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MISSION AND PHILOSOPHY

First, it means putting kids first. It means we try to educate the whole child through inculcating character traits, habits of learning, service projects, and outdoor education and wellness (OEW)--and using projects that bring together the investigation of important science and humanities topics with the world that surrounds our students.

We accomplish our mission through talented teachers and staff, strong basic math and english language curricula, carefully designed portfolios and multi-age CREWS and activities. All NRCCS classrooms contain multi-age crews. Math is broken down to recognize and support all levels and all students perform buddy reading activities, which match an upper level student with a younger child. We hold weekly school community meetings involving all students and OEW trips generally involve all ages. Older students are seen as role models to the younger children.

The mission of our no tuition public K-8 North Routt Community Charter School (NRCCS) is simple:to challenge students to thrive beyond 4 walls through personalized academic learning, stewardship, the arts and outdoor discovery.

Outdoor discovery occurs in both formal and informal settings. We conduct outdoor education days for the entire school, structure age-specific field trips and longer fieldwork trips and teach physical education every day. But we also encourage students toward more self-discovery in the outdoors through school clubs and activities that we sponsor or lead.

“Charter” is part of our school name, but what is a charter school? In Colorado, charter schools are public schools and therefore do not charge annual tuition. They also don’t have special entrance requirements, don’t discriminate and accept students with disabilities and/or special needs. All charter schools are bound by federal and state public school laws. And, as a bonus, you'll be happy to know we do this with limited bureaucracy (read: less overhead) and creative educational programs! 

Charter schools are all about school choice--you get to choose to have your student learn at a charter school--and we’re glad you’re thinking about enrolling or are already enrolled at NRCCS! We are proud to be authorized by the Steamboat Springs School District RE-2. 

Three smiling girls pose with a cardboard structure in a classroom with colorful posters on the wall.
Two boys in winter clothing sit in the snow in the foreground, with a snowy hillside and bare trees in the background.
A group of children and an adult pose for a photo on a snowy slope with trees in the background.
A woman reads a colorful book to two children at a wooden table, with a rustic wooden post in the foreground and a blue wall with pictures in the background.
A group of children poses on a rocky outcrop in the foreground, silhouetted against a sunset sky with tall pine trees in the background.
A group of young people sit in a circle on the forest floor surrounded by backpacks, with dense evergreen trees in the background.
A group of young hikers with large backpacks stand on a dirt path in front of a wooded hillside.
A group of hikers with backpacks poses on a rocky, grassy summit in front of a dramatic, cloudy sky and distant, forested mountains.
Children stand in a classroom holding their artwork, with colorful paintings adorning the walls behind them.
A group of children on bicycles ride down a paved path in the foreground, with rolling hills and trees in the background.
A group of children and adults stand on a sandy riverbank in the foreground, with a calm, green river and towering, rocky mountains in the background.
A snowcat vehicle decorated with balloons and signs, carrying people, parades down a snow-covered street lined with buildings and onlookers.