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 and field events

Escalante Track & Field 2026

The Escalante Track & Field coaching staff is happy to welcome you to the 2026 season. We intend to make this beneficial and enjoyable for everyone involved. Please find below information about the Escalante Track & Field program, which we hope you find useful. Click the title above for more information.

El cuerpo técnico de atletismo de Escalante se complace en darles la bienvenida a la temporada 2026. Nuestra intención es que esta sea beneficiosa y agradable para todos los participantes. A continuación, encontrarán información sobre el programa de atletismo de Escalante, que esperamos les resulte útil.
Wrestling image

Eagle Wrestling 2026

Dear Escalante MS Community,
EMS is excited to begin the 2026 Eagle Wrestling season on January 20th. Registration is now open to all 6th, 7th & 8th-graders interested in wrestling for the Eagles.
Student athletes must have a current physical on file at EMS before they may begin practice. Please see below for more information about registration requirements and for the season's schedule.
If you have any questions, contact Athletic Director Will Dodd at [email protected] or call the office at 970-247-9490.
GO EAGLES!
A gold and black electric walk-behind forklift

DSD accepting bids for surplus forklift

From time to time, DSD sells surplus or obsolete equipment through public auction. The district is currently accepting bids for an Apollolift Powered Forklift Full Electric Walkie Stacker.
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
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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.