Patriot Adds Eighth Grade

Changes are happening at Patriot High School, including the addition of eighth grade next school year, a new name and switching zones. 

“We are super excited to bring in the new students,” Principal Ryan Bailey said.

In January of 2023, Superintendent Peter Hilts hosted an Eighth Grade Exit Standards Summit. Bailey said, “One of the things that came out of that meeting is that we needed another option for kids to support them in transitioning from middle school to high school.”

Patriot began planning for the addition of middle school. “The new middle school felt like a natural fit for Patriot. We currently serve ninth through twelfth grade students in a non-traditional setting,” Bailey said.

Those plans were put on hold this semester as the district looked at updated financial constraints, as well as a new logistical concern from the Colorado Department of Transportation. CDOT will be widening Highway 24 through Falcon. Because of the highway project the modular classrooms, to be used for middle school, on the north side of the campus will have to be demolished or moved. 

After pausing and reviewing the situation, Patriot is now moving forward to add eighth grade next year. The school’s staff support and infrastructure can handle the addition of one class. The only extra cost will be hiring two new teachers. 

Bailey said, “We are so excited to be able to move forward with adding eighth grade next year and being able to offer our eighth and ninth grade program, focusing on equipping students with the skills needed to navigate high school and post-secondary successfully.”

Hilts said, “One of the benefits of consolidating the Patriot Applied Learning Campus with the Falcon Zone is access to resources, personnel, and curriculum that would have been startup costs for the middle school. By limiting the expansion to an eighth and ninth grade program, Patriot is creating a new, affordable approach to the middle school to high school transition, and I’m encouraged that the Falcon Zone can support this innovation.”

“We've been working for the last semester with an internal and external task force to get an idea of what our community needs to make sure we are meeting the needs of our families,” Bailey said. 

Patriot staff and the task force have met with the other D49 middle schools, elementary schools, parents, students, teachers, and administrators.  Patriot still has hopes to add sixth and seventh grade in the future. 

“They tell us that there's a huge need for a non-traditional middle school in our community,” Bailey said. 

“The launch of the eighth-grade program at Patriot represents an exciting first step in expanding middle school options in District 49,” said Brian Smith, Falcon Zone Superintendent. “Designed for students who benefit from a more hands-on, personalized approach to learning, the program combines strong academics with real-world skill development and career exploration. It’s an ideal setting for learners who thrive in a dynamic, experience-rich environment that prepares them for success in high school and beyond.” 

The eighth graders will be paired with the ninth graders for a new educational curriculum program.

Bailey said, “For eighth and ninth graders, we're going to focus on skills and competencies. Those kids need to be ready for high school. And so although it's an eighth and ninth combo, eighth will be earning middle school credit, ninth will be earning high school credit. But they're both going to be working together because they're at the same developmental stage, and they're going to be focusing on what eighth and ninth graders need, which is a lot of that executive functioning skills organization, time management, emotional control, impulse control so that they are ready to go into high school.”

“We're going to have a maximum class size of 18. We are going to focus on relationships. Students will be seen and heard and known. We're going to focus on relevance. Students will understand how what they're learning applies to their lives personally, or will prepare them for the things to come. It's going to be rigorous. They're going to be held to high expectations with high support,” Bailey said.

As mentioned above, PHS is changing its name to Patriot Applied Learning Campus and joining District 49’s Falcon Zone.

The zone change is part of a larger transition for all of D49’s operated schools that were in the iConnect Zone. 

“We are thrilled to welcome the Patriot campus to the Falcon Zone family,” Smith said. “As a Zone, we are committed to creating engaging environments, enhanced opportunities, and elevated instruction to empower every learner. Through this mission, our students strive to earn their WINGS—Wisdom, Integrity, Networking, Grit, and Self-Confidence—equipping them with the essential skills for their future. Patriot embodies these values and brings innovative learning opportunities that expand the choices available to our students. Their addition strengthens our community and supports our shared commitment to personalized, purpose-driven education.”

Changing the name is the logical step as it is no longer only a high school. But it has as much to do with the transition it is going through, as it is no longer an alternative education campus, but working toward an official Career and Technical Education designation, as well as being an applied learning campus for grades eighth to twelfth. 

“We are going to continue to serve students who have struggled in a traditional school setting for whatever that may be,” he said. “It's not necessarily that they are kids that are struggling behaviorally or just kids that are struggling academically, they're just not finding success and fulfillment because the traditional school model is not meeting their needs.”

 The application process for admission to Patriot is open. Please see the enrollment page on Patriot’s website: https://phs.d49.org/school-info/enrollment-information