Vail
Boulder, CO 80305

Staff and parents felt they could bully me and my child because she was white British and so was I. I won't ever forgive them for that.

Ah Fairview. I've experienced both a lot of ups and downs during my time here. While some of the students may not be the most accepting of different political beliefs, they're at least mostly friendly if you don't bring up politics. On the downside, Fairview was the very place where I got my first taste of racism. Even when I spoke up, I don't think the issue was really dealt with. Additionally, the teachers here really care about their students. There are so many clubs one can be involved in (and it's easy to start a club too!) and there's really something for everyone. For me, I joined the debate team and it was definitely the best decision of my life. Not only did it help me improve my confidence and my argumentation skills, I made really good friends with my teammates. There were times that I wished I hadn't gone to Fairview, but overall, if I could go back in time to 8th grade when I was choosing a high school, I'd probably still choose Fairview. Yes, I surely had some ups and downs and rough times, but overall, still a good experience and I can't imagine going to a different high school

Our family is so grateful to have found Mesa Elementary. Mesa is a wonderful school that values every student. While Mesa is a public school, each student is given the attention and support of a private school education. While being a high achieving school, the principal and staff prioritize social emotional health and physical health equally. Due to the school's dedication to the whole child and creating a welcoming environment for all, Mesa is awarded the Human Rights Campaign Seal of Excellence Welcoming School. This is our second year at Mesa, we moved from out of state. Previously my children didn't like school, only recess and PE. They weren't challenged academically, bored, and getting out the door to school every day was rough, Mesa turned that around. The teachers at Mesa saw my kids for their potential and uniqueness immediately. Within the first two weeks of school, one teacher identified my children as gifted, and we pursued testing for the gifted and talented program. The same teacher also prioritized helping them feel welcome and friendships in class. This child loved Mesa immediately. My other child is thriving in the RISE (Reaching Independence through Structured Environments) Autism program at Mesa. Mesa's RISE program has transformed my child's relationship with school. To be autistic, is to experience the world very differently than others. My little guy had a lot of school trauma from being unsupported and misunderstood at his previous school. The Rise staff, and all the staff at Mesa, have nurtured felt safety for him at school so he can be receptive to learning and enjoy school. One of his goals for school was to make friends. By the end of his first year he had made 3 friends! He went from having hours of school refusal daily to getting ready and out the door on his own. The parent and PTO community is awesome. The PTO raises a significant amount of money to partially pay for 5 additional staff members (reading, math, library and G & T program). There are monthly morning coffees that coincide with PTO meetings. The Family and Educators Together and Community, Culture and Belonging committees work together to nurture a supportive and welcoming environment for all students and families.

For sure the best school in BVSD!I have lots of friends that go to other schools in the district (Manhattan, Centennial, Summit, etc...)The classes are really challenging if you do the advanced track in math and LA, but not as challenging as Summit (probably a good thing). They are also perfect for getting you ready for high school.Teachers are all super nice the only bad experience I've had was when a substitute said a bad word to a kid but she got fired right away.Another nice thing is its super easy to change your schedule if you mess it up.As far as the actual student population goes, its a 9/10.While there are cliques (as there are at every school), they aren't super obvious, and everyone is included.I don't think there are any drugs, but there is one group of 5-6 people that vapes (only in 8th grade).Facilities kind of all got re-done as I arrived at the school!New sound system just got installed, with a new soundboard, monitor speakers for band students, and state-of-the-art (kinda) speakers.New heating/cooling system but it gets out of whack sometimes so every once and a while there are really cold rooms in the summer.Wonderful gyms, floor gets re-finished every summer. There are two gyms because one room used to be a pool (big gym) and lots of equipment including skateboards, archery, yoga, and we use the Fairview track for running the mile and playing football.Also BRAND NEW tennis courts: they literally just got refinished over the summer of 2024! Kickball field, football field, gaga ball pit, 4 square courts.Also if you are into skating the whole school is skate-friendly after school, so you can grind the benches and the rails (honestly the whole front courtyard kinda looks like a skate park)NJHS and 360 leader programs are available in 8th grade.It takes about 2 minutes to walk the school end to end and passing period is 4 minutes so you should be fine (small school).Cross country and track teams are HUGE! Practices are like a stampede of buffalo.Overall best BVSD school if you are looking to have a good time in middle school.Hope you find this review helpful!