11710 Ranch Elsie Rd
Golden, CO 80403

There is absolutely no way that Ralston Valley is ranked as high as it is, it is a 6.5/10 at best. I attended this school for my freshman year of high school and I was disappointed and unimpressed. Everything at this school is highly competitive and it is hard to try new things. My friend was cut from volleyball even though she made the level 3 team the previous year. She ended up trying out for the musical, but unfortunately didn't make it in. The academics at this school are also made out to be better than they actually are. They are by no means bad, but are nowhere near exceptional either. The choral program at RV is also pretty decent but it is not as good as it claims to be. Schools such as Arvada West, Lakewood, Dakota Ridge, and Columbine have a much better choral program than RV has. The worst part of Ralston Valley is the student culture. If you're not a snobby rich or upper middle class suburban kid whose entire wardrobe consists of lululemon, Nike, and other name brand clothing, then you´ll most likely have a hard time fitting in. In some cases, if you´re wearing something that´s not typically considered trendy amongst teens, you´ll get pictures taken of you and get made fun of on social media ( this has actually happened to me multiple times ). Sadly the administration at this school couldn´t care less about the fact that many students at this school are getting bullied. They defend it and pretend like it doesn´t happen. As a teenager myself, I recommend that all parents avoid sending their teenagers here.

School is great. My kids love going to school. Having a pre-k in this small community is amazing. Small class sizes are the single best predictor of student success. Being somewhat out from under the thumb of the poorly run Jeffco School District into a public charter that better uses my tax money is a benefit. My only complaint is that I would like to be more involved as a parent in the pto and the current pto has not listened to complaints that the time they scheduled meetings has excluded working patents.