. The admin I experienced are even worse. Many are quite useless and students end up having to find their own resources rather than using the ones the school is supposed to have for you. Guidance counselors at this school vary but the one I had was quite possibly one of the most indifferent people I've ever met. They were a pain to set up meetings with-once they were 30 minutes late to a required senior meeting-they never answered emails unless I sent at least two follow up emails, and was out of office for an important month for college applications with no replacement. Guidance counselors as far as I could tell were little to no help as far as college applications went. Most people I knew had to do them on their own or with a separate counselor that they hired. School admin were people to be avoided, not sought out. Now, I know Boulder is a dominantly white town and these things are unfortunately a norm in America, but as a student of color I experienced many microaggressions from staff. There was no explicit racism, however, there were times where I could see myself being treated differently than white students. The classes themselves are alright as the catalog is moderately diverse for a public high school. The building is old but the facilities are decent. Despite maintaining a 3.8 unweighted gpa, participating in many clubs and activities, having great friends, and getting into a good college, my time at Boulder High School was the worst time of my life due to the reasons I have just stated.

Great counselors, teachers seem to really enjoy their work, with a couple of exceptions. School community is very inclusive and supportive. Great arts and theater programs. I wish they had a more solid Gifted and Talented program as well as support structured to dyslexic and ADHD kids. The “in classroom” approach isn’t effective.

I have two kids at Creekside and it is our zoned neighborhood school. We love the diversity of students and cultures and the administration and counselor are excellent - they are so professional and truly care about and prioritize the kids social and emotional development, also typically have great, open communication with parents. Anti bullying education and encouraging kindness and inclusion are a daily message for students and teachers from K through 5 for both of my kids have always been open to feedback and honest about everything, even when we didn't always see eye to eye. School has a great community feel with kids from the surrounding neighborhoods and all over boulder, and quite an international influence from CU being one of the zoned elementary schools for the university... We have had the pleasure of getting to know families from all over Europe and Asia during the time my kids have attended, and the school does a great job of encouraging learning about different countries, languages and cultures. Lots of parent involvement/investment as well, which I think is a huge part of its success. Good relationships and conflict resolution between kids are always a priority, and my kids have both thrived there, when they needed anything at all, from an ALP to one needing extra reading help during covid. We love Creekside and have been so happy with the administration and staff! I'm going to be sad when my oldest has to leave for middle school next year.