Under the leadership of Superintendent Michael F. Bennet, Denver Public Schools is committed to making Denver a national leader in student achievement, high school graduation, college and career preparation, and college matriculation. Superintendent Bennet has a clear vision for Denver Public Schools - become the best urban school district in the nation. Under this vision, the district has benefited from significant gains in student achievement, the implementation of ProComp - an innovative pay structure that rewards teachers for improving student achievement - and robust principal professional development including summer principal institutes that underscore principals' roles in leading the district's reform efforts. This work is guided by The Denver Plan, a living document that outlines the district's vision of achievement. The foundation of this plan is to ensure that all students achieve academically. The Denver Plan outlines the following goals:
- Ensuring that all children learn from a highly skilled faculty in every school that is empowered by robust professional development and timely assessment data;
- Highly trained principals and assistant principals who will serve as instructional leaders of the faculty in DPS schools; and
- Collaboration among the Denver community and all DPS stakeholders who will support all children in a safe, orderly, and enriching environment in every school and classroom.
Denver Public Schools serves the residents of the City and County of Denver, Colorado; 57% of the school district is Latino, 19% is African American, and 20% is Anglo. Sixty-Seven percent of the district's students qualify for free and reduced lunch. The current student enrollment is 73,018. DPS is comprised of 151 schools - 73 Elementary, 15 K-8, 17 Middle, 14 High, 19 Charter, 7 Alternative, and 6 Other.
