Education
Colorado has one of the nation’s most educated populations, ranking 2nd overall for the percentage of citizen’s who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. The renowned colleges and universities that serve Berthoud offer a broad range of business, management, engineering and technical degrees, and many students remain in Colorado to pursue their careers after graduation.
The Thompson School District is the 17th largest school district in Colorado and the largest employer in Loveland and Berthoud. It serves 16,300 students and extends 362 square miles across the cities of Loveland, Berthoud and the southern part of Fort Collins including parts of Larimer, Weld and Boulder Counties. Thompson is a pre-K through 12th grade school district, boasting 13 early childhood centers, 20 elementary schools, five middle schools, five high schools and two charter schools.
Our schools offer a range of educational options including: International Baccalaureate (IB) and pre-IB programs; Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) focused institutions; the Loveland area Integrated School of the Arts (LISA), K-12; and Advanced Placement programs. The district is also home to the Loveland/Berthoud Enrichment Access Program (LEAP), which supports parents who choose to school their children at home or outside a public setting. Year after year, Thompson schools’ TCAP scores also consistently rank above state averages.
Berthoud High School is developing a robust STEM education program, Project Lead the Way, that is continually increasing engaging learning opportunities for 21st Century students. In addition to growing Concurrent Enrollment courses like AP Biology, College Composition 1 and 2, Fire Science, Math 112, and a bi-annual Teacher Cadet program, the school of about 700 students also offers unique, area-specific classes like Night Astronomy at the Little Thompson Observatory, and hands-on involvement in the Thompson River Project.
Berthoud High School consistently maintains the best graduation rate and lowest drop-out rate in the Thompson School District and surrounding areas. The school’s successful No Place for Hate, Peer Support Counselors and Peer Buddy programs are powerful representations of how the student population serves its school and community. Its robotics program rivals any in the world – having competed and won at the State, National and World levels, all while being one of the smallest high schools in those competitions.
Berthoud is centrally situated among some of Colorado’s best colleges and universities, all of which are just an easy commute from the center of town.