September School, Boulder | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

I was the Principal and Director of September School from 1983 to 2006. During that time, I saw many students and teachers come through our doors. Everyone, myself included, was looking for a meaningful learning experience in which we could receive the support to further develop academic, professional and social skills. When it was our time to leave, we each felt sad to say goodbye to such a vibrant and supportive community, but also well prepared to face our next challenge, whether it was college, a new job or, in my case, retirement.

One example of the strength of our community was in the process by which I was hired. I was first interviewed by several administrators and teachers. After this, I met with the entire community of students for an hour-long question and answer session. I found the students
to be direct and inquisitive. They were as concerned about my background and leadership abilities as any of the administrators or teachers. They were also very candid about their view of the school community; specifically, what they thought worked well, and what needed to be changed. Sometime in the middle of this session, I became absolutely certain that this school and these students were all I wanted for my future. A day later, I was introduced to the school board. As they had been told that I’d “passed” the students’ evaluation, I was then hired on the spot. So I learned that the most important element of my process of being hired was the evaluation by the students themselves.

To this day, students play a major role in the running of our school, and in its future direction.
This is just one reason why September School lives up to it’s slogan, “A Unique Learning Community.”

Brus Westby
Past Principal and Director
September School

Our son landed at September School after two very challenging years at a large public high school. It’s been a godsend. He went from thinking school is meaningless and not worth the effort to enjoying many of his classes and coming home happy. The small class size, the personal attention, the caring and supportive community have all transformed his attitude toward school and learning. At September School, he isn’t expected to expected to think and perform like everyone else. Teachers support him while also still holding him accountable. We also love the policy of not giving homework, which means assignments get completed in class and school stays at school. September School certainly isn’t right for every kid, but for those that need a non-traditional learning environment, it’s amazing.

Our family has a student here. It began with her not wanting to go to school and terrified about going to a public high school. Too big as our child suffers from social anxiety and has been diagnosed with depression. September School was the perfect fit for her because of the small student to teach ratio, relationship based learning, and genuine care and bandwidth from the faculty. Can’t say enough about how it has saved our child and now she thrives!