MISSION
To spark adventure and wonder, foster inquiry and community, and build the character and ability of students to take on the world's greatest challenges.
VISION
Research-based, future-focused, community-centered. These phrases describe our educational program, but they also help guide us as an institution. We aim to provide an education that is based on the best research on learning and teaching, is focused on the world our graduates will be entering in their future, and is engaged with our communities—directly helping to improve the world around us.
In 2018, Watershed began working with staff, parents, trustees and students to plan our path forward, creating the school’s next strategic vision. We hit pause on that work during the second half of the 2019-2020 school year and the first half of the 2020-21 school year due to COVID, picking it back up in the spring of 2021. Watershed’s new strategic vision was unanimously endorsed by the Board of Trustees in September 2021.
Watershed School is thrilled to announce that we recently purchased a building on 5400 Spine Rd | Boulder, CO for our school! The purchase of a permanent home for Watershed is a key priority of our Strategic Vision. The purchase of 5400 Spine is Phase One of a new campus. Phase Two of the new Watershed campus includes renovation of 5400 Spine Rd and the acquisition of additional space to make our campus complete. Watershed will remain at our current location, 1661 Alpine Ave | Boulder, CO until at least the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year. You can read more and see architectural concept drawings here.
history
Founders Jason Berv and Sumaya Abu-Haidar, two freshly minted Ph.Ds from the CU Boulder School of Education, had a realization: most of the research we have about learning isn't reflected in the way most schools work. They launched a new, innovative school founded on current research about how kids really learn, and called the school Watershed because the school would create "watershed moments" in the lives of its students.
Watershed School opened in 2004 with 16 high school students. Jason Berv became the school's Founding Head and led the school during its first seven years of operation. As word got out, we grew and added a middle school.
In 2011, we moved to a larger, transit-accessible school building within walking distance of Pearl Street. Over time, we've remodeled it to serve our hands-on program, creating five traditional classrooms plus a gym, art studio, black box theatre/dance studio, outdoor classroom, and design/maker lab.
In 2017, Watershed became the fifth school in Boulder County to earn ACIS (Association of Colorado Independent Schools) accreditation. Intentionally small, we only enroll 100 students in grades 6-12 each year.
100% of our students continue to be accepted to college. More importantly, our students are happy, adventurous, and ready to tackle real-world challenges.
What We've Achieved
100% of our graduates have earned admission to college or university.
We significantly outperform the mean for both private and public schools, both at the middle and high school level, when it comes to intellectual and emotional engagement (High School Survey of Student Engagement, Middle School Survey of Student Engagement).
Our students have studied real-world problems and logged thousands of service hours in locations that include the Silicon Valley, the Mexican-American border, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Guatemala, and right here in the Front Range.
We've earned full ACIS (Association of Colorado Independent Schools) accreditation, one of five Boulder County schools to do so. Learn more about ACIS accreditation.
Our innovative program attracts hundreds of educators who visit Watershed each year to learn about new ideas in education, participate in our annual Traverse conference, and see our school in action.
