The New Legacy high school program combines providing an excellent academic program with relentless support and parenting education. Baed on a flexible structure designed to meet the needs of a diverse group of students’ needs through a positive school culture based on student leadership, personal relationships, high expectations, and celebration.

The high school program prepares students for 2- or 4-year college completion and careers by ensuring they are college-ready, which includes preparing them with 21^st Century Skills (communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and technology skills). At New Legacy, language arts and social studies are combined into integrated theme-based humanities courses; math is taught in a blended environment that enables teachers to effectively support and challenge a diverse group of learners; and science is taught in six-week modules that focus on scientific inquiry and the scientific process.

Other core components of the academic program include health and wellness, parenting and child development, and art. Technology, reading, and writing are integrated across all subjects. All staff receive weekly professional development on Friday afternoons.

The Early Learning Center at New Legacy provides a high-quality, enriching, individualized program for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years.  The center offers each child a stimulating environment to learn and grow, while also nurturing and mentoring the student parent on child development and positive parenting strategies.

The Early Learning Center also serves as a learning lab where New Legacy students explore healthy child development and positive parenting and then apply the learning – in collaboration with the early learning teachers – in the classrooms. The center employs highly qualified teachers who are committed to building nurturing relationships with children while providing them with a rich and stimulating learning environment. These teachers serve an important dual role by educating and mentoring New Legacy students on child development and early learning. Families and teachers build strong relationships based on mutual respect and trust.

The teen birth rate in Original Aurora is particularly high and school options for young parents and their children are not easily accessible. In the four zip codes the school intends to serve (80010, 80011, 80012, and 80239), there were 351 teen births (ages 14 – 18) over the past two years for which there is data through CDPHE (2012 and 2013). While the teen birth has dropped significantly over the past 20 years, it remains high in Original Aurora; teen births in the four target zip codes were actually a bit higher in 2013 than in 2012.

Nationally, only about 51% of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by age 22, versus nearly 90% of women who had not given birth during adolescence. Applying this 51% statistic to the 351 teen births in 2012 and 2013 in the target zip codes would mean that approximately 172 students dropped out. On average, fewer than 2% of teen mothers attain a college degree by age 30.[1]

New Legacy Charter School serves male and female students ages 14 (and 9^th grade eligible) to 21 who want to earn a high school diploma that prepares them for further educational opportunities and successful parenting.

New Legacy does not have traditional grade levels. Instead, each student and their advisor collaboratively develop an Individual Graduation Plan at the time of enrollment. The individual graduation plan determines the credits previously earned and the New Legacy graduation requirements and aligns them with two- or four-year college entrance requirements. The absence of grade levels removes any negative stigma an over-age, under-credited student might feel when enrolling.

Our Early LearningCenter serves families with children aging from 6 weeks to 5 years, with a priority of serving the children of the parenting teens attending New Legacy Charter School.

To enroll at New Legacy, a student must be between 14 (at least 9th grade eligible) and 21 years of age and children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old.

New Legacy does not discriminate against applicants, students, or their families in its enrollment practices or in any of its activities or operations on the basis of: race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, military status, political affiliation, creed, color, ancestry, need for special education services, or any other protected status.

New Legacy is open to all students, but is designed for pregnant and parenting teens – both male and female.  Click here to complete an intent to enroll form.