At Catalyst students earn credits from a fully-accredited high school. Our year-round program and rolling admission policy allows students to start attending Catalyst EDU, at any time of the year, to earn credits that will be accepted at any high school or college in the country.

We often find that candidates for Catalyst have a significant gap between academic potential and their actual academic achievement, that there has been a significant drop in GPA over the last semester or year, or that attendance has been a problem. The purpose of the initial interview is to figure out why. The intake assessments help Catalyst administrators design an educational program to address each student’s unique needs.

Our counseling department establishes baseline assessments of academic strengths and weaknesses, as well as assessments of personal developmental assets. These assessments are repeated periodically to measure commensurate progress during the student’s time at Catalyst EDU. As school begins, most students find themselves working one-on-one with a teacher to design an individualized four-week academic course — the equivalent of a full semester class at a traditional high school.

Within four months, virtually all students will be taking multiple classes like this and carry the equivalent of a traditional school’s full academic course load. At this stage, students complete 30 hours of homework each week. As students advance, they add service learning projects, off-site activities, internships, and university classes to obtain additional credit.

College assessments, such as the PSAT, ACT, and SAT are expected and included in a student’s tuition. Each student works with a mentor, as well as other students and teachers to assemble and evaluate the student’s portfolio. The portfolio includes samples of work to present evidence that high academic standards are met, that will prepare them to compete scholastically at the college or university of their choice. Eventually, at an accelerated pace, most Catalyst students can catch up with their peers at traditional schools or even to graduate early.

While Catalyst EDU is a new school, our teachers, schedule, academic program, accreditation status, and expectations are identical to those of the Chinook Alternative Program, which ran for six years. Since that time, to support our students, Catalyst EDU has added more comprehensive support services, a vastly improved math program, a Colorado High School Counselor of the Year, who also owns a business that helps high school students navigate the college admissions process, a state-of-the-art facility, and better technology. Approximately 70% of the Chinook students went onto colleges, such as Front Range Community College, Metropolitan State College of Denver, University of Colorado, George Washington University, Colorado School of Mines, Baird College, and the Vancouver Film School. We expect Catalyst students to meet and exceed these outcomes.

Catalyst’s Commitment to Emotional and Social Growth
How You Can Help Catalyst