Sacramento Creek Ranch | K-8

Our First Site – Sacramento Creek Ranch, Fairplay Program

📍 Address: 2234 Busch Run, Fairplay, CO
🕒 Hours: Monday–Thursday, 7:30 AM–4:30 PM

A group of children from Fairplay High Rockies Community School sit side-by-side on a log bridge over a shallow creek, surrounded by green bushes and trees, with blue sky and clouds overhead, enjoying a sunny day outdoors. A group of children at High Rockies Community School sit on the floor of a garage-like room, facing forward. Shelves with supplies and a whiteboard are visible. The door opens to a sunny Fairplay outdoor area where two adults are standing.

Learning at Sacramento Creek Ranch

High Rockies Community School’s Fairplay program lives at Sacramento Creek Ranch, in partnership with Mountain Area Land Trust (MALT). Just outside of town, learning unfolds in open meadows, along forested trails, beside beaver ponds, and along Sacramento Creek. The land itself becomes the classroom, supporting outdoor, community-centered learning rooted in place and shaped by the rhythms of the mountain seasons. Set on conserved land, students learn within a landscape grounded in stewardship, community, and care for place. They observe wildlife, study ecosystems firsthand, track seasonal change, and build a deep sense of belonging to the land they call home.

Our Fairplay Learning Spaces (Today)

Our Fairplay program is designed so learning begins outdoors and flows inward only when needed. Each day, students move fluidly between spaces depending on weather, activity, and focus.

Outdoor learning spaces include:

Trails, open fields, and gathering areas used daily for lessons, exploration, and free play
Creekside classrooms along Sacramento Creek, including learning on the frozen creek during winter months
Beaver ponds and surrounding ecosystems used for observation, science study, and nature journaling
Campfire and gathering circles that support reflection, storytelling, and community connection

Indoor and semi-indoor learning spaces include:

The Barn– used for focused academic work, small groups, and skills practice
The Yurt – a warm, flexible space for instruction, circles, and creative projects
The Greenhouse – used for hands-on learning connected to plants, seasons, and food systems

Students move seamlessly between these environments throughout the day, building independence, resilience, and comfort learning in dynamic conditions.

An Average School Day

Morning

Reading, Writing, Math Skills Practice
Montessori-style learning with stations, small group/one-on-one skills practice, and choice boards
Outdoor Education- nature journaling, guided hikes, free play, nature art, camping skills, science in nature

Afternoon

Multi-disciplinary Thematic Unit- Science/Social Studies themes with all skills included in unit learning
Student-led project work time
Community Instructors
Free Play