Career & College
It is not uncommon for families considering the Open School to ask whether our students attend college given that we don’t award letter grades. Each year, Open School graduates apply for and accept offers to attend colleges and universities within Colorado, across the country, and for some even internationally.
So, yes, Open Schoolers do attend college, but that’s not all they do. They also go on to experience textured lives that include careers in the trades, time spent traveling or giving of themselves in community service, as well as success in business and entrepreneurship. See our Alumni page for some examples of the ways that Open Schoolers are out there Creating the World that Ought to Be and continuing to Seek Meaning in Their Lives.
By way of illustration, as of the last day of school for the 2023-2024 school year, our forty-four 2024 Open School graduates had been offered well over 1.5 million dollars in scholarship funds and had been accepted to the following institutions:
Myranda Dominguez, 2013 Open School graduate, 2018 Humboldt State University graduate.
CU Denver, UNC, UCCS, Western State, Colorado Mesa University, Fort Lewis College, CU Boulder, Colorado State University, Colorado Mountain College, Denver University, Metropolitan State University, LMU, Thomas, Concordia Irvine, Dartmouth, DePaul University, Columbia College Chicago, Cornish College of The Arts, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, University of Utah, Arizona State University, University of Arizona, OCC, UCSC, Penn state, Bard, Parsons, WWU, SAIC, Goucher College, Wheaton College, Bennington College, College of the Atlantic, Sarah Lawrence College, Hampshire College, Pitt, University of New Mexico, University of Wyoming, Montana State University, Cal Poly Humboldt, Oregon Tech, University of Alaska, Western Washington, Marymount Manhattan University, UC Santa Cruz, Edgewood College, Oregon State University
And counting!
College Planning Timeline
College Prep Links
Additional Resources
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Colleges that Change Lives
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Princeton Review
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Petersons
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College Data
- Always look at the individual college websites: many sites offer virtual tours of their campuses, an explanation of students are chosen to attend and tuition costs.
- College Guide Books: There are many college guides that profile hundreds of schools. Local bookstores and libraries often carry a variety of these guides.
Naviance
Jefferson County School District purchased a web-based application for use in all high schools and some middle schools. Naviance is an outstanding exploration tool that enables students to not only do self exploration through the "My Personality Type" personality inventory but it also provides a college search tool that allows students to search for colleges based on criteria that are important to them. For example, students can select based on geographic location, program or major, student body size, religious affiliation, entrance difficulty, degrees offered, and cost of tuition. It also facilitates communication between the student and his/her counselor through tools including "My Journal," "My Game Plan," and "My Colleges" to name just a few. Students are encouraged to meet with their advisor to discuss all of the tools available through Naviance.
Jeffco Career Links
The Jeffco Career Links program connects students from classroom to career.
Scholarships & Financial Aid
Find resources to help students find postsecondary tuition assistance.
Career & College Pathways in Jeffco
Career and college pathways are a series of educational opportunities that enable students to pursue careers, college and interests after high school. Career and college readiness is a Jeffco Public Schools graduation requirement and is increasingly important, as three out of every four jobs now require education or training beyond high school.
It’s important for students to talk with their families, teachers and school counselors throughout high school as career interests emerge and develop, and to explore different college and career pathways.