Escuela de Guadalupe

A nonprofit organization

Escuela de Guadalupe is a community-based, financially accessible preK-8 school of excellence that develops compassionate leaders for the world of tomorrow. It focuses on providing a quality dual-language education, rooted in Catholic values.

Testimonials

In June of 2015, Escuele de Guadalupe moved into the building formerly occupied by Presentation of Our Lady Catholic School. This new location-with nearly double the facility space-will allow the school to grow and has also enabled Escuela to provide greater accessibility to the moderate-to-low-income neighborhoods that it was founded to serve.

On August 26, 2016 Escuela de Guadalupe welcomed its first-ever Pre-Kindergarten and 6th grade classes to campus. Within weeks of opening enrollment at its new home in southwest Denver, the pre-k class was full and had a growing waitlist. Introducing Escuela's culture and dual-language curriculum to students starting in pre-kindergarten will strengthen their academic preparation and better serve working families. The expansion of the school's k-5 program to include these new grades represents the fulfillment of the founders' original vision and is an essential response to the growing demand for high-quality educational options in the Denver metro area. Escuela provides a financially accessible, dual-language Catholic education to an ethnically and economically diverse community of learners.

The 2019-2020 school year was one of unprecedented and transformational challenges at Escuela de Guadalupe. In the face of the significant disruptions to the school year caused by COVID-19, Escuela's students displayed remarkable grit and resiliency. We are
proud to share a small sampling of their latest achievements:

Goal 1: To promote academic excellence and equity for a culturally and socioeconomically diverse population of students through effective instruction, engaging curriculum, and aligned assessments. During the 2019-2020 academic year, Escuela de Guadalupe served a diverse
community of 214 learners from across the socioeconomic spectrum. Eighty-seven percent of students enrolled in our dual-language program identified as Latino and 50 percent qualified for federal assistance through the National School Lunch Program.
In June 2020, Escuela celebrated the graduation of our second-ever 8th-grade class.Twenty of the 21 graduating 8th-graders gained acceptance to high-performing Catholic high schools in the area, including Arrupe Jesuit High School, Lakewood High School,
Mountain Range High School, and Regis Jesuit High School. Our age-eligible alumni maintain a 97 percent high school completion rate, which is approximately 27 percent higher than Denver's overall graduation rate and 30 percent higher than the graduation rate of our minority students' public school counterparts.High schools attended by Escuela alumni include, but are not limited to, Arrupe Jesuit
High School, Regis Jesuit High School, St. Mary's Academy, Denver Center for International Study, Bishop Machebeuf High School, Colorado Academy, and Holy Family High School.

In addition to these accomplishments, we are excited to share the following STEM-
related accolades earned by Escuela students during the 2019-2020 school year:

• 6th-grader Mariana won the USAID Science Champion Award for her project "Can
Nanotechnology Clean Up Oil Spills Faster?"
• 7th-grader Diego was awarded 3rd place in the Colorado Science and Engineering
Fair's 'Best in Show' Junior Division for his project "Turning Heat into Electricity."
• 8th-graders Elena and Michelle placed 1st in the Colorado Science and Engineering
Fair's Medicine and Health Sciences category, qualifying them to compete at the
national level.

Goal 2: To foster a spirit of servant leadership, rooted in Catholic values, among the students we serve. To empower students to grow as engaged citizens and compassionate leaders with a vested interest in creating inclusive, compassionate communities.
• Escuela's 8th-grade class participated in ACE Scholarships' second annual 'Civics Day.' Students had the opportunity to visit the Colorado Capitol Building, observe Senate and House proceedings, and to meet Governor Jared Polis. Two of Escuela's 8th-grade students were selected to lead the Pledge of Allegiance, in both English and Spanish, before the Colorado State House.
• Escuela's 3rd-grade class provided companionship to the elderly through monthly visits with nursing home and assisted living residents, in collaboration with Bessie's Hope. When visits had to be discontinued in response to coronavirus, students sent cards and drawings to let residents know they were still thinking of them.
• In March, students participated in Escuela's inaugural, school-wide 'Kindness Day' during which they took part in hands-on activities that promoted and celebrated the importance of being kind to themselves, each other, and the world...

Mission

The mission of Escuela de Guadalupe is to provide an academically excellent, Catholic education in English and Spanish to cultivate the next generation of community leaders.

Background Statement

History:

In the mid-90's, Latino families in northwest Denver had few educational options and even fewer resources. A concerned group of neighbors began meeting in a church basement to discuss what could be done to improve matters. That unlikely group included the parish priest from Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, concerned neighbors and advocates, a Jesuit, and a Sister of Loretto. These visionaries laid the groundwork for Escuela de Guadalupe- a financially-accessible, dual-language, Catholic school of excellence that would hold itself accountable to the long-term educational outcomes of its students.

From humble beginnings in 1999, Escuela opened its doors at 3401 Pecos Street to a group of local families. Escuela de Guadalupe was especially well suited to serve these students' needs as its program had been developed around their language, faith and culture.

As word of the school's success spread, Escuela found itself broadening its reach, enrolling students from 37 zip codes across the metro area.

In 2014-2015 Escuela enrolled 125 students in grades K-5. Additionally, the school served 150 Escuela graduates via its signature Graduate Support Program, guiding, tracking and counseling them to remain college-bound at every transition.

Graduates from Escuela now attend colleges like Colorado College, Gonzaga, Regis University, University of San Francisco, Santa Clara, and CSU, most as first generation college attendees from their families.

In June, 2015 Escuela de Guadalupe moved from the Highlands to the higher need area of Villa Park where it could serve more students and expand by adding pre-Kindergarten and three middle school grades. By 2018, Escuela completed its expansion and to have nearly doubled its enrollment.

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Escuela de Guadalupe

other names

EdG

Year Established

1999

Tax id (EIN)

31-1652842

Category

Education

Organization Size

Large Organization

Address

660 Julian Street
Denver, CO 80204

Service areas

Denver County, CO, US

Other

303-964-0816

Other

303-964-8456

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