Chinook West High School

Chinook West High School is located in Nederland, CO & is part of the Boulder Valley School District.

Since 2002, we have served hundreds of students that desire a non-traditional setting to accomplish their academic goals. In 2013, Chinook West became a fully accredited school earning the highest accreditation standard through Cognia.

Chinook West’s mission is to promote and support each student’s educational goals and life aspirations.

Our vision is that students leave prepared to make responsible choices about emotional and personal well-being and have the life and academic skills to accomplish their goals.

Chinook West students & educators outside of the Teens Center in Nederland, CO.

A group of Chinook West students around a table creating art.

Teens hiking on a mountain forest trail.

A group of teens at Boulder Reservoir with paddles & paddle boards.

Chinook West students touring a rammed-earth home.

A Chinook West student throwing their hands in the air and posing in a lush forested area.

A Chinook West student posing next to an orange construction cone.

A group of Chinook West students in the kitchen preparing a meal.

A group of Chinook West students in the kitchen cheering after preparing a meal.

A Chinook West student standing on a paddle board out in the water.

WHAT MAKES CHINOOK WEST UNIQUE?

We have very small class sizes. Rarely is a class more than 8 students.
We focus on developing five Life Effectiveness skills: social competence, time management / goal setting, conflict resolution, healthy risk taking, perseverance /resiliency. We believe that these skills are essential to success in whatever path one chooses.
Weekly all school gatherings offer an opportunity to come together to discuss policies, make decisions, plan community days, and participate in larger discussions or prevention focused presentations.
Rather than have 7 or 8 classes all day, all year, Chinook West students may have 5– 6 classes per 6 week session or one class that runs all day during intensives that last 5 – 10 days.

Learning adventures are incorporated into the school year as an opportunity to further develop life effectiveness skills and enhance the curriculum.
If students are not meeting the expectations of the school community, a restorative practices approach is facilitated where students participate in the process to resolve the conflict and rebuild trust with the greater community.
All students have an adviser that they check in with regularly. Advisers assist with creating goals, monitoring agreements and follow through, exploring future plans and checking in about any potential life or academic stressors in the student’s life.

Small Classes,
Big Ideas!

CHINOOK WEST
CALENDAR

School events, closures, & more!

Chinook West students on a hike in the forest.

The world
is our
Classroom!

Chinook West students & educators posing for a photo outside of the Teen Center in Nederland, CO.

‘24-25 Yearly Calendar

For more information about Chinook West please contact TEENS, Inc. at (303) 258-3821.

READ A NOTE FROM OUR ACADEMIC ADVISOR

PARENT/STUDENT HANDBOOK

Program Overview

The goal is very simple and traditional – we want each and every student to be engaged in the learning process and graduate from high school. Some students struggle to achieve the goal because the pace and delivery model of their school does not parallel their own. Other students are stymied by content rigidity and inflexibility in terms of paths of study. And for some students having a greater personal voice in how, when, and where their educational experience will develop is a critical part of their motivation.

At Chinook West we provide an educational experience with ingredients addressing the choices and needs of capable and independent minded students.

It starts with an educational plan describing where the entering student is, where the student wants to go, and a strategy of ‘how’ to get there. The student is the most important character in determining the ‘how’ to get there … graduation.
A program allowing and promoting choices of instructional interaction – be it working in groups, individually, or somewhere in-between.
Our program recognizes and allows for differences in pace, without sacrificing adequate progress.
Our staff genuinely respects the social, personal, emotional, and cognitive diversity of our students … we respect each individual student for who they are.
Our program believes meeting Colorado’s academic standards can be achieved through content aligning with students’ interests.
Because learning occurs in all places, students are not relegated to a specific chair and table – students move around in the building and in the community.
Above all, Chinook West is continually working with students to determine what works best toward achieving the goal of graduating and moving toward a healthy and satisfactory life. We strive to be a place continually adapting to the maturing needs of our students.

It looks different. It sounds alternative. It’s neither. There’s nothing different or alternative in a student learning in a manner with which they are comfortable, in a student learning with material more in tune with what they consider relevant to their own vision, in a student learning at a pace encouraging genuine learning versus inflexible exposure, and in a student wishing to be listened to and heard.

Chinook West Allows Each Student Their Way.