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One of the school’s strongest suits is its approach to teaching, known as problem-based learning. Rather than sit in classrooms working out of textbooks and taking notes as teachers lecture, students at STEM School Highlands Ranch grapple with real-world issues and challenges, and learn academic content in part by applying their ingenuity to problems they face in the real world. 

Learning at STEM School Highlands Ranch is “inquiry-based, collaborative and, student-centered.,” said Hannah Reese, the school’s Assistant Director of Special Programs. “Students should have multiple options of how to demonstrate their knowledge, multiple products presented, according to student choice.” 

A key component that makes problem-based learning work is the school’s connection to area businesses, who welcome students for internships, apprenticeships, and class visits. As we will discuss later, this exemplifies how a school that aims to prepare its students for the changing world of work should operate. The walls of the school are an artificial barrier that must be made permeable, so that expertise flows into the school and students and teachers can experience the world of work and knowledge that exists on the outside.

The school is racially and ethnically diverse (35 percent students of color), and 97 percent of its graduates either go immediately to college or take a gap year with an intention to matriculate the following year. Its students average the seventh highest SAT scores among Colorado public high schools.

The schools’ Enrichment program, formerly known as “The Academy,” is also rich and diverse offering after-school options ranging from ballet, fencing, soccer, basketball and lacrosse to Technology Student Association, Best Robotics and Acting.

Once STEM School Highlands Ranch reached its full span of grades and its student body approached 2,000, it made sense to reexamine the structure of the school’s leadership. It has always been true, but never more than in today’s hyper-drive-paced world, that organizations must continually evolve if they are to remain healthy. This is as true of schools as any other institutions, though schools historically have been slower to adapt to changing circumstances than many businesses.

 In short, STEM School Highlands Ranch is extraordinarily strong. The school’s challenge going forward is to continue improving, providing students with the education they need to lead fulfilling lives in the dawning Age of Agility.