Durango School District Home

We help them find their path to success
 
Portrait of a Graduate
  • 95%
    Graduation rate at Durango High School
  • 29
    Home languages spoken by students
  • 4
    Schools awarded Governor’s Distinguished Improvement
  • 20%
    CMAS test scores rank in top 20% of all Colorado Schools
Durango High School grads

About Us

Welcome to Durango School District (DSD). We strive to create a learning environment where all students own their learning, act on their learning, and impact their community. We provide learning opportunities where students develop their critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication skills. 
Learn More
Students examine seedling
Where we’re located
Durango School District map

District News

Sept. 12, 2025 News and Updates Dr. Karen Cheser

Update from the Superintendent

What an incredible start to the 2025-26 school year! As I've visited our schools these past few weeks, I've been absolutely energized by what I've witnessed.
Bravo Award winner Zach Frantz

This week's Bravo Award winner: Zach Frantz

Zach Frantz, Custodian at the Impact Career Innovation Center, won this week’s Bravo Award for being an Agile Thinker, Confident Communicator, and Empathetic Collaborator.
A hand in a gardening glove holds a trowel containing dark dirt.

SOIL Open Hours and Volunteer Party

Join DSD's SOIL Outdoor Learning Lab for Open Hours and the monthly Volunteer Work Party tomorrow—Saturday, Sept. 13—from 9 to 11 a.m.
Adult hands holding a child's hands

Support resources for students and families

We were saddened to hear of the shootings that occurred this week in Utah and at Evergreen High School in the Denver area. As with any incident, we will remain on alert and continue to conduct appropriate measures at our schools to ensure the safety and security of our staff and students.
A cup of coffee and the Durango School District logo with the words,

School Board Coffee Chat is Sept. 30

Save the date! DSD Board of Education members Erika Brown and Katie Stewart invite everyone to a virtual Coffee Chat on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 5:30 p.m.
Bravo Award winner Alanda Martin

Introducing the 2025-26 staff Bravo Awards

Throughout each school year, DSD employees nominate their colleagues for Bravo Awards, an honor that recognizes faculty and staff who demonstrate Portrait of a Graduate attributes as they go above and beyond for students and the district. Congratulations to this week's winner, Alanda Martin, School Counselor at Miller Middle School!
Board of Education Meeting September 9, 2025

School Board Work Session is Tuesday

The DSD Board of Education will meet for a Work Session this Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 5:30 p.m. at Sunnyside Elementary School (75 County Road 218).
An adult holding a microphone stands next to a table filled with toys.

Summer Bridge champs take home prizes

Watch the video to see which students won prizes in our 2025 Summer Bridge program. While some earned big rewards, every student who participated is truly a winner.
Show All News
graduates

Our Mission

The mission of Durango School District is to ensure each student develops the skills and attributes for lifelong learning and has the ability to compete and contribute in the global community, by guaranteeing equitable educational opportunities in a safe and healthy environment.
Strategic Plan

What people say about us

Eduardo Gonzalez headshot

PARENT

“My kids have thrived in Durango schools because of the quality of instruction. The teachers in these schools do life-changing work.”

– Eduardo Gonzalez, parent of middle school student
Olivia Cruz, Headshot

TEACHER

“I get to work in a supportive environment with empathetic people who love what they do, and who genuinely care about student success.”

– Olivia Cruz, High School Science Teacher
Michaela Richardson headshot

STUDENT

“I have so many opportunities, and I have come to love school. Now I want to inspire others, and be on the Board to be that person that others can look up to.”

– Michaela Richardson, high school student and Student Board Member
Show All Testimonials
Superintendent

Superintendent's Message

Welcome to beautiful Durango and La Plata County! Our schools – and our community – are committed to ensuring all students reach proficiency in all content areas as well as have a high level of social-emotional well-being. Our primary objective in the Durango School District is to help every student achieve their life's purpose through Portrait of a Graduate. This is our district's "north star." It inspires students to find their Ikigai. This is a Japanese concept that incorporates four essential criteria: what you love (your passion), what the world needs (your mission), what you are good at (your vocation), and what you can get paid for (your profession). East meets West with this ancient philosophy in a modern mountain town.
Meet our district leaders

Universal Calendar

Board of Education Regular Meeting

Time: 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Location: Impact Career Innovation Center Durango High School Campus 2410 Main Ave. Durango, CO 81301
Show All Events
Engineer Mountain in fall

Quality of Life

Durango is a beautiful place to live and work. It is located at 6,512 feet elevation in Southwest Colorado near the Four Corners region. Families who live here enjoy a historic steam train, ski resort, rivers, vibrant downtown, bike trails, sky-high “fourteener” mountains, and four distinct seasons with an average of 266 sunny days per year. We welcome new families and new staff members, and we offer excellent benefits and competitive salaries. 
Join our team
Teacher Elfreida Begay

Land Acknowledgement

We respectfully acknowledge that Durango School District is located on lands and territories taken from the Núuchiu (Ute) people. This land is also the ancestral home of or served as a site of trade, gathering, or healing for Apache, Pueblo, Diné, and other nations. We recognize and honor these peoples and nations as traditional stewards of this land and water and respect their enduring relationship with it.
Listen to the land acknowledgement in Diné Bizaad (Navajo language), spoken by Elfreida Begay

Accessibility Statement

It is the goal of Durango School District that the information on this website be accessible to individuals with visual, hearing, or cognitive disabilities. Good faith efforts are being made to ensure that our website complies with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.
 
Most pages on our site are available in HTML format, which can be read by screen readers. Some documents are in Adobe PDF format, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded for free from the Adobe website. Additionally, some documents are in Google Docs and Google Forms. Most modern browsers and screen readers can access Google-based documents. More information about Google web products accessibility can be found on the Google Accessibility website.
 
To ensure accessibility for everyone in our community, including those with disabilities, Durango School District is taking the following steps:
 
* We are actively identifying and addressing accessibility barriers across our websites and digital platforms.
* We request accessibility documentation (such as VPATs – Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates) from vendors whose digital tools or content are used on our websites.
* We work with vendors and service providers to ensure they are taking steps toward full compliance with WCAG and Section 504 requirements.
* We are committed to ongoing staff training and continuous website improvement.
* We regularly review our digital content to align with the Colorado Digital Accessibility Act (C.R.S. 24-34-104) and the latest applicable standards.
 
If you are unable to access any page or document on our site, please contact us at [email protected]. Include the webpage or document URL, your name, email address, and phone number. We will provide the information in an alternative format and work to resolve the issue. Alternatively, you may call the district's main information line at (970) 247-5411 and ask to speak with someone in the Communications Department. Include the location of the webpage/document, your name, email address, and phone number so we can provide the information in another format, and address the issue.

Learn more about the district's accessibility compliance plan and progress reports.