Nestled in the foothills of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, there is a small town that time forgot.  Like the set of an old western, Gold Hill, population 250, reaches a hand across the divide of time, one hand in the 21st Century, the other in the 19th Century’s Gold Rush.  Small, colorful, wooden cabins line the tiny town’s dirt Main Street.  On the northwest corner of town sits Colorado’s oldest, continuously operating school: the Gold Hill School, the most unique of Boulder Valley School District’s public schools.  Since its founding in 1873, the children of Gold Hill and surrounding canyon communities have benefitted from generations of teachers with a passion for education who draw inspiration from the majestic surrounding mountain environment.

The Gold Hill School may be a small, two-room schoolhouse, but BIG things are happening inside.

The school employs two classroom teachers; Johanna Morrison teaches students in kindergarten through grade two and Christine Maedke teaches students in grades three through five. The school’s goal is to provide students with engaging, hands-on learning opportunities through project-based learning, achieving high academic standards and a rigorous course of study that meets the needs of each individual learner. Each child’s distinct social, emotional and academic needs are attended to, as the whole child grows into a student with a love for themselves and others, as well as a love of learning.

 Our Programs

Students at the Gold Hill School are given the rare opportunity to engage fully in their learning. This is accomplished by blurring the lines between community and classroom, both learning from and serving the community.

The Gold Hill School prides itself on conducting high-quality experiential studies through a project-based learning program.

The programs are based on the studies of life and environmental science, examining local ecology and human impact, as well as social studies education, with a strong emphasis on outdoor education. The school strives to have students not just learn about science, history, art and the other academic subjects, but to see the world as a scientist, historian, artist, and other professionals. The students have opportunities to work directly with professionals in their fields of study and have authentic learning experiences that go beyond the simulated and theoretical world of the classroom.  

You never know what kinds of creatures may be crawling, hopping, flying or slithering around when you visit the Gold Hill School.Some life science programs created to study adaptations, interdependence, life cycles, and all things biology have included, but are not limited to students building and maintaining their own vegetable gardens and creating their own compost using a worm farm.  The students could be found learning about watersheds and waterway health in an Ecology Through Fly-Fishing Program.  Other programs have students taking care of a variety of animals, including raising chicks and ducks, caring for a trout tank, insect tanks, raising butterflies in their own classroom butterfly pavilion, beekeeping, and maintaining an observation bee hive as well.