Teacher -Candidate Pool 2026-2027 School Year

About Highline Academy

Highline Academy is a community of diverse youth and adults striving together for academic, civic, and personal excellence. Founded in 2004, Highline is committed to inclusive excellence. In 2013, we launched our second school in Green Valley Ranch. Our students come from fifty countries, speak 26 different languages, represent a full range of socio-economic backgrounds, and previous educational experiences. Our diverse and integrated community has already begun to achieve excellence. Highline students have consistently out-performed district and state averages. Strong faculty and student retention rates are emblematic of the school’s positive culture and strong community. Highline has a commitment to a liberal arts education which includes Art, Music, Spanish and P.E. instruction for our students.

We have high expectations for all of our learners, with an understanding that some learners need more or different instruction. We have Academic interventionists and special education teachers at each grade level which enable us to give smaller group instruction for the core content areas of math and language arts. We are a fully inclusive organization for students with special needs, who are integrated into the general education classrooms. We have a character education program designed by Highline called REACH. This teaches, practices, and celebrates the REACH values of responsibility, empowerment, aspiration, citizenship and honesty. All our students are taught to Reach Out to support and care about their classmates and community, Reach In to learn about themselves and reflect about their learning and Reach Up to their very best academic achievement.

Campus Locations

• SOUTHEAST Campus: 2170 S. Dahlia St. Denver, Colorado 80222
• NORTHEAST Campus: 19451 E. Maxwell Pl. Denver, Colorado 80249

What We're Looking For

You should teach at Highline if you are looking for a school community where high expectations, strong relationships, collaboration, equity, and continuous growth are all part of the work.

• Belief in every student: You believe every student can achieve at high levels. You hold ambitious expectations for students and believe it is our responsibility as educators to provide the support, structure, and instruction students need to succeed.
• Commitment to strong instruction: You enjoy planning from standards, using data to understand what students need, differentiating without lowering rigor, and adjusting your teaching when students are not yet successful.
• Relationship-building: You want to build meaningful relationships with students. You believe students learn best when they feel known, valued, challenged, and supported. You create classrooms that are warm, joyful, structured, and grounded in mutual respect.
• Team orientation: You see student success as a team effort. You want to work alongside teachers, interventionists, special educators, multilingual learner educators, support staff, leaders, and families. You contribute your strengths, ask for help when you need it, and believe collaboration makes all of us better.
• Growth mindset: You want feedback and opportunities to grow. You are reflective about your practice, open to coaching, willing to try new approaches, and able to learn from the moments that do not go as planned. You see professional growth as part of being an excellent educator.
• Equity focus: You believe equity is part of excellent teaching. You value the cultures, languages, identities, experiences, and strengths students and families bring to our community. You reflect on your own practice, seek to understand barriers students may experience, and work to create classrooms where every student belongs and can thrive.
• Ownership and flexibility: You take ownership while staying flexible. You focus on what you can influence, respond thoughtfully when challenges arise, and adapt when students or circumstances need something different. You bring persistence, problem-solving, and steadiness to the work.
• Community-mindedness: You want to be part of something bigger than your classroom. You care about the academic, personal, and civic development of students. You want to contribute to a school community where adults and students are striving together, not working in isolation.

REACH Values

• Responsibility: You take ownership for your work, your impact, and the success of your students and team.
• Empowerment: You help students build confidence, voice, agency, and ownership of their learning.
• Aspiration: You set ambitious goals, pursue excellence, and believe growth is always possible.
• Citizenship: You contribute to your classroom, team, school, and broader community.
• Honesty: You communicate openly, reflect truthfully, and approach feedback and relationships with integrity.

Teacher Expectations

Reporting directly to Highline's campus principal, our teachers are the heart of our organization - the ones who make the mission come alive for our students. We expect our teachers to be caring about the whole child, great lesson planners, strong and nurturing at classroom management and excellent collaborators with teammates and families. We look for people with good communication skills, dedication to do everything it takes to make a difference for each child, and a growth mindset. Our special education teachers are also expected to be advocates and devotees to inclusion. All Highline employees are expected to read and follow all policies as written in the employee handbook and to review it annually for updates.

Schedule

Teachers are paid year round on a salary. Their student contact days (176) and their professional development days and parent conference days adds up to a 189 day work year. However, the work teachers do outside those days planning, reflecting and pursuing professional growth is also an important part of being an excellent teacher. Teachers are expected to be on campus ready for students by 7:45 am and to stay until 4:00 each day school is in session, and to 4:30 on Fridays when we have early release days for students followed by teacher P.D. or planning meetings. There are two weeks of professional development every summer before school begins which is part of the accounted professional development days.

Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree, preferably a valid teaching credential in Colorado
• Demonstrated commitment to and understanding of the Highline mission
• Preferred: teaching experience appropriate to the assignment
• Strong communication and collaboration skills

Physical Requirements

• Be able to walk quickly, bend, kneel, crouch, sit, stand, grab or hold with one or both hands.
• To be able to lift up to 40lbs without difficulty
• To maintain appropriate demeanor and professional classroom behavior when working with children and adults
• The ability to sit for extended periods during group training

Pay & Benefits

Salary Range: $65,000 - $80,000. Highline Academy uses a Salary Scale to increase pay equity and transparency. If you have any questions about your placement on the scale, please reach out! We welcome questions about pay in our process.

Benefits include Colorado PERA, Life Insurance, PTO, Short Term Disability, health, dental, and vision insurance as well as additional employee benefits.