Summit Middle School, established in 1996, is a tuition- free, public charter school in the Boulder Valley School District. A recipient of the John Irwin School of Excellence Award for the past three years, Summit was also one of only 24 middle schools in the United States this year to receive the highest national award in education: the United States Department of Education Blue Ribbon School Award. Summit was founded upon, and its program is based upon, the following goals and objectives:
- To expand educational choices within the Boulder Valley School District by offering middle school students the opportunity to enroll in a rigorous academic program and to challenge each student in each course.
- To provide the option of advanced classes for any student on a self-selecting basis and to group students according to subject mastery rather than grade classification or age.
- To elicit academic achievement commensurate with each student’s ability.
- To maintain an unwavering commitment to the mastery of educational fundamentals (content) and the development of critical thinking skills (process).
- To enhance each student’s social and emotional development and to foster positive relationships among peers.
- To recognize that Summit’s customers are students, parents, and the community and to be responsive and accountable to their concerns.
- To strive to reflect the diverse population of the Boulder Valley School District.
- To meet or exceed district and state curriculum, content, and performance standards.
- To monitor the program and evaluate it regularly.