Centennial Elementary School

School Description

Centennial Elementary School is located in the northwest corner of the Denver Public School District. Site 157, school 297 is situated east of Berkeley Park and one block south of I-70. The boundaries of the 6.7-acre site are 47th St. to the north, 46th St. to the south, Raleigh St. on the east and Tennyson to the west. Berkeley Park and Lake sit directly to the west.

The school teaches approximately 640 students, ECE (Early Childhood Education) to fifth grade. “Centennial School offers a comprehensive program to insure success for all of our students. These services includes ECE (Early Childhood Education), ESL (English as a Second Language), Special Education Programs, as well as 24 classes in K-5. Centennial provides an evening music program for students at every grade level, and as a Conservatory School chosen to work with Colorado Children’s’ Chorale. We have an excellent PE program in which students participate in daily, and our library, as it uses technology, is an exciting and integral part of our school” (Centennial Homepage). A Kaleidoscope program is also in operation providing on site day care before and after normal class time for a fee. 

“Centennial is an award-winning OM (Odyssey of the Mind) and Reflections school, a school committed to Literacy (as Reflect by the ITBS test scores last year), and a model site for the integration of students with severe disabilities into the classroom” (Centennial Homepage). “One of the unique features of Centennial School is the mutual respect which exists among students, staff and community. With the exception of two neighborhood buses, the students in regular classes walk to school. The ethnic composition is approximately 53% Hispanic and 45% Anglo. The families in the community show a commitment to education and demonstrate the high expectations for achievement shared by the staff. The faculty is continually striving for more effective methods to enhance student achievement and to prepare students for the future” (Centennial Homepage).

Learning Landscape Description

This master plan calls for educational classroom gardens, multiple mural walls, and an outdoor stage organized around the building to take full advantage of the entire schoolyard.