What on earth is the track system? Why do I keep hearing the term "off-track" and what does that mean?
That is probably one of the most asked questions that I get about the school system for families that may be relocating to Douglas County. Whether they are choosing homes in Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Castle Pines, Castle Rock, Parker, Larkspur or Sedalia - they all want to know. What are tracks? Why does the school have them? What track is best? Is every school on a track? And are we going to like it?
Well, first of all, I wrote an article a while back about this same topic. Its all still pretty relevant, so you can read that here.
Basically, during a time of enormous growth, the Douglas County School District decided that they could fit 25% more children in a building if 1/4 of them were always "off" - meaning off-track, on vacation. Thus you have A,B,C,and D track. When A, B and C are on - D is off. D comes back 3 weeks after, and then A goes off. Fast forward 3 more weeks, A comes back - B goes off. Easy enough? The schools house a larger amount of students, but down the road when growth tapers off, their won't be empty classrooms.
It does tend to add some confusion to those relocating to the south Denver area that maybe unfamiliar with such a system. My clients ask me if people like it - I think overall yes. But like most systems, it has its pluses and minuses - all of which are really objective and will vary from one family to another. For instance - some love having a short summer since the school year runs from July through June (generally the last week of June and first week of July are when the calendar turns and everyone is out.
Other folks really like having some unusual times to vacation, when prices to plan trips may be less and favorite locations may be very uncrowded. Other people really feel that the short summer break is important to the overall education cycle.
The community does a good job of providing an outlet of varied daycare for off-track kids of working parents. The Highlands Ranch Community Association has exceptional off-track day-camp programs through the Highlands Ranch Recreation Centers that include everything from art to sports to field trips. Parker and Castle Rock have similar offerings. The majority of the Douglas County schools have on-site day camp programs to offer the community also.
Not every Douglas County School is on the track system. First the middle schools and high schools are not and they follow a more traditional schedule. The elementary schools are the ones on a track schedule - but it is not every school. And as enrollment numbers change, the schedule for each school can change as well. Its best to talk to the school district or the individual school if you have questions about their schedule.
This does tend to be a bit complicated for some to grasp but once you get the hang of it, it will be an easy transition.
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Steve Scheer, RE/MAX Masters, Inc.
Denver Real Estate
You can read more about local activities and local real estate on Real Estate in Denver and the Suburbs.
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Steve,
One of the best items to point out for those that have working age teens ... there are always jobs available. Many employers of teenagers know the tracks and llok to hire kids on various tracks so that daytime employment is possible. I know that first-hand when growing up in Ken-Caryl and Columbine and being on a track that was off traditional school schedules. Now in that system there were only 3 tracks so time off was more like 6-7 weeks.