Durango School District

Durango School District Durango School District (DSD, formerly known as 9-R) is a high-performing, award-winning K-12 district in Southwest Colorado.

We focus on academic excellence, bold discovery, and future-ready learning. Ask about our Portrait of a Graduate! Our page is a space for constructive conversations related to our schools. We ask everyone to uphold the following guidelines to ensure this page remains respectful and focused:

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🎉 Exciting news! 🎉 Durango School District’s Board of Education has officially approved the 2025–26 compensation package...
05/28/2026

🎉 Exciting news! 🎉 Durango School District’s Board of Education has officially approved the 2025–26 compensation package for educators and staff — an investment in the people who support students every day.

We know some community members may wonder how salary increases, budget cuts, and staffing reductions can happen at the same time. The reality is that school finance is complex, especially during a time of declining enrollment across Colorado.

A few important pieces of context:
✅ About 87% of DSD’s budget goes directly to employee compensation.
✅ Competitive pay is critical for attracting and retaining quality educators in a high cost-of-living community like Durango.
✅ At the same time, declining enrollment means districts receive less per-pupil funding from the state, requiring difficult restructuring decisions in some areas.

We remain deeply grateful for the teachers, paraprofessionals, support staff, administrators, and school teams who show up for kids every day with care, talent, and commitment.

Read the full story here: https://ow.ly/jGwT50Z5o6R

Over the summer, schools will not be staffed; but administrators are still working. From June 1 through July 24, the Dur...
05/27/2026

Over the summer, schools will not be staffed; but administrators are still working. From June 1 through July 24, the Durango School District (DSD) Administration Office (281 Sawyer Drive, Suite 100) will be open Mondays through Thursdays, 8 a.m.- 4 p.m., and will be closed to the public on Fridays.

05/27/2026

We’re honored to be recognized for growth in this year’s Colorado TLCC survey — a statewide survey that asks educators about their working conditions, support systems, leadership opportunities, professional learning, and whether they have what they need to help students succeed.

It’s one of the ways educators can tell us honestly what’s working, what’s improving, and where schools can continue growing.

We’re especially encouraged to see gains in areas connected to professional development, teacher support, and leadership opportunities for staff. Those improvements don’t happen overnight. They reflect years of work by educators, school leaders, and teams across Durango School District who are committed to creating strong learning environments for both students and staff.

One of the biggest increases came in staff reporting that the district invests in their careers — a meaningful reflection of the people-first culture we continue striving to build.

We know surveys are only one piece of the picture. But when positive movement shows up across multiple categories, it tells an important story about trust, collaboration, and shared purpose.

Thank you to every educator and staff member helping shape that story each day for kids.



The DSD Board of Education will meet for a Regular Session tonight, May 26, 2026, 5:30 p.m. at the Impact Career Innovat...
05/26/2026

The DSD Board of Education will meet for a Regular Session tonight, May 26, 2026, 5:30 p.m. at the Impact Career Innovation Center (2410 Main Ave., on the Durango High School campus). The public is welcome.

📣 Public comment will be taken. The sign-up form for virtual OR in-person Public Participation will open at 5 p.m. April 27, at this link: https://forms.gle/1aUsSCif736pdqx6A

📽️ This meeting will be livestreamed and recorded on the district's YouTube page beginning at 5:30 p.m. at this link: https://youtube.com/live/bkNn8sEBRf8?feature=share

🗓️ View the meeting agenda and presentations here: https://shorturl.at/5bfeQ

Meeting topics will include:

✅ Staff compensation package
✅ Sunnyside consolidation recommendation
✅ SOIL Outdoor Learning Lab update
✅ Staff housing purchases

05/25/2026

👋 It’s Meet Us Monday! 👋 Today, we’re highlighting the next winner of the 2025-26 Durango Education Foundation Outstanding Employee Awards — Julia Kitchen, an instructional coach at Florida Mesa Elementary School! 🍎✨

For Julia, the best part of being a coach is working side-by-side with teachers to support them in the critical, daily work of helping students succeed. She loves getting to know all of the students across the school community and collaborating with educators to dial in on exactly what each child needs.

By identifying individual strengths and areas for growth, Julia helps create tailored support so that every student can grow, achieve, and truly reach their highest potential.

Congratulations, Julia, on this well-deserved recognition! We are so grateful for the expertise, collaboration, and dedication you bring to Florida Mesa every day. 💙

Congratulations to all our 2026 graduates from Durango High School and Durango Big Picture High School— and to our hard-...
05/23/2026

Congratulations to all our 2026 graduates from Durango High School and Durango Big Picture High School— and to our hard-working staff and all the happy families out there. Let the summer begin. 😎

🎓As the Durango High School Class of 2026 prepares to graduate tonight, May 22, school leaders say this year’s senior cl...
05/22/2026

🎓As the Durango High School Class of 2026 prepares to graduate tonight, May 22, school leaders say this year’s senior class reflects a growing trend at DHS: students pursuing college credits, career certifications, scholarships, trades training, athletics, and military service at record levels.

Learn more in this story: https://ow.ly/lz9f50Z3quj



🤗 It's Friday Feels! 🤗  🎓 This week, about 150 graduating seniors from Durango High School and Durango Big Picture High ...
05/22/2026

🤗 It's Friday Feels! 🤗 🎓 This week, about 150 graduating seniors from Durango High School and Durango Big Picture High School returned to the elementary and middle schools where their journeys began for Walk Stars. It's the third year of a new tradition organized by the DSD Communications team and hosted by DHS Student Council to remind us what school community is all about.

🙌 Across Durango School District on Wednesday, hallways filled with cheers, tears, hugs, high-fives, and gasps of recognition as seniors reunited with former teachers and staff who helped shape their path. Some revisited old classrooms. Some swung on the playground and played the parachute game one more time. Some simply stood still for a moment, taking in how far they’ve come. And lining the hallways were younger students, eyes wide with excitement, imagining their own future walk in the spotlight someday.

It was more than a celebration of graduation. It was a beautiful reminder of connection, growth, belonging, and the lasting impact schools and educators have on young people over time.

From curious kindergarteners to graduating seniors ready for what’s next, this is the heart of Portrait of a Graduate. What a joyful and emotional day across DSD. 💙




🕰️ It’s Throwback Thursday! 🕰️ High school seniors, this week is for you. Just like these DHS alumni from years ago, you...
05/21/2026

🕰️ It’s Throwback Thursday! 🕰️ High school seniors, this week is for you. Just like these DHS alumni from years ago, you deserve to have some fun and relaxation after a long school career.

Guess the year of this DHS Toltec yearbook, tag your friends, and hug a graduate. 🧑‍🎓 🎉

🎓🦋 Eighth graders at Miller Middle School shared their Portrait of a Graduate capstones today, reflecting on how much th...
05/21/2026

🎓🦋 Eighth graders at Miller Middle School shared their Portrait of a Graduate capstones today, reflecting on how much they’ve grown during their middle school years before heading off to high school.

One powerful presentation came from Maddie Martin, who used the metaphor of a butterfly to describe her own transformation through the Portrait of a Graduate competencies. From recovering after a skiing accident as a Resilient Risk-Taker, to learning patience on a joint school project as an Empathetic Collaborator, to guiding younger students as a Confident Communicator and WEB Leader (We All Belong), her reflections showed real growth and self-awareness.

One of her quotes especially stayed with us:
“Change doesn’t always come at the right time, and growth doesn’t happen when I’m comfortable.”

Moments like these are a reminder that Portrait of a Graduate is more than a framework — it’s becoming part of how our students see themselves, face challenges, and prepare for what’s next.



Address

281 Sawyer Drive, Suite 100
Durango, CO
81303

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+19702475411

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