Salida Public Schools

What Salida Public Schools does

Salida Public Schools, formally Salida School District R-32-J, is a public K-12 school district headquartered at 627 Oak Street in Salida, Colorado, serving more than 1,300 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade across six schools: Salida High School (grades 9-12), Salida Middle School (grades 6-8), Longfellow Elementary School (K-4, approximately 460 students), Salida Early Childhood Center (ages 1-5), Horizons Exploratory Academy (alternative high school, 9-12), and The Crest Academy (project-based middle school, 5-8, lottery-enrolled). The district operates specialized programs including Special Education, English as a Second Language, Gifted and Talented, athletics, performing arts, and outdoor place-based learning, and partners with Mountain BOCES for shared special education and transition services.

The district's technology stack is built entirely on third-party platforms rather than proprietary systems: Infinite Campus for district-wide student information management with a parent portal, Clever for single sign-on, Atlas for public curriculum management and Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum (GVC), SMART Boards and iPads in classrooms, and SeeSaw and ClassDojo for teacher-to-parent communication. The district operates under a communications strategy emphasizing community engagement through School Accountability Committees, parent organizations, mobile apps, and a Facebook presence.

As a government state entity, Salida Public Schools is governed by an elected seven-member Board of Education and funded primarily through Colorado state education funding, federal grants including ESSER III, local mill levy revenue, and tuition from district employees for early childhood programs. It is not a commercial enterprise, has no parent company, and participates in free and reduced-price meal programs; revenue is not publicly disclosed. The district has earned Colorado Department of Education District of Distinction recognition seven times since 2013, placing it in the top 10 of 178 Colorado districts on academic achievement, growth, and post-secondary/workforce readiness measures.

Name

Salida Public Schools

Legal name

Salida School District R-32-J

Website

https://salidaschools.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Salida Public Schools (R-32-J) is a Colorado public school district serving more than 1,300 students from pre-K through 12th grade across six schools, funded by state, federal, and local public sources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC), Academic/School-Readiness Preschools (EDACABAB), Special Needs Early Intervention & Preschool Programs (EDAKAAAE)

Keywords

• Public K-12 education
• Pre-K through 12th grade
• Alternative education programs
• Early childhood education
• Special education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Salida, Colorado

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Public school district funded primarily through Colorado state education funding, federal grants (ESSER III), and local mill levy revenue. Additional funding from Head Start, Colorado Preschool Program, Special Education, ECARE programs.
2. Tuition: Tuition from district employees for Early Childhood Center programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Salida School District (R-32-J) is a public K-12 school district delivering pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education to over 1,300 students across six schools in Salida, Colorado. Offerings include traditional elementary, middle, and high school instruction, early childhood programs (Head Start, Early Head Start, preschool, Child Find), alternative education pathways (Horizons Exploratory Academy, The Crest Academy), and student support services (special education, gifted and talented, English language learning, athletics, and performing arts).

Product overview

Salida School District operates as a unified school district serving over 1,300 students from pre-K through 12th grade across six schools: Salida High School (traditional high school), Salida Middle School (middle school), Longfellow Elementary School (K-4 elementary), Salida Early Childhood Center (pre-K programs), Horizons Exploratory Academy (alternative high school), and The Crest Academy (project-based middle school). The district provides centralized technology platforms including Infinite Campus for student information management and Clever for single sign-on access to digital learning tools. Additional educational programs include Special Education, Gifted and Talented, English as Second Language, athletics, performing arts, and extracurricular activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Salida High School Traditional high school serving grades 9-12 with athletics, performing arts, student council, knowledge bowl, and various clubs. Located at 26 Jones Ave, Salida, CO.
• Salida Middle School Middle school serving grades 6-8 with athletics, performing arts, Spartan Voice student leadership, and Destination Imagination programs. Located at 520 Milford St, Salida, CO.
• Longfellow Elementary School Elementary school serving kindergarten through 4th grade with 460 students, featuring the ROAR positive behavior support system and Destination Imagination. Located at 425 W. 7th St, Salida, CO.
• Salida Early Childhood Center Early childhood education center offering home-based visitation programs, Early Head Start, preschool, and Child Find services for children ages 1-5. Located at 516 Teller St, Salida, CO.
• Horizons Exploratory Academy Alternative high school for grades 9-12 offering personalized, rigorous curriculum with individualized learning plans, real-life experiences, and flexible schedules. Located at 627 Oak Street, Salida, CO.
• The Crest Academy Project-based middle school for grades 5-8 offering a four-year program with themed project units, place-based learning, and outdoor education activities. Lottery enrollment with priority for siblings and children of full-time district employees. Located at 627 Oak St, Salida, CO.
• Special Education Services Special education services under IDEA including IEP support, speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychological services, and School to Work Alliance Program (SWAP) transition support, delivered in coordination with Mountain BOCES.
• Gifted and Talented Program District-wide gifted and talented programming with lead teachers at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, plus Crest Academy and Horizons Exploratory Academy, providing differentiated rigor and talent development.
• Salida School District Administration Central district administration office that oversees district-wide operations, governance, curriculum, and student services across six schools serving over 1,300 students. Located at 627 Oak Street, Salida, CO.

Quantifiable outcome

• Earned 80% or more of possible points on District Performance Frameworks measuring academic achievement, academic growth, and post-secondary and workforce readiness
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mountain BOCEScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) providing services needed by children, families, and school personnel that can be more efficiently provided across school districts. Mountain BOCES coordinates special education, gifted education, and other shared services for the district.
• Mountain BOCES Special EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides Special Education Coordinator and Executive Director support, along with School to Work Alliance Program (SWAP) for transition services from school to employment for students with disabilities.
• Chaffee County Department of Human ResourcesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing social work services through a full-time social worker to support students and families needing additional community resources.
• Denver Museum of Nature & ScienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for virtual classes and educational experiences at The Crest Academy.
• Keystone Science SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for field learning experiences studying watersheds and ecosystems at The Crest Academy.
• Center for Resilient ChildrenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvider of DECA rating system for promoting resiliency in young children and resilience-building resources for toddlers, preschoolers and adults.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cherry Creek School District: High-performing Colorado public K-12 district and frequent fellow District of Distinction recipient. Direct peer given the shared academic-excellence positioning, comparable governance structure, and exposure to Colorado's school finance framework.
• Eagle County Schools: Colorado mountain-region public K-12 district serving multiple school sites within a single rural county. Direct peer based on geographic profile, multi-school structure, and reliance on outdoor and experiential education.
• Roaring Fork School District: Small mountain-region Colorado public K-12 district serving multiple communities. Direct peer based on rural-mountain profile, multi-school structure, and reliance on outdoor/place-based programming as a differentiator.
• Boulder Valley School District: Colorado public K-12 district comparable in educational programming breadth, alternative schooling options, and reliance on a mix of state, local, and federal funding. Direct peer in district structure and accountability regime.
• Telluride School District: Small rural Colorado public K-12 district serving a similar mountain community. Direct peer given comparable enrollment scale, funding structure, and use of place-based learning in a resort-region setting.
• Lake County School District: Small rural Colorado public K-12 district operating multiple schools within a single county. Direct peer on scale, fiscal structure, and the importance of federal program funding such as Title and IDEA.
• Denver Public Schools: Colorado's largest public school district serving K-12 across Denver. Direct peer as the same regulatory category (Colorado public K-12 district) with overlapping funding sources (state, local mill levy, federal grants) and similar performance-framework accountability.
• Academy School District 20: Colorado Springs-area public K-12 district and frequent top performer on Colorado's performance frameworks. Direct peer given shared accountability metrics and similar breadth of programming (special education, gifted, alternative).
• Aspen School District: Small rural mountain Colorado public K-12 district in a similar geographic and demographic profile as Salida. Direct peer on scale, community engagement model, and reliance on outdoor/place-based programming as a differentiator.
• Durango School District 9-R: Colorado public K-12 district serving a similar small-city/rural catchment. Direct peer given comparable enrollment scale, multi-school operating model, and exposure to the same Colorado accountability and funding framework.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCEvWzCEJAk46h9Coj68Bz1w
• Facebookfacebook.com/salidaschoolscolorado
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/salida-public-schools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Subsidiaries6 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 Salida Public Schools