Colorado Gives 2024

OUR WHY

We're here to prove that kids belong in the community, not just at desks, in rows.

We're not just challenging schools; we're uniting the village.  

We're redefining education for the future.

OUR HOW

We're an independent Lab School for 6th-8th graders, majority BIPOC, and tuition-free. 

Our students break free from traditional classrooms, spending 80% of their school day immersed in unique experiences with community partners like the Denver Zoo, History Colorado, and CSU Spur.

We also ignite their creativity, spending 25% of our entire school year outdoors, learning through play, following forest school principles.  Yes, our students are literally sharpening their skills, forging their own paths and lighting fires!

OUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT

Happy, Joyful Middle Schoolers!

That is worth repeating.

We have happy, joyful kids that love where they go to school and what they are learning. 

We credit their happiness to active learning, close-knit relationships and simply being out, whether that is out in nature or out in the community.  

We think this is how most of us actually learn 

 Testimonials

My kid wakes up excited to go to school. We joke that we have had to up our game on the weekend so she isn't too disappointed it's not a school day. It's hard to compete with a day helping feed animals at the zoo, wading in a creek, or connecting with her friends while they build a three-dimensional city for a national competition.

Every kid should have access to an education like La Luz, engaging in the community, having enough unstructured time to socialize and play, learning to work together, and seeing those subjects we always tell them are so important to learn (science, math, writing, history) being used and worked on in the real world.

At an age where so many kids try to act cool or a bit tough, what I have seen at La Luz has blown my mind, kids showing real affection and care for each other. Somehow La Luz has created a space where ALL of the kids feel safe and included. I love that my daughter is in an environment where everyone, child, and adult alike, feels a commitment to creating a welcoming space.