5122 Williams Fork Trl #204
Boulder, CO 80301

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.

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

We love our neighborhood school! Starting with 3 year old Preschool, every staff in the building knew my kids' names - they're greeted in the morning coming in the door, met with smiles and eye contact, and "good morning!" - and this spirit of community continues through the entire school. Many of the staff have been there 10, 15, 20+ years which says a lot. It's a beautiful campus overlooking Boulder, within walking distance to multiple trailheads and open space - awesome for after-school activities. In the winter, the sledding hill across the street is *the* place to be and feels like the kind of neighborhood experience that just doesn't happen anymore. Teachers look out for kids' individual needs - our first-grader was tracked in with higher level reading groups and got individual instruction a year before any "designation" had been made that the school would be required to follow. Heatherwood students look out for each other and seem to love being at school.

I went to Platt CHOICE and I had the worst experience. The teachers were kind but the students were horrible. The principal and vice principal have no idea how to manage student or bullying situations properly. Students from Traditional Platt always make the CHOICE kid feel like they are less than them. I am now a freshman in high school and I was so lost, they did nothing to prepare us for high school homework-wise. I got sexually harassed by 2 students in my 7th-grade year and they did absolutely nothing other than tell me to avoid them. I was also majorly bullied both verbally and physically and once again, the school that I should think of as a safe place let me down. As a former student, I beg you not to send your child here.