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

Track runners

Eagle Track & Field 2025

The Escalante Track & Field coaching staff is happy to welcome you to the 2025 season. We intend to make this beneficial and enjoyable for everyone involved. Please find below information about the Escalante Track & Field program we hope you find useful.
A group of basketball players and coaches sit on steps inside Escalante Middle School

Escalante Middle School hosts first Unified Basketball game, promoting inclusion and friendship

Escalante Middle School (EMS) celebrated a significant milestone as it hosted its first Unified Basketball game on Jan. 30, marking a powerful step toward inclusivity and community-building through sports. The event, held in collaboration with Special Olympics Unified Sports, brought students with and without intellectual disabilities together on the same team, fostering friendships and breaking down stereotypes.
Students show off prizes during a scavenger hunt at Escalante Middle School

Hundreds of families enjoyed Escalante Welcome Night

On Jan. 15, elementary school parents learned about Escalante Middle School in a meet-the-leaders presentation. Then the students were set free to race through the hallways, get to know their future school, and win prizes in a fun-filled scavenger hunt.
Green Ribbon Cutting moment at Escalante Nov. 19

Progress on sustainability projects celebrated at Green Ribbon Cutting

The evening was wind-whipped cold, but sentiments were warm during the Green Ribbon Cutting. On Nov. 18, Durango School District dignitaries, Veregy officials, and Jacobs construction representatives were on hand to cut a ribbon representing a lot of work and deep commitment to sustainability.
A school bus and two phones showing images of the Stopfinder app

Bus riders, be sure to show your student ID card when boarding

We are reaching out to inform you of an important policy regarding student transportation. To ensure the safety of all students and to keep accurate records of who is riding each bus, students are required to present their student ID card when boarding. This policy helps us maintain a secure environment, knowing exactly who is on each bus in case of an emergency.
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Emily 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

EMS Drama Club

Time: 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Location: Room 816 and Stage Area
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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 9-R 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 accessibility standards.

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.

In order to ensure that Durango School District websites are accessible to everyone in our community, including those with disabilities, we are using the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.

If you cannot access any page(s) on our site, please email us at [email protected]. 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.