Boarding High School in Colorado, USA

Fountain Valley School of Colorado:
Located at the base of Colorado's majestic Rocky Mountains, Fountain Valley School of Colorado combines intellectual rigor with a spirit of adventure and exploration. The school offers a college preparatory program for motivated students who seek a diverse and challenging learning experience within a close-knit and supportive community.

Founded in 1930, FVS provides a co-ed, boarding and day school environment for students in grades 9-12 from across the United States and the world. The School has an 1,100 acre main campus in Colorado Springs and a 40-acre Mountain Campus near Buena Vista, CO.

FVS Campus and Facilities:
FVS has an 1,100-acre main campus in Colorado Springs and a 40-acre Mountain Campus near Buena Vista, Colo. On the main campus, the Froelicher Academic Building has 27 classrooms, a Learning Center and two computer labs, including one with new iMacs. A state-of-the-art science facility has five teaching labs.

The "Art Barn" houses visual arts studios for ceramics, jewelry-making, print-making, sculpture, painting and photography, along with offices for the student yearbook and newspaper. The Hawley Library has a collection of more than 20,000 books, and other buildings include the dining room, music room, campus center and performing arts center.

The Penrose Sports Complex has a gymnasium, squash courts, weight room, climbing wall and swimming pool. New athletic facilities include a magnificent indoor riding arena and outdoor track. The School's four residence halls include 10 indivudal houses.

FVS currently enrolls 250 students from 27 states and 11 countries, including Canada, China, Germany, Guatemala, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sweden and Thailand.

Twenty-one percent of students reside outside the United States, 31% are students of color, and there is an even 50-50 split between boys and girls.

Faculty:
Faculty at FVS are more than just teachers; they are coaches, houseparents, advisers and mentors. There are 40 total teaching faculty for student-faculty ratio of 6:1, and there are 35 full-time teaching faculty.

Seventy percent of the full-time faculty hold advanced degrees; 30 live on campus, with 13 in residence halls; 34 are advisers and 25 are coaches.

All students are required to participate in the afternoon program, which includes interscholastic sports, outdoor education, equestrian training (English and Western), skiing and theater.

Freshmen are required to compete in at least two interscholastic sports, and sophomores must compete in at least one. Those sports include basketball (boys and girls), cross country (boys and girls), field hockey (girls), golf (boys), ice hockey (boys), lacrosse (boys and girls), track and field (boys and girls), soccer (boys and girls), swimming (girls), tennis (boys and girls) and volleyball (boys and girls).

The Western Immersion Program (WIP) isa signature interdisciplinary program for sophomores. WIP explores how the Western landscape shaped the people, history and culture of the region.

The Interim Program, held each March, provides students with the opportunity to expand their intellectual, cultural and social horizons beyond the classroom. The weeklong program is curriculum based and has included such activities as kayaking in George and learning about Chinese culture while in Beijing.

Senior Seminar has the senior class ending its time at FVS working together on a project designed to promote ecological awareness and to make a lasting contribution to the School or community.

Students in outdoor education can participate in climbing and skiing/snowboard, or climb "fourteeners" in the Rockies. The Student Life Curriculum helps students develop an appreciation for giving to others and learn about leadership.