Coming Fall of 2027
Garfield County School of Innovation is a tuition-free, public charter school with an emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, Entrepreneurship, and Math (STE³M) + Business with an Aviation Focus . Opening Fall of 2027 with grades 6–9, the school will expand one grade each successive year, growing to a full K–12 model. The educational model combines a content-rich K–8 Core Knowledge foundation with project-based learning and intentional character development — Respect, Integrity, Servant Leadership, Excellence, and Kindness (RISE-K).
The Garfield County School Of Innovation Campus
GCSI is actively seeking land to build its permanent campus near the Rifle Garfield County Airport, positioning students steps away from real-world aviation and career opportunities.
Business and Entrepreneurship
From the earliest grades, students will be introduced to the principles of business and entrepreneurship. Through age-appropriate projects, Junior Achievement-style curriculum and experiences, and later through more advanced incubators and real-world partnerships, students will learn how ideas become products, how value is created and how to solve problems that make a difference in the marketplace. The goal is to graduate young people who not only understand science and technology, but who also know how to turn knowledge into useful, sustainable, and innovative business enterprises.
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Career and Tech Labs and Concurrent Enrollment
Aviation Tech — Flight Ground School
Garfield County School of Innovation plans to develop an Aviation Tech Lab that will offer ground school instruction with flight simulators while in middle and high school. This program will give students on the Western Slope a rare practical pathway into aviation — an opportunity that is limited in the region and will prepare them for both career and advanced study in aeronautics, aerospace and related technical fields.
GCSI is working with Colorado Northwestern Community College to develop flight ground school classes to attain their FAA Private Pilot License and possible concurrent enrollment classes for AVT 1001, Private Pilot Ground School, and AVT 1002, Private Pilot Flight course. Afterschool and summer school classes will be offered to all students at our Aviation Lab at GCSI.
Concurrent Enrollment: Garfield County School of Innovation will offer a variety of C/T classes in the STE³M disciplines. It is our goal that students will graduate with both their high school and Associates degree.
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Culinary Arts, Hospitality, Tourism, and Resort Management
Garfield County School of Innovation will build a Culinary Arts and Tourism Management Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway aligned with the region's largest industry — tourism and hospitality across Garfield County and the broader Western Slope. Students will learn food preparation, kitchen operations, service excellence, hospitality management, and the business skills needed to succeed in restaurants, resorts, event venues, and related enterprise. This pathway connects rigorous academics to local economic opportunity, giving students practical credentials and career readiness while strengthening the school's partnership with the local communities. A signature feature of this program will be an on-campus restaurant experience, Garfield Master Chef, where students plan menus, prepare and serve meals, manage guest experiences, and apply entrepreneurship and customer-service skills in a real-world setting. This pathway connects rigorous academics to local economic opportunity, giving students practical credentials and career readiness while strengthening the school's partnership with the communities of New Castle, Silt, Rifle, and surrounding areas.
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Our Charter Journey - Upcoming Milestones
September 30, 2026
Garfield County School of Innovation Charter School Application filed with the Garfield County Re-2 School District
Fall 2027
Garfield County School of Innovation will open grades 6–9.
Innovating Today for a Bright Next Generation!
Sign a Letter of Intent to EnrollImmersive Science Facilities
A distinctive long-term vision for the middle and high school campus includes immersive science facilities — specifically a planetarium and a Science on a Sphere — that will serve both Garfield County School of Innovation students and the wider Garfield County community as a field-trip destination and after-school resource. These tools, which historically inspired generations of students during the Space Race era, remain powerful ways to spark curiosity in science, astronomy, aerospace, and related fields. Mascot: The Flames - Colors: Black, Red, and Gold
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