CRMS Continues Excellence in National Survey of Independent and Public High School Students

Colorado Rocky Mountain School participates in the High School Survey of Student Engagement (HSSSE) to see how our program and culture compare with peer schools nationwide. The 2025 results—drawn from 2,258 students at 13 National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) across 10 states, including both day and boarding programs—affirm what our community experiences daily: CRMS is a place where students think deeply, participate fully, and feel profoundly connected.

Across all four dimensions of engagement, CRMS stands out. In cognitive engagement, students report higher effort, curiosity sparked by schoolwork, and stronger connections across disciplines than their NAIS peers, outperforming in every subcategory. In social and participatory engagement, students are clear about what keeps them coming back: “I go to school because of my teachers,” a sentiment that registers a 26-point advantage over peer schools. Emotional engagement is equally strong, with students affirming that they feel known, motivated, and integral to the community—“I am an important part of my high school” (+16) and “Rules are applied and enforced consistently” (+19).

Even in the classroom, activities that typically draw lower engagement elsewhere, CRMS bucks the trend. Lectures, which often rate lowest across years of HSSSE data, rank highest here, pointing to dynamic practice even in traditional formats. And while every school watches for warning signs, HSSSE’s broader findings note that lower engagement can correlate with transfers or dropouts. Our results sharpen an ongoing commitment to ensure every student feels seen, challenged, and safe.

Taken together, CRMS’s outcomes are exceptional when benchmarked against NAIS peers, who themselves outperform public schools across the study. They reflect an inclusive culture in which students are known and a program that connects learning across classrooms, dorms, arts, service crews, outdoor programs, and athletics. Year after year, HSSSE confirms what our founders envisioned and our community lives every day: hard work, curiosity, and character lead to meaningful, rewarding lives. Thank you to our students for their engagement, to our teachers for inspiring it, and to our families for championing this mission.

Click here to learn more about the HSSSE.