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Aurora Public Schools unveils new 'Destination APS' goals, dual-language school and health-science high school plan
Summary
Aurora Public Schools told the City Council it will shift early literacy work earlier (pre-K–2), add multilingual acquisition as a core goal, open a dual‑language school this fall and build a health-science high school in partnership with Community College of Aurora and UCHealth.
Aurora Public Schools leaders told the Aurora City Council on April 20 that the district is launching a refreshed strategic plan called “Destination APS,” shifting its early-literacy focus earlier and adding multilingual language acquisition as a core five‑year goal.
Superintendent Michael Giles and board president Dr. Anne Kiki presented district data and program expansions, saying APS serves roughly 38,000 students representing more than 130 countries and 160 languages, with about 75% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. “We are the fifth largest district,” Giles said, and the district expects continued growth along the eastern corridor.
The board described a governance model centered on student outcomes that delegates operational authority to the superintendent while maintaining board “guardrails” on diversity, equity and inclusion; whole-child services; stakeholder engagement; family climate and culture; and staff retention. Dr. Kiki said those guardrails are community-driven and used to evaluate the superintendent.
Among the new or expanded initiatives APS announced:
- Early literacy: The district will move its literacy work earlier to pre-K through second grade to catch students sooner, rather than focusing solely on third-grade outcomes.
- Multilingual acquisition: The board added a goal focused on accelerating English‑learner progress, noting that the district can no longer ignore that roughly half of students are English learners.
- Dual-language program: APS will open its first dual-language school this fall, named Escuela Bilingüe Betty Benavidez.
- Health-science high school: APS plans to develop a health-science pathway high school on the North Middle School campus, with program partners including Community College of Aurora and UCHealth; planned pathways include X-ray tech, behavioral health and nursing.
- Career and technical education (CTE) ‘hub and spoke’ model: APS will designate hub schools with spoke pathways and expand internships, apprenticeships and work‑based learning; staff reported 4,414 students in tier‑one learning experiences and 109 internships through December 2025.
Giles highlighted measurable gains: where the district had three schools on turnaround status in 2023, it now reported one (which staff attributed in part to low test participation), and the number of schools with the state’s performance rating rose from 13 to 19. CMAS results were still pending, with district-level data expected in late July.
Council members used the presentation time to ask detailed questions about the board–superintendent relationship, limits on operational authority during emergencies, how CTE plans would serve arts and humanities students, and an urgent request for help finding land for a new high school in the Aurora Highlands. Dr. Kiki urged Council action on the school-site issue, saying delays could push the project back another year.
The presentation ended with an invitation to Council to attend a district community block party on May 2 and with staff offering to provide more information on SchoolLinks and other partnerships.
The council did not vote on APS items during the study session; the presentation served as an update and a request for continued coordination on school‑site planning and community engagement.
