About DPS
The Denver Plan | Schools | Needs | Teacher Support | Facts & Figures About DPS
Denver Public Schools (DPS) is committed to providing all students with the opportunity to achieve the knowledge and skills necessary to become contributing citizens in our society. The DPS district serves nearly 80,000 students and is comprised of 162 schools, each as different and unique as the student population it serves:
- 77% of the student population is ethnically diverse
- 72% percent qualify for free and reduced lunch
- 40% speak Spanish as their primary language
- 11% are Special Education students
Denver Public Schools Student Demographics
Teachers Matter
In the advancement of student achievement, DPS recognizes that nothing is more essential to a great education system than great educators. DPS is committed to putting in place programs to attract, develop, and retain high quality educators.
DPS worked collaboratively with the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) to pass ProComp, a nationally recognized performance pay system approved by Denver's voters in 2005. We also offer immediate professional development opportunities for our new teachers, and highly differentiated professional development opportunities for our entire workforce.
The district is also piloting LEAP (Leading Effective Academic Practice) as part of Empowering Excellent Educators. Read about LEAP, the DPS Framework for Effective Teaching and all the work being done as part DPS’s commitment to educator effectiveness.
Denver Public Schools is rich in diversity with its many schools, teachers, students, and families. DPS shares the challenges of other large urban districts, and is implementing solutions unique to the district in its classrooms, for its teachers, and across the education community in order to provide the opportunity of a quality education for each and every Denver student.
One example of how DPS is working to diversify its teaching corps is seen through its teacher preparation program, Denver Teacher Residency. Learn more about how this residency program is providing hands-on training in the classroom to ready aspiring teachers for DPS high-needs classrooms.
Join a team of professionals, focused on serving Denver’s diverse student population and accelerating student achievement through a vision of equity, high expectations, innovation, and service.