Colorado was recently recognized as a national leader in preparing students for life after high school. A new 50-state study from the XQ Institute praised the state for expanding work-based learning, youth apprenticeships, and clearer pathways from graduation to college and career. While much of the attention tends to land on large metro districts, rural schools are very much part of this progress – including here in Southwest Colorado.
State headlines are nice. But here’s what that future actually looks like in Durango:
It looks like a junior spending Tuesday mornings interning at the airport.
It looks like a senior building a professional portfolio instead of just filling a transcript.
It looks like a teenager realizing – sometimes for the first time – that school can feel relevant.
Durango Big Picture High School Open House
Durango Big Picture High School Family Night will be held at 5:30 p.m. March 10 at 150 Tech Center Drive, Suites A and E.
Families will see a video tour of the new building, meet staff members, ask questions and learn more about enrollment for 2026-27.
For more information, call 259-0203 or visit https://tinyurl.com/2knrpkpb.
One of the clearest examples is Durango Big Picture High School, which is a nontraditional high school and a part of Durango School District. Big Picture Learning is an international network built on a simple idea: Students learn best when school connects to the real world. Each week, students intern across the community – in health care, construction, hospitality, business, the arts and more. Academic work wraps around those experiences. Advisers know students well. Mentors become part of their story.
If you’ve lived in Durango long enough, you’ve probably heard the shorthand. Big Picture is sometimes described as the place for “troubled kids.” Students who didn’t fit elsewhere. Kids navigating social-emotional challenges. Young people in rough seasons.
There’s some truth tucked inside that label. Some students do arrive carrying more than a backpack. Some struggled in traditional settings. Some felt invisible in larger systems.
But that’s not the whole story.
Big Picture isn’t easier. It’s different. Students are expected to advocate for themselves, show up professionally at internship sites, manage projects, communicate with adults and reflect deeply on their learning. That takes courage.
Each spring, about 15 graduates walk across a small stage. It’s a quiet ceremony at Rotary Park. No stadium lights. No grandstand. And yet ... I cry every year. I don’t personally know these kids; but still, I cry.
Why? Because those graduates often stand a little taller. Not because the road was smooth, but because it wasn’t. They took a different path. They were wrapped in support. They persevered. And they leave not just with a diploma, but with confidence about what comes next. That’s not a “last chance” story. That’s an underdog story.
Big Picture isn’t the only example of career-connected learning in Durango. Across our schools, students are exploring technical skills in middle school, engaging in hands-on STEM projects in elementary classrooms, earning concurrent college credit at Durango High School and competing in state-level robotics.
But Big Picture makes the state’s vision visible. And next school year, that visibility will grow. The school will expand into a larger space above the District Administration Office at 281 Sawyer Drive in Bodo Park – a move made possible by our community’s support for education through the 2024 Investing in Our Schools bond. At a time when districts across Colorado are facing difficult budget decisions, it matters to say this clearly: This investment was voter-approved and specifically designated to strengthen learning environments for students.
Rural communities are sometimes described as behind the curve. From where I sit, we’re helping lead the way. The future of high school isn’t theoretical here. It’s growing – one internship and determined student at a time.
Karla Sluis is the public information officer for Durango School District. Please bring tissues if you see her at the Big Picture graduation this year on May 21 at Rotary Park. You can reach her at ksluis@durangoschools.org.
