Future-Ready DSD: Planning together for the next generation

Future-Ready DSD: Planning for what’s ahead

DSD is planning for significant changes in enrollment, funding, facilities, and community needs. Future-Ready DSD brings the facts, planning work, current proposals, and opportunities for community input together in one place. Learn what’s shaping the future of our schools and how you can participate.

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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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girls with kitten in vet science class
Where we’re located
Durango School District map
girl in shop class using joiner tool

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

Future-Ready DSD: Planning together for the next generation

Future-Ready DSD: Planning for what’s ahead

DSD is planning for significant changes in enrollment, funding, facilities, and community needs. Future-Ready DSD brings the facts, planning work, current proposals, and opportunities for community input together in one place. Learn what’s shaping the future of our schools and how you can participate.
Thumbnail of Future-Ready DSD website page

Future-Ready DSD: Help shape the future of our schools

Change is already happening in public education. The question is: How will we respond to it together? Declining enrollment and birth rates, inadequate funding, rising housing costs, aging facilities, and evolving educational needs are reshaping school districts across the country — including Durango School District.
DSD Board of Education: Upcoming meeting

School Board Work Session is Sept. 8

The DSD Board of Education will meet for a Work Session on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 5:30 p.m. at Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School (11274 Highway 140, Hermosa). The public is welcome. The Board does not allow public comment at Work Sessions, and the meetings are not livestreamed.
Exterior of Sunnyside Elementary School on a sunny day

Sunnyside consolidation recommendation: What you need to know

DSD has recommended consolidating Sunnyside Elementary with the new Three Springs Elementary School when it opens in fall 2028. The district's Sunnyside Elementary Recommendation webpage brings the recommendation, timeline, supporting information, community feedback, and Board decision process together in one place. The Board of Education is expected to consider the recommendation on Sept. 22.
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Matt Smith, Principal, Escalante Middle School

Principal's Message

Welcome, Eagle students and families! At Escalante Middle School, we focus on building a culture of respect, responsibility, courage, and kindness — where students and staff are committed to quality work and citizenship. We strive to provide our students with hands-on experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom, so that our students can see the connections between what they are learning in the classroom and the real world. 

Matt Smith
Principal

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

Durango School District is committed to ensuring our digital platforms are accessible to everyone, aligning with WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards and Colorado accessibility laws. If you encounter a barrier or need an alternative format, please contact us at [email protected] or (970) 247-5411.