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Copper Mesa Elementary School (1899)

3501 POSTON PARKWAY
HIGHLANDS RANCH, CO 80126

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Historical Data

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306

Total Students Served

Narrative

A message from:

Eric Varner

Director of Finance

Douglas County School District Re 1

July 01, 2026

Douglas County School District (DCSD) is one of the highest-achieving school districts in the State of Colorado and encompasses approximately 867 square miles. In 2025, Douglas County was the top-scoring school district in the Denver metro area and consistently narrowed the achievement gap for students across all sub-populations. The District has a population of about 378,000, comprising Douglas County and a small population in Elbert County. We provide a full ... Douglas County School District (DCSD) is one of the highest-achieving school districts in the State of Colorado and encompasses approximately 867 square miles. In 2025, Douglas County was the top-scoring school district in the Denver metro area and consistently narrowed the achievement gap for students across all sub-populations. The District has a population of about 378,000, comprising Douglas County and a small population in Elbert County. We provide a full range of prek-12 educational school programs and services for over 60,000 students. Our district is the 3rd largest district in the state of Colorado. In addition to our neighborhood schools, the District is also the home of seventeen charter schools that provide greater choice for parents and students to find the best educational environment. The Douglas County School District (DCSD) strives to maximize the potential of every student to pursue his or her chosen endeavor in society, including but not limited to post-secondary education, career, or military service. Our graduation rate in 2025 was 93.6%, which was the highest in the Denver metro area. Our goal is to ensure that we are using our resources as effectively as possible for our students, schools, and community. The financial data available here is presented to be consistent with federal reporting requirements established by the U.S. Department of Education; the method used on this website excludes certain records from revenue and expenditure totals. The records excluded represent a duplication of expenditures or revenues. For example, State funds given to the District that are passed through to charter schools are excluded from the charter school revenue because it is first counted as District revenue. This same situation occurs with interfund transfers, among others. This reporting method is in contrast to the presentation in the District’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report and Budgetary reporting of the District, which does include all expenditures and revenues as required by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) defined through the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, regardless of whether or not it represents a duplication. Furthermore, while all districts are required to follow CDE’s Chart of Accounts found within the Financial Policies and Procedures Manual, each district has significant choices in how they adopt the chart of accounts for their specific use. For example, DCSD reports a transportation fund accounting for all transactions associated with the transportation of students to and from school as well as to various events and field trips, while other districts account for this activity within their general fund. Finally, each district determines which expenses are tracked centrally versus those that are tracked at a school level. For example, custodial expenses, utility charges, etc., may be reported at either a central level or at a school level. In DCSD, we budget for utilities at the central level but report the actual spending at the school level. This financial transparency website information should be reviewed in conjunction with the District’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, various budget books, and other financial information to provide a more comprehensive financial profile. This information is accessible via this link on the District’s website: https://www.dcsdk12.org

Spending

$21,640
Current Spending per Student

View Per Student Spending Calculation

$16,845

State Average

School Level Spending per Student

Federal

$4
State/Local

$15,713
Total

$15,717

School Share of Central Spending per Student

Federal

$189
State/Local

$5,734
Total

$5,923

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Current School Spending

Learning Environment

78%
Operations

22%

Learning Environment
$3,759,906

View Learning Environment Breakdown

Operations
$1,049,524

View Operations Breakdown

$4,809,429

Total

Long-Term Spending

Construction, Debt, Refinancing & Other

View Construction Funds Breakdown

These expenditures are those not associated with day-to-day operation of school activities and, therefore, are not included in the per-student spending calculation. They are comprised of major construction projects, debt payments, acquisition of land, and other programs.

$101,000

Total

Total School-Allocated Spending

$4,910,429

Totals may not sum due to rounding

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Current School Share of Central Spending

Learning Environment

33%
Operations

67%

Learning
Environment
$597,103

Operations
$1,215,370

$1,812,473

Total

$6,722,902

Grand Total of Spending at this school