Challenge School in Denver | Military Town Advisor

Category	Rating	Details
Test Scores	10/10	The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) data from Colorado Department of Education.
Student Growth	10/10	The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2025 Student Growth - CO CMAS - Cohort-referenced data from Colorado Department of Education, and using 2025 Student Growth - CO PSAT/SAT - Cohort-referenced data from Colorado Department of Education.

Posted: January 23, 2024

This school is a great place to be. As of this writing, I am halfway through my 8th grade year, and I am learning so many things. Big shoutout to Mrs. Eggleston for teaching us algebra in an interesting way. The location is a little out of the way, and a bit cumbersome to deal with if you have children in other schools. The teachers are good at their jobs. We are the only school in the district that does science fair for 7th and 8th graders. There is, however, like a lot of middle schools, some slurs and derogatory comments on one's identity, albeit on a much smaller scale, because this school is tiny. Everyone knows almost everyone, and this creates some pretty nasty friend groups. From what I can see, we don't have a lot of suspensions, and our counselor, Miss Puchino, is available to meet with people and help them through the difficult times of hormones and middle school. The administration is nice and doesn't outright shut down crazy ideas, like a radio control airplane show for continuation. All in all, I would recommend this school.

Posted: January 23, 2024

Posted: September 29, 2023

The school doesn't have good academics, sports, music or clubs. Really bad school with poor location. The school leaders don't care about student success nor they care about students growth or opportunities. The administration and support staff are rude and not welcoming. The school teachers are average and dont make classes interesting and engaging.

Posted: September 29, 2023

Posted: September 22, 2023

The teachers of the school are not dedicated. They don't look out for the best interest of the kids but have bias towards students. The administration is really bad and the teachers are not best among CCSD. The environment is not challenging but rather demotivates students. Don't recommend this school. Far better schools in the district.

Posted: September 22, 2023

Posted: August 16, 2023

The principal of the school is horrible. Doesnt support students. Is extremely rude with parents. He needs to leave Challenge. The school is not worth the drive. The prinicpal and teachers dont see students best interest. Very sad experience and unfortunate to see such poor administration. The prinicpal needs to go.

Posted: August 16, 2023

Posted: May 22, 2022

Used to love this school until my kid reached 6th grade. Then all sorts of problems started to present itself. For starters, the school is pretty toxic. I think this is because the school is so small and all the kids have been around each other, the same teachers, and doing the same routine since Kindergarten. It wears on the kids, so they start to develop little interpersonal friend issues that linger and the school doesn't do much about it. The kids also survive by being part of a friendship clique and if something happens to that clique- your kid becomes a social outcast and would rather stay home from school than go to school and endure being an outsider. Ive had to counsel my kid a lot to deal with constant feelings of being accepted.

My kid is a 7th grader and thinking of transferring out which makes me sad because we will miss out on the mighty niner title my kid earned, just to get away! Tried bring up issues with other kids behavior many times, but was made to feel like my kid was the issue and nothing was done.

My kid also tells me about staff and students who make openly racist actions and remarks that are just ignored.

Used to love the school, but will not be back next year and I advise incoming parents to really think twice about attending. My kid has been dealing with a lot of emotional issues that have been a direct result from the school. Thinking back, I wish I would have just attended our neighborhood school instead.

As another review stated, its not worth the drive across town. Additionally, whatever you can contribute (time or money) is not viewed as enough.

Posted: May 22, 2022

Posted: April 19, 2022

I have two children at Challenge School.
I highly recommend this school due to the dedication and professionalism of all teachers and staff. The school has to observe district and state mandates, which have changed over the years and so have the school, but they always have what is best for students in mind. The student body is small, diverse, and academically above average. I think the main difference to other schools is that a larger portion of the students are very engaged and responsive to the classes, which keeps themselves and the teachers motivated in a virtuous cycle. If you prefer smaller and personable settings, and have a motivated student, you should try to have them attend here!

Posted: April 19, 2022

Posted: July 9, 2021

My kid is a mighty niner (attending nine years k through 8). Curriculum is advanced and challenging, teachers are amazing, and opportunities are plentiful. The immersion program is my favorite thing about the school.

Posted: May 3, 2019

The amount of homework kids get is more than enough. Very good school.

Posted: May 3, 2019

My kid was here in this school from her 2nd till 8th grade. She was one of the best and performing student of her batch. The school supports everything a bright kid need.

Posted: July 15, 2018

My youngest just graduated from Challenge in 2018. This has been her home away from home. She has a group of tight friends, of many races and backgrounds, who will be forever friends. She has been loved, challenged, coached, encouraged, inspired & reprimanded fairly which have aided her development into a wonderful young person. It is definitely worth the drive to Challenge.

Posted: July 15, 2018

Teachers know that students have demands on their time and try to work together in creating due dates for large projects and tests/quizzes.

Posted: July 15, 2018

As a parent of 2 two former Challenge School students, I have found their teachers to very caring, professional, smart, pedagogically strong, hardworking, and love this school and community. The staff overall has had very little turnover, even over the last few years, so many of the allegations about less interesting curriculum, poor teaching, and lower expectations of academic prowess are simply untrue. Currently, Challenge school is the only CCSD middle school who continually sends kids to the State Science Fair with students continuing on to competitions in high school, at the national level. The science teachers spend time outside of the school day working with students on real-life science. Additionally, Challenge is the first school in CCSD to have the 7th and 8th grade students participated in National History Day! Real Life, project based learning, focused on students' interests hits the mark when it comes to my students' needs, both as gifted learners and human beings.

Posted: July 15, 2018

As an educator who has taught in other middle schools, I find Challenge kids and staff exceptionally accepting of the LGTBQ+ community and sincerely working with all students to have courageous conversations about race to help all in reaching their highest potential. Our differences make us stronger!

Posted: July 15, 2018

Families, students and teachers are what make this an incredible school...administrators come and go.

Posted: July 15, 2018

The special education teachers really work hard with the classroom teachers in creating a "whole child" approach to learning.

Posted: July 15, 2018

When asked, most kids at Challenge will say bullying doesn't happen here, which I believe is a good sign of how rare it is. Yet, it does happen and the administration varies in how effective they are in dealing with it.

Posted: May 25, 2018

Challenge School isnt the way it used to be after a change in administration. The schools learning curriculum is not in any way advanced and the environment of the school is not as accepting or caring as they say it is. The current principle and even some teachers have shown or even said racist actions and remarks. The school does not appreciate anything you do for it whether its contributing time or money especially when you are of color. Challenge School is not worth the distance you have to drive or the effort or the struggle to feel accepted. All in all the school isnt anything special or somewhere you should aspire to be.

Posted: May 18, 2018

We were told by a high school teacher that the difference between a kid graduated from challenge and a kid from other middle school was the Challenge kids were more prepared to do projects. But since the current principal moved in 4 years ago, the Challenge school has been offering less and less projects to students. The invention convention was gone, and students have been doing fewer presentations in their classes.

Posted: May 18, 2018

The current principal has been limiting what teachers can teach, and what teachers can do for students' individual needs. Several very experienced teachers are either retired or retiring in the last couple of years.

Posted: May 18, 2018

The current principal is not a good educator. She does not care what students need. She only cares if everybody follows her orders. She put up rules to limit the flexibility that teachers and students had been enjoying before she became the administrator. She discourages teachers to honor students' academic achievements. The good news is that she is leaving to become a principal in an elementary school. But she has already caused a lot of damages to this once great and proud school. Hopefully, the new principal will be able to reverse things quickly.

Posted: May 18, 2018

The current principal does not allow it. The advanced students are still required to sit in the boring classes to learn things they already know since the principal does not allow them to move on to more advanced classes. The principal does not allow teachers to test students to see if the students can jump to a higher level classes.

Posted: May 18, 2018

Before this principal, everything was great. My oldest kid achieved so much in this school and now is ranked number one of his class in high school. But my younger kids are suffering from the boring classes and deteriorating academic environment.

Posted: April 6, 2018

Our overall experience was outstanding for our first two children and we had absolutely no complaints and loved every year, teacher, and fellow community member. The incompetence of the current administration has turned that upside down getting us to the point where we pulled our our youngest child and put him in our neighborhood school. Now, his needs are being met through the pull-out programs (GT). We believe that in most cases (depending how good your neighborhood school is) your child will be better off at your neighborhood school because most of the programs that differentiated Challenge from the others have been removed or modified to the point of being totally useless. The added benefit is that you will not have to commute far to get the academic rigor, which no longer exists at this school.

Posted: April 6, 2018

The teachers at this school are outstanding. They care deeply about their work and their students. They also know how to balance homework with the students' extra-curricular activities. In other words, they assign plenty of homework BUT also do not overload their students because they recognize that their students have lives outside of school that demands their time and attention.

Posted: April 6, 2018

Especially with the current administration, the teachers are what really keep this school from falling off a cliff. Despite being hamstrung by the current school administration, the teachers are hanging in to keep the school on its original path of meeting the needs of advanced students. With the current leadership, that is a very difficult task.

Posted: April 6, 2018

While this was a standard practice before, the current leadership got rid of the International Baccalaureate/IB accreditation which made this school the first and only school in the Cherry Creek School District with an IB program for the elementary school. Not any more.

Posted: April 6, 2018

By far, the worst leadership in the school's entire history. Not sure if it is lack of competence, poor fit, or a combination of both but Challenge has been on a race to the bottom ever since this new administration has been brought in. The old culture of a very caring, warm, friendly, and academically competitive community is gone. Now, it is unwelcoming, sterile, very cold, and at times almost hostile environment even to those who are part of the community. Suspensions, bullying, and all the negative elements have become the norm when they were rarely seen, or did not exist. Former students have gone to the best high schools and colleges but the current students are barely keeping up. Students have to leave campus and go to district high schools to attend their advanced classes that used to be offered regularly at this school. Simply put, the new administration is destroying everything that made this school great in the past. Other district schools offer better/more advanced academic programs so please do your children a favor and do your homework before sending them to Challenge School.

Posted: April 6, 2018

Posted: February 7, 2018

It used to be the finest school in the State. It was built upon a mission to inspire the brightest minds in the district! District Administration and the current Principal are dragging it down to be an average school, however, so that it can accommodate the overwhelming population within the district. It's now just another average school with a long commute to get to.

Posted: August 7, 2017

Challenge is an amazing school. Both my kids have thrived at this school, both are bright and have done well academically. One of them has health and social interaction challenges, and everyone at the school has been so incredibly supportive and helpful.

Posted: December 6, 2016

Leadership and management are horrible! Please be cautious when applying to this school.

Posted: December 6, 2016

Extremely disappointed. My child was fairly accepted into this school only to be told two months later into the school year that she was not advanced enough. Then I was threatened that my child could possibly not return the following school year. I moved our whole life out here based on my child's acceptance then was told this. Academics are great but leadership is a joke. Apply at your own risk!

Posted: November 8, 2016

Both of my sons have thrived at Challenge. They are academically challenged and the rigorous curriculum has met their advanced needs. Most importantly, the staff cares about the WHOLE child. My boys are loved, valued, and respected for who they are beyond their academic abilities. We are proud to be part of the Challenge community and grateful for the opportunity!

Posted: November 8, 2016

Although I believe these attributes must first come from family, they are reinforced through community work, volunteerism, and projects at the school. The school has a strong sense of community that is reinforced through opportunities to interact with students in all classes and ages.

Posted: November 8, 2016

Posted: October 16, 2016

The current leadership of the school is not a good fit. Many things that made the school special are changing ands parents have little to no input in the school community.

Posted: October 16, 2016

The leadership of the school is tearing the community apart. The new principal doesn't understand the community or its diversity. Significant decisions are being made with out notifying or consulting the school community of the changes. The unique attributes which made this school special are being striped away. It now feels like any other public school. The community is so divided that this school who once had an abundance of parent volunteers is struggling to find anyone to do basic things like shelve books in the library. It is heart breaking.

Posted: August 12, 2016

my friend told me about this school ,This school is very good rate and very good school .So that I'm so interested Because my son his brain is very smart so that I'm thinking about for my son future .

Posted: November 16, 2015

My two kids attended a local elementary school for K (and one for 1st grade). When my wife and I went to help out in the 1st grade class, we saw a teacher overwhelmed by the kids who could not read, and who had no time for our kids who were reading Harry Potter under the desk and ignoring the rest of the activities going on around them. There were no enrichment activities that I could see, and the teacher had no time for the advanced or the prepared kids.

Challenge gave our kids a chance to thrive and grow with their peers in an environment that encourages and, indeed, expects their best, and for that I will be forever grateful. It is not for everyone, and once they were accepted (without donations), I watched carefully for signs that they were overwhelmed and perhaps at the wrong school. Thank goodness they found their "peeps" at Challenge, but I would have moved them again if they weren't happy. As it turned out, they went from reporting 2 "good" days in a full year at the previous school, to 2 "bad" days in a full year. We have now been at Challenge for 4 years, and I could not be happier.

Finally, I wish our first school had pursued streaming much more aggressively, since lumping the 6th grade level readers with the 1st grade readers, writers, and math students (regardless of their age) just makes every kid feel like they have something to hide. The hit to the kids' self esteem only happens once in streaming. In contrast, the unworkable and ineffective teaching environment created by mixing all achievement levels into one class keeps on hurting kids day after day.

Posted: September 28, 2014

This is my daughter's first year at Challenge (2nd grade) and so far we are so glad she was accepted into such a great school. I read some of the reviews about the application process and that it is unfair. I did not find this to be true. We applied for K and 1st grade. My daughter scored well on the tests and did not get a spot, but when there is a limited number of spots available, it happens. This year we were put on a wait list again, but a spot became available and we "won" it in the lottery pool of qualified applicants. It can't get much more fair than that, in my opinion. So far our kiddo is doing really well and her teachers have made sure she is comfortable and adjusts well. The opportunities given to expand young minds in the extracurricular activities, mini courses, and immersion weeks are just wonderful! I love that there are required family service hours to keep us all involved as part of a school community. Really excited for our future at this school!

Posted: July 31, 2014

A school for the highly gifted and/ or highly motivated, academically advanced student, K-8.... I have 3 sons who have attended this school spanning the past 11 years. I appreciate that the Challenge School has worked with each of them on an individual basis so as to allow for them to reach their highest potential in math, science and language arts. The science and math teachers are second to none!!

Posted: April 7, 2014

I felt I had to enter my own review after reading some of the responses here. I have had two children (a male and a female so I got to see both perspectives) go through Challenge from K-8th grade. I can tell you for a fact that I did not have enough money to offer a "donation" bribe, and feel that although rigorous the application process is fair and understandable. Challenge was a fantastic experience for both kids, and provided a great foundation for their future. My eldest is graduating from the International Baccalaureate program this Spring, and felt that Challenge provided the good habits and academic background necessary to achieve this goal. As far as the "bullying" and "self-harm", I have been a member of this community for 13 years and through multiple principals and team changes, and have neither seen this as a major problem nor ever experienced a time when the staff was unresponsive to serious issues. No school is perfect, but the times when I have seen issues come up they have been handled promptly and professionally. Challenge has been a real blessing for my children, and provides a unique opportunity for gifted students. I wish the school continued success.

Posted: April 3, 2014

My child entered this school in 5th grade as an extremely advanced, self-assured individual. In four years time this well-adjusted young adult fell to modestly advanced/proficient (according to TCAP scores) and became severely emotionally distraught. There was tremendous pressure at this school on many levels (not just academic). I would liken it to a pressure cooker. As a result, there was a significant problem with self-harm, especially in the higher grades (fortunately, my child did not resort to this) which was all but ignored. Bullying was also a major problem but is much more insidious and manipulative than you will find at most middle schools (these are gifted children, after all). My child was bullied excessively and sought help from teachers and the administration on many occassions (to no avail). When my child fought back physically (after months of abuse) she received a ridiculously harsh punishment while the perpetrator received a slap on the wrist. Does this school provide challenging curriculum, yes. Will it be the right fit for every gifted learner, most definitely not. Please just do your homework and ask lots of questions before you commit to this school.

Posted: November 3, 2013

I agree with the parent about unfairness of the application process. It is very unclear who gets in. Gossip around town is that you have to offer a good donation to be considered. I tried to get my two children in 4 years apart. They both scored high in IQ tests, got in in advanced kindergarten in two districts, early entrance in one, admitted to another gifted school in Aurora, but not in Challenge. No wonder I asked the question how that is possible.

Posted: June 18, 2013

Re: 2/1/2013 post about application process: As a teacher who is part of the application process at Challenge each year, I have to say this post is incredibly inaccurate. Teachers spend literally hours examining the entire application, and test scores, work samples, student and parent questionnaires are all given a thorough examination during the process. No one part of the application means more than the others. Please consider the efforts expended by staff to make this process transparent and fair, as we are all working for the best for each student. Challenge is an outstanding school, and I am proud to be part of such a dynamic and hard working staff.

Posted: January 31, 2013

When u apply to Challenge they go by the teacher's recommendation(most teachers don't have the time to fill out a 4 page application that is pretty long ). They filter the candidates and select the ones with a good recommendation. In my opinion it is not a fair process, every child should be interviewed and tested for their talent. The child's future is in the hands of the recommending teacher and in most cases the teacher recommending may not even check the questions on the form to see if the child knows it.. Even though they say it is overall scoring i thinks its disappointing when they don't even give your child a fair interview after u spend hours filling out an appplication and getting the recommendation letters. I am not happy with the selection process. Its just not fair!

#	Name	Type	City	State	Distance
1	Cherry Creek	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Denver	CO	4.4 mi
2	Sterling Hills West	Area of Town	Aurora	CO	6.1 mi
3	Forest Lakes	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Monument	CO	43.8 mi
4	Flying Horse	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Colorado Springs	CO	47.1 mi

#	Name	City	State	Overall Rating	Distance
1	North Gate Blvd	Colorado Springs	CO		46.3 mi
2	Loveland	Loveland	CO		49.5 mi

Base	Distance
Buckley AFB	6 mi.
US Air Force Academy	47.9 mi.

Challenge School

Denver, CO 80231

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Challenge School

Denver, CO 80231

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