Changing our world for the better starts by listening. By elevating the voices of parents across our state, we can ensure that we are focused on the problems most important to them and that the solutions we seek are grounded in their hopes and dreams for their children.

Our work at Transform Education Now (TEN) is grounded in the idea that every child deserves a world class education and their parents and community MUST be partners in building that opportunity. That is why we are so excited to share a new survey on the state of education opportunity in the Centennial State. Produced in partnership with 50CAN and Edge Research, this survey provides not only a unique window into the opportunities available to students in our state right now but also allows us to compare those answers to parents across our region and across the country.

The survey is organized into five categories of learning that families tell us are crucial for them and their children: 1) school quality and opportunity, 2) tutoring, summer and mental health, 3) out of school activities, 4) information and engagement, and 5) college and career readiness. A representative sample of 410 parents and guardians of school-aged children in our state were surveyed between July 8 and August 22, 2024 as part of a nationwide research effort that reached more than 20,000 respondents and is both representative of our local communities.

Here is what those parents told us:

Colorado’s school choice systems lead the country. Colorado has among the highest percentage of families who understand they have a choice in where they can send their children to school.

Low-income families, however, have far fewer choices than middle and upper-income families. While Colorado ranks in the top tier of states for families feeling like they have a choice, there is nearly a 20 percentage point difference between low and middle income families, offering a clear call to action for innovation and co-creation in communities that have been historically underserved.

Student mental health support is an urgent need. Only 1 out of every 3 Colorado families are very satisfied with their school’s support of student mental health, including just 29% of low-income families. Addressing Colorado’s mental health crisis needs to be a top priority and must include immediate solutions to support the needs of students and their families.

Career and workforce development initiatives have yet to pay off at scale. Despite investments in workforce development made over the last decade, there is more work to be done to meet Governor Polis’ call to make Colorado the nation’s leading state in career development programs. Parents’ confidence in their children’s preparation for both the workforce and for college lag behind the national average, along with volunteer and service participation.

Over the following pages, you’ll find:

• The methodology of the survey and an explanation of how the results are presented.
• A two-page summary of the results for Colorado across the five categories and 15 questions.
• Maps and other visualizations of how Colorado compares to the rest of the nation on important questions.

A digital copy of this report is available. Visit our partners at 50CAN to view the nationwide report, the survey questionnaire and the full data set.