Choice Programming
Parent Empowerment Through Choice
The Douglas County School District embraces parent and student choice by offering a wide variety of pathways to learning, including neighborhood schools, charter, magnet, and online schools and home education options.
Public School Open Enrollment
Open enrollment policies provide increased education options within traditional public schooling. Open enrollment allows parents to select the best public schools for their children, regardless of where those schools are located. This means that parents can choose any public school within the District on a space-available basis.
Public Charter Schools
Charter schools are independent tuition-free public schools that are allowed to be innovative, while being held strictly accountable for improving student achievement. Charter schools are always public schools and are always tuition-free. Charter schools are governed by independent boards of directors that are responsible for maintaining a commitment to the mission and vision of the school, as well as financial and operational accountability to the District. Charter schools are open to all students within the district, but each charter has its own enrollment process, which may include a lottery for available seats.
Public Magnet Schools
Magnet schools are public schools that are operated by the District. Magnet schools are tuition-free public schools that have a focused theme and aligned curriculum such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), Fine and Performing Arts, Expeditionary Learning or International Baccalaureate.
Virtual Schools and Online Learning
Virtual schools are Internet-based academies that teach students entirely or primarily through a rigorous online curriculum. These schools can be district-run public schools or public charter schools. In some cases, online learning is combined with traditional, in-classroom education, called “blended learning.” Publicly-operated virtual schools hold children to the same academic standards and requirements as traditional public schools.
Homeschooling and Homeschooling Support
Homeschooling is the process of parents being the primary educators of their children in the home. Douglas County has five different options for home-based education of children, including full-time home education, dual enrollment, home education support, full time online enrollment, and part-time online courses.
Contact Us
Gordon Mosher III, Director of Choice Programming
gmosher1@dcsdk12.org | 303-387-9746
Kristin Schmidt, Coordinator, Choice Programming - Open Enrollment
klschmidt@dcsdk12.org | 303-387-9744
Julie Naab, Admin Assistant, Choice Programming - Open Enrollment
janaab@dcsdk12.org | 303-387-9746
Starla Cordova, Coordinator Charter Operations, Choice Programming - Charter Online Registration
scordova3@dcsdk12.org | 303-387-9634
Lisa Sharpe, Coordinator, Home Education/Cloverleaf
llsharpe@dcsdk12.org | 303-387-9633