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La Luz
La Luz, nominated by Transcend and an anonymous organization, is a middle school in Denver, Colorado, that describes itself as an independent (private) school serving learners from a primarily urban area.
Location Denver, Colorado
Governance Independent (Private) School
Grades Middle
Students 40
Locale Urban
Founder/Executive Director Kyle Gamba
Demographics
Percentage of students*
20%
English Learners
60%
Free/Reduced Lunch
50%
Students with Disabilities
African American or Black 3%
American Indian/Alaska Native 5%
Asian —
Hawaiian or Pacific Islander —
Hispanic or Latino 57%
White 32%
2+ Races —
Why La Luz was nominated
La Luz, a bilingual, community-based, micro "un-school" that prioritizes experiential learning, relationship building and character development. Parents and students co-design the learning experiences to be highly experiential and relevant to the families. La Luz grounds in the belief that learning can happen anywhere and all the time and should be authentic, real-world, and fun. “We can all human better” drives La Luz’s passion to provide authentic learning experiences for kids so they can become changemakers who will improve the world., La Luz's model is deeply embedded in community. They partner with organizations for extended learning experience spending 2-3 days/week learning in that partnership, often co-locating on that partner's site during the project. Through this students gain valuable experience with a variety of types of issues and people and do work that really matters in community.
Student experience design
We do not believe that students should sit at desks and chairs! Instead, students at La Luz are out, learning in the community, 80% of every school day. We partner with amazing organizations, such as The Denver Zoo or History Colorado to co-create a 6-week learning experience. Yep, kids go everyday for 6-weeks to the zoo, or a museum, or any other great community partner. Additionally, we spend a ton of time outdoors, in nature. At least 25% of our year will be spent in nature, whether that is hiking, building snow caves, carving sticks or starting fires, we know just how critical being outside in nature is to our wellbeing.
Core Practices
| Core Practices | Length of Use |
|---|---|
|
Community And Workforce Partnerships |
5+ years
|
|
Individual Learning Paths |
5+ years
|
|
Project-based Learning |
5+ years
|
|
SEL Integration School-wide |
5+ years
|
|
Students Develop Projects |
5+ years
|
All Practices
Anti-racist Practices
Assessments For Agency And Self-directed Learning
Assessments For Social-emotional Skills
Family And Community Support Services
Competency/mastery-based Education
Culturally Responsive Practices
Flexible Staffing & Alternative Teaching Roles
Grading Policies Focus On Mastery
All Courses Designed For Inclusion
Mental Health Services
Multi-age Classrooms
No Tracked Classes
Peer To Peer Support
Performance Based Assessment
Restorative Practices
SEL Curriculum
Service Learning
Student-led Conferences
Students Access Their Own Data
Student-led Goal Setting
Self-paced Learning
Trauma-informed Practices
key reasons for innovating
Demonstrate what’s possible for other schools
Date Updated: 4/1/2026
*Canopy profile data is self-reported or sourced from NCES data, then verified by school leaders.