History

A Modest Beginning

Colorado Academy began as the Hill School for Boys, founded in a modest stone building at 940 Pearl Street in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Offering an alternative to the public educational system at the turn of the 20th century, the school embarked on its journey of growth and transformation almost immediately.

Room to Grow

The Hill School for Boys became the College School for Boys and moved to a much larger building at 13th Avenue and Clarkson Street by 1915.

A Military School

CA continued to grow, and in 1923 it enrolled 136 students in what was then known as the Colorado Military Academy, located at 1984 South Columbine Street. With a new barracks, stable, and campus ROTC unit, CA thrived during World War II.

Military horse training was a staple for all students from Grades 1-12, and 48 riders from the school won ribbons in the 1945 National Western Stock Show.

The Welborn Farm

Seeking a more expansive campus, the school acquired the former country estate of Jesse F. Welborn, president of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, and opened in its current southwest Denver location at 3800 South Pierce Street in 1947. 

However, with the conclusion of the war years, the school’s enrollment declined dramatically. In 1952, there were only seven students in the graduating class.

F. Charles Froelicher

A young educator from the East Coast, F. Charles “Chuck” Froelicher, arrived to serve as the new head of school in 1955, and he immediately changed the school’s focus from military training to college-preparatory liberal arts and experiential education. 

Colorado Academy

The boarding school for boys was renamed Colorado Academy, earning a reputation for adventurous academics and robust traditions, including Giant Relay Day, which Froelicher instituted and which earned a photo feature in Life magazine in 1959. While head of school, Froelicher also helped bring Outward Bound to the United States.

A Coeducational Day School

Many of CA’s signature arts and athletics programs were launched under Froelicher’s leadership during the 1960s, and in 1971, the school eliminated boarding and began admitting girls. 

Enrollment continued to rise as the school’s reputation grew regionally and even internationally: CA’s Glee Club regularly toured Europe, and global travel became part of the Middle and Upper School offerings.

Bursting at the Seams

After Froelicher’s retirement in 1975, his successors, Frank Wallace and Chris Babbs, led CA through a long period of innovation and growth, at the end of which the school reached nearly its current size. 

Service learning, computer literacy, and continued expansion of the curriculum in every grade with an eye toward creativity and global citizenship earned CA its national reputation as a “School of the 21st Century.”

Today’s Campus Takes Shape

In the years before Babbs retired in 2007, the school embarked on an ambitious campaign to modernize and expand its facilities. 

A new library, refurbished arts center, Middle School and Lower School buildings, Schotters Music Center, the Campus Center, and the Slater Turf Field and new tennis courts began to reshape and redefine the school.

A New Vision Takes Hold

When Dr. Mike Davis became Head of School in 2008, CA was in a position of tremendous strength, which allowed him to guide the community in envisioning the next evolution of the school. Capital campaigns resulted in the construction of an entirely new Upper School, Athletic Center, and the Leach Center for the Performing Arts, and enrollment reached 1,000 students for the first time. 

The Future of CA

Strategic planning during Davis’s tenure placed increasing emphasis on the school’s efforts toward sustainability, financial access, inclusion, and academic innovation.

With the completion of a second turf competition surface, Newton Field, in 2024, the ambition and willingness to change that have defined CA’s nearly 120-year history remain as potent as ever.