Gilpin County School District

What Gilpin County School District does

Gilpin County School District RE-1 is a public K-12 school district headquartered at 10595 Highway 119 in Black Hawk, Colorado, operating a single consolidated campus that has housed Preschool through Grade 12 students since 1978. The district serves children and families of Gilpin County, including the mountain communities of Black Hawk, Central City, and Russell Gulch, through three schools: Gilpin County Preschool, Gilpin County Elementary (K-5), and Gilpin County Secondary (6-12). Secondary programming includes advanced courses in English and math, concurrent-enrollment options, and electives in arts and trades, alongside athletics and extracurricular activities. The district employs 51-100 staff and is led by Superintendent David MacKenzie.

The district's technology backbone is a commodity EdTech stack: PowerSchool as the Student Information System with online enrollment, ParentSquare as the unified school-to-home communication platform (with automatic PowerSchool sync and two-way translation), Google Workspace for Education, and 1:1 Chromebook deployment. Special-education and gifted programming are delivered through the Blue Sky BOCES cooperative alongside Clear Creek and Platte Canyon districts, and mental-health/safety services are provided via partnerships with Jefferson Center for Mental Health, Resilience 1220, and an embedded Gilpin County Sheriff's School Resource Officer.

GCSD is funded primarily through a combination of state per-pupil funding (historically impacted by Colorado's "negative factor"), federal grants, and the voter-approved Educational Enhancement Tax (a 1.5% Black Hawk sales tax on lodging, food, and beverage dedicated exclusively to classroom use since 2008). The district also participates in the National School Lunch Program, offering free breakfast and lunch to all enrolled students. No tuition is charged; enrollment is open to in-district families and accessible to out-of-district families via interdistrict open enrollment.

Name

Gilpin County School District

Legal name

Gilpin County School District RE-1

Website

https://gilpin.k12.co.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Gilpin County School District RE-1 is a public K-12 school district operating Preschool, Elementary, and Secondary schools on a single Black Hawk, Colorado campus, serving families across Gilpin County with no tuition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB)

Keywords

• K-12 public education
• Public school district
• Early childhood education
• Secondary education
• Community school services

Headquarters

HQ city

Black Hawk

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. State Per-Pupil Funding: State funding allocated per student enrolled, which forms the core operating budget for the district. The Colorado legislature's 'negative factor' enacted in 2009 has historically reduced state funding.
2. Educational Enhancement Tax (EET): A 1.5% sales tax on lodging, food, and beverage dedicated to the district, voted in by Black Hawk taxpayers in 2008. Revenue is earmarked for the classroom and not used for administrative costs. December 2025 revenue was $255,120; Year-to-Date 2025 was $1,846,257; Since inception approximately $18,948,577.
3. Federal Grants: Federal funding received through various grant programs, subject to reductions from the state's 'negative factor' implementation.
4. Food Services (National School Lunch Program): The district participates in the National School Lunch Program, offering breakfast and lunch to all students free of charge on school days.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Gilpin County School District RE-1 is a Colorado public K-12 school district that provides tuition-free preschool through 12th grade education to residents of Gilpin County on a single campus in Black Hawk, CO. Its three schools — Gilpin County Preschool, Gilpin County Elementary (K-5), and Gilpin County Secondary (6-12) — deliver a comprehensive academic, social-emotional, athletics, and career-preparation program, supplemented by free school meals, transportation, counseling, and special education services through Blue Sky BOCES.

Product overview

Gilpin County School District RE-1 provides educational services through a unified K-12 school system comprising three schools: Gilpin County Preschool, Gilpin County Elementary, and Gilpin County Secondary. The district operates a comprehensive educational program serving preschool through 12th grade students, including advanced courses, concurrent enrollment options, and extracurricular activities. The district utilizes ParentSquare as its unified communication platform for school-to-home communication, which integrates with PowerSchool for student information management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gilpin County Preschool Early childhood education program serving preschool-aged children within the district, located on the unified K-12 Black Hawk campus.
• Gilpin County Elementary Elementary school serving grades K-5 within the district, offering a comprehensive academic curriculum and elementary-level programs including AstroEagles mixed-grade mentorship and Circle Keeper restorative practices.
• Gilpin County Secondary Secondary school serving middle and high school students (grades 6-12), offering advanced courses in English and math, concurrent enrollment options, electives in arts and trades, athletics under the E.A.G.L.E.S. Principles framework, and college/career preparation.
• District Food Services (National School Lunch Program) School meal service offering breakfast and lunch free of charge to all district students on school days through the National School Lunch Program.
• District Transportation Services Transportation services providing safe, reliable transport of students from home to school and during school field trips and athletic events.
• Counseling and Mental Health Services Comprehensive mental health and counseling services for students, including K-12 student counseling, school-based therapy, school psychology (via Blue Sky BOCES), and partner referrals to Jefferson Center for Mental Health and Resilience 1220.
• Special Education and Gifted Programming (via Blue Sky BOCES) Specialized programming and services for students with disabilities and gifted students, delivered in partnership with Blue Sky BOCES for member districts (Clear Creek, Platte Canyon, and Gilpin County).

Quantifiable outcome

• District history dating back to 1862, just a year after the county was established, with first high school graduation in 1888 and district formation in 1959.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Blue Sky BOCEScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlue Sky BOCES (Board of Cooperative Education Services) serves exceptional students in its 3 member districts: Clear Creek, Platte Canyon, and Gilpin County. BOCES provides specialized programming and services tailored to the unique needs of students identified as gifted or having a disability. GCSD works with Blue Sky BOCES for special education IEP placement and gifted education programming.
• Idaho Springs StarbucksminorOthersIdaho Springs Starbucks donates coffee to Gilpin County School for special events and for teachers and staff during professional development and appreciation events. This is an informal community support partnership.
• Gilpin County Education FoundationminorOthersThe Gilpin County Education Foundation is listed as a community resource partner supporting the district's educational mission through community engagement and foundation support.
• Gilpin Booster ClubminorOthersThe Booster Club supports the district's athletics and activities programs. It is always looking for volunteers and community support.
• Gilpin County Sheriff's OfficecoreOthersThe Gilpin County Sheriff's Office provides a School Resource Officer (Deputy Melissa Sternlicht) who serves at the school. The SRO is a key part of the district's Safety & Security program, supporting a safe learning environment.
• Jefferson Center for Mental Health (JCMH)coreOthersJCMH is listed as a mental health resource available to GCSD students through the district's Counseling and Mental Health Services department.
• Resilience 1220minorOthersResilience 1220 is a community mental health partner that has worked with GCSD students, including providing a summer wellness kit creation station for Peer Leadership students.
• Crayon InitiativeminorOthersThe Crayon Initiative is an organization that receives donated crayons from Gilpin students (organized by Girl Scout Troop 68188), melts them down, and repurposes them as new crayons shipped to children's hospitals. GCSD participates in crayon drives to support this organization.
• ParentSquarecoreTechnology or IntegrationParentSquare is the unified communication platform used by GCSD for all school-to-home communication. It automatically syncs with the district's PowerSchool Student Information System to generate parent accounts. Features include mass notifications, urgent alerts, two-way communication, attendance notifications, teacher communication, direct messaging with two-way translation, calendar/RSVP, and volunteering sign-ups.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Clear Creek School District RE-1: A fellow small Colorado mountain public K-12 district and one of only three Blue Sky BOCES member districts alongside Gilpin County. Directly comparable in size, rural mountain geography, single-campus operation, and BOCES-driven special education programming model.
• Platte Canyon School District 1: The third Blue Sky BOCES member district and another small Colorado mountain K-12 district. Shares the same BOCES special-education cooperative, similar rural/single-campus footprint, and comparable funding structure as GCSD.
• Summit School District RE-1: A small Colorado mountain K-12 public district serving a similar tourism-adjacent mountain community (Summit County). Operates with comparable enrollment scale, single-/limited-campus footprint, and dependency on state per-pupil funding plus local tax overrides — making it one of the closest structural analogs to GCSD.
• Estes Park School District R-3: A small Colorado mountain resort-community public K-12 district with a comparable single-campus footprint, similar enrollment size, and parallel dependence on local tourism-driven tax bases (like Black Hawk's EET) to supplement state funding.
• Aspen School District: Another small Colorado mountain resort-community K-12 public district. Highly comparable in scale, single-campus operations, and reliance on tourism/real-estate-driven local tax revenue to supplement state per-pupil funding.

Broad incumbents

• Boulder Valley School District RE-2: The large neighboring Colorado public K-12 district encompassing Boulder County. Operates in the same state regulatory framework, uses the same PowerSchool/ParentSquare-style tooling, and offers interdistrict enrollment competition for families near the Gilpin County border.
• Jefferson County Public Schools: Colorado's second-largest public K-12 district, located adjacent to Gilpin County. While much larger, it competes for open-enrollment transfers from Gilpin families considering out-of-district options and operates under the same Colorado per-pupil funding and BOCES-adjacent ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6PLUei_yAluPW0SLEiNGwQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/gilpincoschools
• Instagraminstagram.com/gilpincountyschool
• Xx.com/GilpinCoSchools

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gilpin County School District