Park Elementary Home

Habits of a Mindful Scholar
students riding bikes at bike rodeo

About Us

We are a diverse crew of mindful learners who contribute to making the world a better place. We engage in productive problem solving by being inclusive and kind, taking responsibility for our own actions, persevering through adversity, and embracing curiosity and wonder.
Indigenous Girl at Park Elementary
Where we’re located
Durango School District map
students listen to book reading

Mission

The mission of Park Elementary School is to lead and engage students to reach their potential in a global society by providing a positive, nurturing and challenging environment where children children succeed cognitively, socially, and emotionally through shared responsibility of school, family and community. 

School & District News

A young child focuses intently while stacking colorful wooden blocks to build a structure during playtime.

Rising kindergarteners: Register now for 2025-26 + sign up for Kindergarten Readiness Screening

If your child is entering kindergarten in the 2025-26 school year, be sure to register soon so you don't miss out on vital information over the summer. We also welcome you to participate in our Kindergarten Readiness Screenings this month, so you can learn more about your child's unique developmental strengths and areas for growth, plus how to set your child up for kindergarten success in the fall.
A group of friends laughs together

Cook Center Mental Health Series: April 2025 classes + watch recordings on your own schedule

Need help in supporting your child's well-being? We are offering FREE live webinars on Monday-Thursday evenings throughout the school year, and you can always watch previously recorded classes on your own time by visiting the Cook Center's full content library. Live webinar topics this month include: effects of screen time, helping your child succeed, substance use and vaping, building confidence, depression, school avoidance, talking with your child about pornography, and much more.
Group picture of all the kinder teachers at Park Elementary

Park Elem. Kinder/Preschool Open House for upcoming kinders/preschoolers for the 25-26 school year on April 3rd, 2025 ---Jornada de Puertas Abiertas de Kinder/Preescolar para el curso 25-26 el 3 de abril de 2025

Park Elementary will be hosting our Kinder Open House for families with upcoming kindergartners and preschoolers for the 25-26 school year on April 3rd, 2025. -- Park Elementary será el anfitrión de nuestra Casa Abierta de Kinder y preescolares para las familias con los próximos niños de kindergarten y preescolares para el año escolar 2025-26 el 3 de abril de 2025.
Five smiling children in purple shirts proudly holding a 2025 trophy, all wearing medals around their necks

Riverview Elementary School fifth graders win district's first regional Battle of the Books

At the Impact Career Innovation Center on March 4, the chatter of excited elementary students filled the halls as 30 teams from across Southwest Colorado prepared to put their reading skills to the test. But this was no ordinary quiz — it was the first-ever Battle of the Books hosted by Durango School District, and for the third through fifth graders participating, it was both a celebration of literature and a test of teamwork, grit, and recall.
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Principal Marie Voss-Patterson

Principal's Message

The Park culture embraces learning through mindful schools practices and character development. The school also sets high expectations for all students, through an understanding that students learn differently and at different rates. Through these actions, students can affirm the worth and diversity of the school community, which is respectful, supportive and trusting.
 
Marie Voss-Patterson
Principal

Events

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Engineer Mountain

Quality of Life

Durango is a beautiful place to live and work. It is located at 6,512 feet elevation in Southwest Colorado near the Four Corners region. Families who live here enjoy a historic steam train, ski resort, rivers, vibrant downtown, bike trails, sky-high “fourteener” mountains, and four distinct seasons with an average of 266 sunny days per year. We welcome new families and new staff members, and we offer excellent benefits and competitive salaries. 
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Accessibility Statement

It is the goal of Durango School District 9-R that the information on this website be accessible to individuals with visual, hearing, or cognitive disabilities. Good faith efforts are being made to ensure that our website complies with web accessibility standards.

Most pages on our site are available in HTML format, which can be read by screen readers. Some documents are in Adobe PDF format, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded for free from the Adobe website. Additionally, some documents are in Google Docs, and Google Forms. Most modern browsers and screen readers can access Google-based documents. More information about Google web products accessibility can be found on the Google Accessibility website.

In order to ensure that Durango School District websites are accessible to everyone in our community, including those with disabilities, we are using the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.

If you cannot access any page(s) on our site, please email us at [email protected]. Include the location of the webpage/document, your name, email address, and phone number so we can provide the information in another format, and address the issue.