Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Colorado was approved by the Colorado Charter School Institute to open a charter school in south Larimer County in the fall of 2020 with grades K-6, growing to K-12. Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Colorado is replicating highly successful classical schools currently operating in Colorado.

What is a charter public school?

A charter school is a non-profit, tuition-free, independently operated public school granted greater flexibility in curriculum, staffing, and operations.

Charter schools:

• Receive state “per-pupil revenue” (PPR) and some local mill levy dollars but do not typically receive funding for capital expenses, which must be paid for from operational funding;
• Offer seats to children based on a random lottery. Charter schools do not select children;
• Offer a variety of curricula and instructional styles, and sometimes differ in their philosophy toward education. Parents choosing a charter school as an option for their children doesn’t indicate a weakness in district-run schools, but a preference for a different approach and focus for their child;
• Serve students with specials needs;
• Allow parents a choice in the education of their children.
• For more information on charter schools in Colorado, visit the Colorado League of Charter Schools.

When did Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Colorado open?

Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Colorado opened in the fall of 2020.

What grades does the school serve?

For the 2023-2024 school year, Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Colorado offers grades K-11. Next year, the school will add 12th grade, reaching its full matriculation as a K-12 school.

Does Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Colorado serve students with special needs?

Yes, the school serves students with special needs. Direct instruction, the structure and coherence of the Core Knowledge curriculum, and the Orton-Gillingham phonics program are very effective for all students. The school also supports a broader spectrum of special needs through its Student Services department. Our goal is to provide support and tools to enable all students to be successful in school and in life.

Ascent Classical Academy will ask applicants if their children have special needs only after they have an accepted seat in the school. At that time, the school will review any Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) or 504 plans to determine the school’s ability to serve an individual student and ensure they will thrive and be successful. Working within all applicable laws, regulations, and the guidance of its authorizer, ACA’s IEP team will determine students’ needs including the setting in which the school will provide the required services and will communicate this determination to parents as required by law and regulation.

Where is Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Colorado located?

Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Colorado is located in Windsor, Colorado, north of Highway 392, at the intersection of County Road 5 and County Road 32.

What is the annual school calendar and school hours?

Ascent Classical Academy’s first day of school for the 2023-2024 school year is Monday, Aug. 28. Click here to see our school calendar and bell schedule.

What is classical education?

The underlying philosophy of a good classical school differs from how most other schools are educated today.

Read our page on classical education and our content-rich curriculum.

What are the core elements of the academic program?

Ascent Classical Academy takes a classical, liberal arts approach to educating young people, as described above. Other key elements of the academic program include:

• Core Knowledge sequence in grades K-6;
• Literacy Essentials, an explicit phonics approach to literacy. The school also requires a mastery of spelling and proper grammar as well as good handwriting and cursive;
• Singapore Math;
• Highly engaging, direct, teacher-led instruction with increased use of Socratic techniques as students progress through the school;
• Primary source documents are used to the maximum extent possible.

Will Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Colorado require teachers to be licensed?

Ascent Classical Academy will hire the most highly qualified teachers for our classrooms and seek out content experts.

After involved parents, it’s known that highly effective teachers, using an excellent, proven curriculum in the classroom, have the greatest impact on student success. Ascent Classical Academy seeks staff with expertise in their content area and the best teachers for each position may or may not be licensed teachers.

One of the automatic waivers granted charter schools by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) is a waiver from teacher licensure requirements (Colorado Revised Statutes 22-63-201), which most, if not all, charter schools in Colorado have. View a complete report of all waivers granted to charter schools throughout Colorado.

Rather than having licensed teachers, the state of Colorado allows charter schools to hire “highly-qualified” teachers. To earn this designation a teacher must have a college degree or other demonstrated expertise in a content area that person will be teaching. At the 6th-grade level and below, a teacher may take a placement test. Details on the “highly-qualified” qualification is found on the CDE website.

This waiver allows Ascent Classical Academy to hire a teacher with a master’s degree in Chemistry to teach science, or a retired college English literature professor to teach high school English.

What sports and extra-curricular activities does the school offer?

As a small school, we will not be able to provide every sport. The sports we offer will be dependent on student interest. Over the past few years, we have offered cross country, basketball, volleyball, and archery, in addition to several clubs.

Students in Colorado are able to participate in a sport or activity at another school if that sport is not offered at their school.

How did Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Colorado get started?

Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Colorado was a joint effort of several local parents, other parents who have been involved in starting classical schools, and classical school leaders in Colorado.