Original Research by School Decision on New Legacy Charter School
New Legacy Charter School, located in Aurora, Colorado, is a small alternative high school serving grades nine through twelve. As a charter school authorized by the State Charter School Institute, it operates outside the traditional Aurora Public Schools system but within the same sprawling city. The school’s designation as an alternative school signals that it serves students who may benefit from a non-traditional academic environment, though the precise program model is not detailed in the data we have.
The student body is small for a high school, with enrollment concentrated in the upper grades. The majority of students are Hispanic, and Black students make up the next-largest group. White students and those identifying as Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, or two or more races each account for a very small share. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context. Data on special education and English learner populations were not reported.
Academic performance measures, including state assessment results and a graduation rate, were not available. This is not unusual for an alternative school, where students may be on different academic timelines or take assessments less commonly. A parent looking for traditional benchmarks like test scores or a four-year graduation rate will find nothing here to evaluate. The school’s broader academic positioning relative to other Adams County districts could not be determined because the data was missing. It would be wise to ask the school directly about its curriculum, credit-recovery options, post-graduation placement, and how it prepares students for college or careers.
The locale is Aurora, a large and decentralized suburban city with a population that makes it Colorado’s third-largest. The built environment is predominantly car-dependent and spread across hundreds of subdivisions. The school’s address on North Dayton Street places it near the RTD light rail’s H and R lines, providing some transit access for students who rely on public transport. Major employers in the area include Buckley Space Force Base and the Anschutz Medical Campus, but those are not directly linked to the school.
The district overseeing the school, the State Charter School Institute, was not found to have any recent parent-relevant changes such as boundary adjustments, tax initiatives, or curriculum shifts. The institute’s role is to authorize and oversee charter schools across the state, so it does not operate like a traditional geographic district with neighborhood boundaries. Parents considering New Legacy should understand that the school is not tied to a specific attendance zone and likely requires an application.
Because academic metrics are absent, the picture of this school is defined by its nature as an alternative setting serving a small, high-poverty, largely Hispanic student body in a large suburban city. It may fit a student who needs a smaller, more flexible environment than the comprehensive high schools in Aurora offer. But without any data on outcomes or programming, a family would need to visit, talk to staff, and examine the school’s own records to judge whether it meets their student’s needs. The missing test scores and graduation rate are not a verdict; they are a prompt to look further.
See more original research from School Decision →