Prospect Ridge Academy (PRA) is a K-12 charter school in the Adams 12 School District in Broomfield, Colorado, United States. It was founded as a K-6 school, then added a grade each year. It has now become a full K-12 school, with the high school being built three years ahead of schedule due to popular demand. The inaugural class graduated in May 2018.
Elementary/middle school
The school was founded as a K-6 school, after being approved by the Adams 12 board in 2011, as well as by a unanimous decision from the Broomfield committee.[1] The school purchased land in North Park, a neighborhood development in Broomfield, and began construction on the K-8 building, while the school operated in an office space in Thornton for six months. The school grew to fill the building in the 2013-2014 school year.
The elementary/middle school building is approximately 45,000 sq/ft, complete with a school library and gymnasium. The total cost of building the facility was around $8 million.
Middle school athletics
Prospect Ridge is one of the few remaining Adams 12 schools to offer middle school sports, as most others have eliminated sports due to budget cuts. It offers basketball, volleyball, soccer, cross-country, and golf.
High school
By the 2013-2014 school year, the demand for the high school building was so high that construction was begun in the 2014-2015 school year so that the inaugural K-8 class would also be the first to graduate. The building cost $14 million to build and included a full gymnasium and most of the classrooms. An addition to the building was completed prior to the 2017-2018 school year which included four more classrooms, two teacher work-spaces, and more robust athletic facilities including a weight room and locker rooms. Further work was completed prior to the 2018-2019 school year adding a second gymnasium as well as a regulation football field with track. Future expansion plans include the construction of an auditorium.
Academics
The high school was ranked by the US News & World Report as the 22nd best school in Colorado, and 733rd nationally.[2]
Athletics
In the high school's first year, since the only class was the freshman class, the only sports teams were freshman teams. However, sports participation was as high for freshman teams as the surrounding high schools of its size. The high school now in its 10th year, offers football, boys soccer, cross country, boys golf, girls golf, boys tennis, cheerleading, volleyball, boys basketball, girls basketball, baseball, track and field, girls soccer, and girls tennis. All of the sports now all have a varsity level with some having JV and freshman levels.
