ASCENT, a program that offers a year of free college tuition at either Front Range Community College or Metro State University, has expanded to offer an unlimited number of awardees. In response, BVSD celebrated and identified almost 500 seniors who have qualified in one year’s time. Over 40 of those students were approved to participate in the program, an increase from just four students in the spring of 2022.

Did you know Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) students can earn free college credits during high school – often without leaving their own high school campus? It can save a lot of money and give students a big head start at university.

Boulder Valley School District has a goal of providing work-based learning experiences, opportunities, and access on a greater scale, across the entire K-12 system. This starts with changing the perception of work-based learning. It is not just about offering a few internships or guest speakers, it is about making sure that every BVSD student, in every grade, has the opportunity to connect what they are learning in school to the industry-based world around them. 

Last year, 594 of graduating BVSD seniors earned the seal of biliteracy, achieving proficiency in 11 different languages, some even earning the seal in multiple languages. Each year since the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) has started awarding the Seal, there has been an increase in students who attain the achievement (even during the pandemic). 

When a Boulder Valley School District student applies for a job, one of the ways that they can stand out is by earning industry certifications while enrolled in school. “Industry certificates are defined by the specific businesses and industry areas as a way for their current employees or prospective employees to demonstrate that they have a certain level of competency in that particular area,” explained Dr. Arlie Huffman, BVSD’s director of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and the principal of Boulder TEC.