The STEAD School in Colorado Transforms High School Experience With Agriculture
In partnership with: Colorado Department of Agriculture
High schoolers at the STEAD School in Commerce City, Colorado, just outside of Denver, are getting their hands dirty – literally. The charter high school fosters tactile, project-based learning with an agricultural focus, readying students for real-life experiences.
“We wanted to create an environment where the learning is tied to something in the real world, giving students autonomy and personal responsibility to work through challenging questions with our teachers, who we call guides, who are experts in their field,” says Mario Padilla, director of culture and a founding member of the STEAD School. “Students experience four different agricultural pathways including food science, animal science, plant science and environmental science.”
STEAD stands for science, technology, environment, agriculture and systems design. After several years of planning, the school opened in School District 27J, which includes Adams, Weld and Broomfield counties, in 2021 with an inaugural freshman class of 145 students. The school, which sits on 8.5 acres, has added a new grade level each year and had its first class of graduating seniors in 2025.
See more: Colorado Agriculture in the Classroom Encourages Ag Literacy
“We have 96% of our students graduating and over 80% have been accepted to colleges,” says Amie Weldy, the STEAD school principal and founding member.
Weldy says the school literally started from dirt, as it was given land that used to be an old sunflower farm. She says the growth since opening has been amazing, not only in students but infrastructure as well.
“Our location is nestled between a rural and urban area,” Weldy says. “We wanted to bring a new style of education to the district. There’s no application process, and everyone is welcome – even outside of the district. We have a diverse population of students, and that’s part of the fun.”
A New Way of Learning
Students spend time learning in a variety of environments, which include two greenhouses, a 1-acre farm with a small orchard and seasonal plantings, and two large workshop buildings with chickens and bees. The school is planning to build an animal science center for larger animals such as goats and pigs. The students also participate in agricultural activities, including animal stock shows, field trips and local internships. Most days, the students work with the resources the school’s ag space provides.
“We have an internal food service, and students cook food for us every day using what we’ve grown,” Padilla says. “They serve close to 300 people each day, supplementing with fresh produce.”
Although the STEAD School has an agricultural focus, Padilla says it’s important to note that they’re not training students to be farmers. They still hit the traditional high school curriculum, just with an agricultural emphasis. The model of project-based learning provides real-world skills that translate to a variety of careers.
“Our whole foundation is based on the understanding that project-based learning works for kids,” Weldy says. “The traditional setting most of us had as kids didn’t work as well or inspire passion. We know that when kids leave here, they’ll have the critical-thinking skills to problem-solve and adapt.”
See more: Labors of Love: Colorado’s Agriculture Industry Boasts Diverse Talent
Community Collaboration
The STEAD School has received tremendous feedback and support from the community as it has grown. Partnerships have allowed for more internship and learning opportunities, and Weldy hopes to continue those in the future, highlighting subjects like renewable energy, agricultural research and more.
Weldy and Padilla are both excited about the future and understand the bigger role the school plays for Colorado’s – and the nation’s – ag industry.
“Agriculture bleeds into everything we do,” Padilla says. “We have to educate the next generation on what agriculture is and how it ties into their lives every single day.”
To learn more about the STEAD School and its mission, visit thesteadschool.org.