Our Schools

9-R's rural schools, Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary, Sunnyside Elementary, Florida Mesa Elementary, and Animas Valley serve as community centers for their farming, ranching, and urban neighbors. Similarly, each of the in-town elementary schools, Park, Needham, and Riverview, also reflect their neighborhoods' unique character and history.

Miller Middle School, in the heart of Durango, is the next step for students from Animas, Needham, and Riverview on the north end of the district; and Escalante Middle School to the south, accepts students from Florida Mesa, Fort Lewis Mesa, Park, and Sunnyside.

Durango Big Picture High School is our newest and most innovative school in the District. It is dedicated to “educating one student at a time” and utilizes a non-traditional education setting where students use their own interests to guide their educational path. Learning is driven through student internships two days in the community and supported in advisory “classes” three days at school.

Durango High School, the only four-year high school in the district, is the pride of the community. Its comprehensive curriculum is designed to prepare all students for post-secondary education while its career and technical education, business, and fine arts programs offer students a wealth of opportunities.