The high school years are a critical time of learning, self-discovery, and growth, and at Colorado Rocky Mountain School, dedication to a students' individual development underpins every class, program, and activity we offer.
With an intentional population of around 165 boarding and day students, Colorado Rocky Mountain School cultivates a rich and meaningful learning environment for every student. The school emphasizes rigorous college-prep classes, the development of core values, a service ethic, and exposure to diverse and unique active and arts programs. Class sizes are small to ensure every student has a voice and is known, whether they're taking an AP science class, studying multivariable calculus, building a working robot, or holding a Socratic seminar in English. Outside of the traditional classroom, students have the opportunity to explore unique programming that ranges from mountain sports like skiing, kayaking, and climbing to art classes like glassblowing and silversmithing to hands-on, authentic service experiences such as our working organic garden program or our on-campus bike shop. The service program teaches valuable lessons in work ethic while students contribute to the greater community.
Many of CRMS's facilities, including dorms, the library, and a fitness center are new or recently remodeled on this 300+ acre campus, but CRMS serves as a base for a much broader palette of learning and adventure. Situated at the foot of the region's iconic 12,953-foot Mount Sopris and just a half hour from the cultural epicenter of Aspen, CRMS provides the best of both worlds: exposure to a vibrant intellectual and cultural setting paired with access to some of the most beautiful wilderness in the country. Students may study riparian habitat on a local river one day, hear an award-winning immigrant author on another, and then head out into the backcountry on the weekend. Twice yearly excursions into the nearby mountains, deserts, and rivers allow students to continue to develop essential life skills and relationships with peers and adult mentors. Annually, the school offers an Interim week to allow students to pursue out-of-the-box learning topics such as ski building or songwriting, and senior year is capped off with a three-week independent project in the spring.
Woven throughout all these individual opportunities for growth is the importance of community. Our program allows students to build close relationships with teachers, mentors, and peers while developing the necessary skills to succeed in the broader world including critical thinking, ethics, and self-determination. Students seeking a school with a genuine sense of community, a dedicated and caring staff, a rigorous curriculum, and access to diverse cultural and outdoor adventures will thrive at CRMS.
To learn more about Colorado Rocky Mountain School, please join our mailing list, request information or apply now.
We are so excited that you found Colorado Rocky Mountain School! The combination of experiential learning opportunities, challenging and engaging courses, outdoor adventure, and authentic community makes CRMS unlike any school you will explore. Our Admission Team is here to help make the process of searching for the best fit school as easy as possible. We are eager to learn more about you and all of the unique talents you could bring to our school community.
Please follow the steps below to apply to CRMS and let us know if there is anything at all that we can do to help guide you. We are currently accepting applications for the current school year. Please contact the Admission Office to learn more.
1. Complete a Preliminary Application Form
There are three application options for applicants to choose: CRMS Application, SSAT Standard Application Online, or the Gateway Application. Whichever application you choose, you will need to create an online account. An application fee of $75 ($125 for international applicants) is required at the time of submission.
2. Complete the Student and Parent Questionnaires
Students are asked to complete a series of short answer questions, as well as two essays. Parents are requested to complete a questionnaire as well. Both questionnaires are available in the application portal.
3. Submit Teacher Recommendations
Students are asked to submit three teacher recommendations from an English teacher, math teacher, and guidance counselor/principal. Supplemental recommendations can also be sent and will be included in the student's file. All of the requests can be made electronically through the application portal.
4. Submit a School Transcript
Applicants should request their current school to send an official transcript to the CRMS Admission Office. For students applying to 9th grade, only an 8th-grade transcript is required. Applicants for 10th-12th grade should provide a complete transcript for all high school years completed.
5. Register to take the SSAT (and optional Character Skills Snapshot)
Register for the next administration of the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) at www.ssat.org, indicating that the scores should be sent to CRMS (school code: 2506), The SSAT is administered several times each year at CRMS and in more than 200 cities worldwide. For dates, locations and information, visit www.ssat.org.
New this year, we are strongly recommending that all applicants take the Snapshot, which is designed to measure eight essential character skills. We value more than just your math and reading scores, and this is a way to learn more about you as a person.
6. Campus Visit and Interview
The best way to know if CRMS is the right school for you is to visit campus, tour classes, and meet with a member of our Admission Team for an interview. You will get a feel for our campus and our culture when you are here. (If a visit to campus is not an option, we can certainly make alternative arrangements for the interview.)
The Admission Office is available to support applicants and their family throughout this process. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions at all.
Thank you so much for your interest in becoming a student at Colorado Rocky Mountain School! We are thrilled to share our incredible program with you and are eager to learn about you and all of the unique talents you could bring to our school community.
The Priority Application Deadline was February 1st., but we are still accepting applications for the current school year on a rolling basis. Please contact the admission office to learn more.
Twitter