Escalante Middle School Home

We are crew,
not passengers.
Folklorico dancers

About Us

Escalante Middle School is for 6th-8th grade students and is located on the south end of Durango, Colorado – just beneath the beautiful Purple Cliffs along the Animas River. Escalante is an EL Learning (formerly Expeditionary Learning) school. This means we believe that learning is active, challenging, meaningful, public, and collaborative. 
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Where we’re located
Durango School District map
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Mission

Our mission is to empower students to apply the habits of work, learning, and scholarship to become productive and caring citizens. Reading, writing, mathematics, geography, science, and history are all taught using the team approach. We meet students' individual learning needs by challenging our instruction to address each student's learning style, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. We use online and computer-based instruction, individualizing reading programs, and student learning groups based on similar academic abilities. 

School & District News

Girl playing basketball

Eagle Girls Basketball 2025/26 Season

Dear Escalante MS Community,
EMS is excited to begin the 2025/26 Eagle Girls Basketball season on December 15th. Registration is now open to all 7th & 8th-grade girls interested in playing ball for the Eagles. Please see below for more information about registration requirements and for the season's schedule.
There are still 3 Open Gym dates available for the girls to come and practice before the season begins. Tuesday, Dec. 9th from 6:30-7:45 AM, Thursday, Dec. 11th from 6:30-7:45 AM, and Saturday, Dec. 13th from 9:00-11:00 AM
If you have any questions, please contact Head Coach Flores at [email protected] or Coach Queen at [email protected], or call the office at 970-247-9490.
GO EAGLES!

Estimada comunidad de Escalante MS:
EMS se complace en comenzar la temporada 2025/26 de baloncesto femenino Eagle Girls el 15 de diciembre. Ya está abierta la inscripción para todas las chicas de 7.º y 8.º grado interesadas en jugar al baloncesto con las Eagles. A continuación encontrarán más información sobre los requisitos de inscripción y el calendario de la temporada.
Todavía quedan tres fechas disponibles para que las chicas vengan a entrenar antes de que comience la temporada: el martes 9 de diciembre de 6:30 a 7:45 a. m., el jueves 11 de diciembre de 6:30 a 7:45 a. m. y el sábado 13 de diciembre de 9:00 a 11:00 a. m.
Si tiene alguna pregunta, póngase en contacto con el entrenador jefe Flores en [email protected] o con la entrenadora Queen en [email protected], o llame a la oficina al 970-247-9490.
¡VAMOS, ÁGUILAS!

Traducción realizada con la versión gratuita del traductor DeepL.com
Bravo Award winner Krista Karpel

Bravo Award winner: Krista Karpel

Throughout each school year, DSD employees nominate their colleagues for Bravo Awards, an honor that recognizes faculty and staff who demonstrate Portrait of a Graduate attributes as they go above and beyond for students and the district.
Two adults cheer on a young child riding a red bike on a gravel road.

Parenting series: December 2025 classes + newsletter on Holiday Stress, Mental Health, and How to Cope

Need help in supporting your child's well-being? We are offering FREE live webinars on Monday-Thursday evenings throughout the school year, and you can always watch previously recorded classes on your own time by visiting the Cook Center's full content library. Live webinar topics in December include Compassionate Parenting, Depression: You're Not Alone, Navigating Divorce When Children Are Involved, Social Media: Protecting Your Child, ABCs of Substance Use and Vaping, and many more.
Bravo Award winner Josh Lamb

Bravo Award winner: Josh Lamb

Throughout each school year, DSD employees nominate their colleagues for Bravo Awards, an honor that recognizes faculty and staff who demonstrate Portrait of a Graduate attributes as they go above and beyond for students and the district.
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Connect with DSD on social media

Did you know Durango School District (DSD, formerly 9-R) shares stories, celebrations, and behind-the-scenes moments every week on social media? Follow us to see what’s happening in our classrooms and beyond — from teaching innovations and student projects to staff spotlights and community connections.
A child eats a healthy school lunch in a school cafeteria.

Program update: Healthy School Meals for All

Propositions MM and LL were passed by voters in the recent election, which allows the Healthy School Meals for All program to raise and retain additional funding. This means there will be no changes to our breakfast and lunch programs this year. All students will continue to have access to free, nutritious meals each school day.
Recycle bin for film plastic

Schools roll out 'everyday sustainability' programs

Durango School District is taking everyday steps toward a greener future with two new sustainability programs that are already making an impact across schools: the Bulk Milk Program and the Film Plastic Recycling Program.
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Principal Moreland

Principal's Message

Welcome, Eagle students and families! At Escalante Middle School, we focus on building cultures of respect, responsibility, courage, and kindness – where students and staff are committed to quality work and citizenship. Our highly qualified staff is trained to tailor instruction to help a diverse range of learners. We meet students’ individual learning needs by adjusting instruction to address specific learning styles, abilities, strengths, and needs. 

Events

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Engineer Mountain

Quality of Life

Durango is a beautiful place to live and work. It is located at 6,512 feet elevation in Southwest Colorado near the Four Corners region. Families who live here enjoy a historic steam train, ski resort, rivers, vibrant downtown, bike trails, sky-high “fourteener” mountains, and four distinct seasons with an average of 266 sunny days per year. We welcome new families and new staff members, and we offer excellent benefits and competitive salaries. 
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Accessibility Statement

It is the goal of Durango School District that the information on this website be accessible to individuals with visual, hearing, or cognitive disabilities. Good faith efforts are being made to ensure that our website complies with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.
 
Most pages on our site are available in HTML format, which can be read by screen readers. Some documents are in Adobe PDF format, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded for free from the Adobe website. Additionally, some documents are in Google Docs and Google Forms. Most modern browsers and screen readers can access Google-based documents. More information about Google web products accessibility can be found on the Google Accessibility website.
 
To ensure accessibility for everyone in our community, including those with disabilities, Durango School District is taking the following steps:
 
* We are actively identifying and addressing accessibility barriers across our websites and digital platforms.
* We request accessibility documentation (such as VPATs – Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates) from vendors whose digital tools or content are used on our websites.
* We work with vendors and service providers to ensure they are taking steps toward full compliance with WCAG and Section 504 requirements.
* We are committed to ongoing staff training and continuous website improvement.
* We regularly review our digital content to align with the Colorado Digital Accessibility Act (C.R.S. 24-34-104) and the latest applicable standards.
 
If you are unable to access any page or document on our site, please contact us at [email protected]. Include the webpage or document URL, your name, email address, and phone number. We will provide the information in an alternative format and work to resolve the issue. Alternatively, you may call the district's main information line at (970) 247-5411 and ask to speak with someone in the Communications Department. Include the location of the webpage/document, your name, email address, and phone number so we can provide the information in another format, and address the issue.

Learn more about the district's accessibility compliance plan and progress reports.