Question 1

Why Expand?

Accepted Answer

To meet community demand and support our programmatic growth.

Our school community has so much to celebrate! Over the past several years, our crew has continuously been recognized at the local, state, and national level for academic achievement and growth. We’ve also racked up a number of remarkable individual and group accomplishments in the arts and athletics, as well as loads of college credits and college scholarships. Our success means our program is in high-demand. Mindfully expanding our offerings will help us continue to offer the high-quality experiences Renaissance is known for, while meeting the growing demands of our community.
Expanding our program is intended to:
 • Meet community demand for elementary grade levels beginning in Pre-K and Kindergarten, which significantly exceeds what the current elementary school can accommodate. Our neighboring Renaissance Elementary consistently has 60+ students each year who apply for enrollment in Kindergarten and are waitlisted.
 • Offer additional capacity in some current grade levels to better meet the continuously growing demand for our program in Grades 6-12.
 • Leverage economies of scale to increase academic and elective offerings by hiring additional faculty, enhancing programs, and offering a broader range of courses and electives.
Provide robust facilities for academic excellence and programming in athletics, the arts, science, technology, engineering, business, and beyond, ensuring all students have access to the tools and environments they need to excel.

Question 2

When? What is the timeline?

Accepted Answer

The first phase of opening grades Pre-K through 5 and upgraded facilities is anticipated to take place in Fall 2027 or Fall 2028.

An initial step in this process is for Renaissance to submit our application to expand programming to the DCSD Charter Application Review Team (CART) by April 1st, 2025. DCSD’s team reviews the application and submits their recommendation to the DCSD Board of Directors. The Board of Directors reviews and approves applications; voting is scheduled for the end of May.

Upon approval by DCSD, the Renaissance team will move forward with the next steps to take the vision from planning to reality. The target dates for the first expansion phase are Fall 2027 or Fall 2028.

Question 3

Where?

Accepted Answer

Castle Rock area.

A specific site has not yet been selected to meet our off-site expansion needs. However, all sites being considered are in the Castle Rock area. We will always remain one school, whether we have one or two sites, so proximity to our current building is being prioritized in this process. Particularly because this expansion is envisioned as a phased process, specific determinations about which grade levels will ultimately remain in the current building and which may be at a new site have not yet been determined. Families will be an important part of the conversation surrounding those determinations as the process progresses!

Question 4

Will we grow so big we won’t have our ‘small school’ feel?

Accepted Answer

As we embark on this adventure, we remain committed to staying true to our mission and small-school culture of crew. It is our core belief that our mission is best realized in a small school focused on a culture of crew. As we grow, we aim to achieve the “Goldilocks” of school size, allowing us to offer our students exceptional facilities and opportunities, while preserving the close-knit, supportive community that has defined us.
Our growth is intended to move us toward achieving our mission in a way that meets the needs of our community in both the short and long-term. All decision points along the way will be filtered through our ability to best achieve our mission to empower students to become modern learners who are critical thinkers, problem solvers, communicators, collaborators, and creative innovators.

Question 5

What if things don’t go as planned?

Accepted Answer

As we move forward with these plans, we’re mindful of the unpredictability of building costs and the uncertainty of state and federal funding at this time. We are dedicated to maintaining the high standards of quality and culture that our students and families value, and we will continue to carefully evaluate the financial landscape to ensure that this expansion is both viable and in the best interest of our community. Our phased approach contemplates several contingency plans and varied timelines in the event things don’t go as planned.

Question 6

What about Renaissance Elementary Magnet School?

Accepted Answer

Demand for the current elementary school (Renaissance Elementary Magnet School -REMS) significantly exceeds what they can accommodate. An additional elementary school site will allow for more families to access this programming!

Question 7

What about the existing 6th-12th RSS campus?

Accepted Answer

Long term, the plan is for the current 6th-12th campus to serve as a middle school building. However, the shift from this building serving grades 6-12 to serving 6-8 is still several years out.

Expansion Frequently Asked Questions

Expansion
Frequently Asked Questions