Fifteen years ago, the International School of Denver set out to build a different kind of middle school. An ambitious group of faculty and families imagined a place where students could find their voices, take risks, make and learn from their mistakes, and always know they belonged. They spoke boldly of flipping the script on what is often seen as a phase to simply endure, re‑envisioning it instead as a time when students could truly thrive. They dreamt of a community where middle schoolers could be curious, complicated, funny, growing, and discovering who they were becoming during these crucial, formative years.

“When we dreamed up ISDenver’s Middle School, we weren’t trying to build a program. We were trying to build a place where young people felt known, challenged, and believed in. Watching students shape this community over fifteen years has been one of the greatest joys of my career. The original 19 set something powerful in motion, and every Dragon since has added their own chapter to the story.”

— Hope Forgey, Middle School Assistant Head / Dean of Students

In 2011, that vision came to life when 19 sixth graders began their middle school journey at ISDenver. Today's ISDenver's middle school program has grown to over 160 strong across grades 6, 7, and 8.

Built on the IB Middle Years Programme

From the beginning, ISDenver’s Middle School was designed around the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP). It earned candidate status in its opening year and became an authorized IB World School in December 2013.

The MYP’s emphasis on inquiry, reflection, interdisciplinary learning, service, and international‑mindedness shaped not only middle school but, ultimately, the entire school’s learning philosophy.

In its most recent evaluation, IB reviewers highlighted ISDenver students’ “independent inquiry, self‑reflection, collaboration, student‑led conferences, Community Projects, Capstone Symposium, and electives,” noting that active engagement had become “part of the fabric of the school.”

The Mary Louise Evans Building

For its first decade, the middle school grew without a building to call its own. That changed in 2021, when the middle school found its home with the Mary Louise Evans Building. MLE is a community space and dedicated home to the middle school, designed by our faculty specifically for the way we do IB. The space is a one-of-a-kind teaching and learning environment that reflects our one-of-a-kind school.

Read More About The Intentional Design And Concepting Of The Space

A Portrait of Our Students and Graduates

Our students and alumni are so impressive. The best way to understand the impact of an ISDenver education is to hear directly from them. In this unscripted video, In Their Own Voices, see how our immersion and IB approach to education translates into authentic agency, voice, and choice. Their reflections show what happens when young people are empowered to think independently, communicate confidently, and take ownership of their learning.

And the story doesn’t end when students graduate from ISDenver. Our alumni continue to do extraordinary things in STEAM, global studies, the arts, engineering, international research, and more. Their journeys show how the skills they built at ISDenver continue to shape who they become.

Read about their accomplishments: Explore our Portrait of a Graduate profiles to meet Dragons who carry their bilingualism, curiosity, and global‑mindedness into the world.

Today, the Journey Continues

Last year, ISDenver welcomed its founding ninth‑grade class, opening the High School for the first time. These students are pioneers much like the original 19 establishing traditions, shaping culture, and imagining the next chapter.

ISDenver now offers the full five‑year IB Middle Years Programme (Grades 6–10) and is pursuing authorization for the IB Diploma Programme (Grades 11–12). In 2029, the founding High School cohort will become ISDenver’s first graduating class.

In the last 15 years, buildings have changed. Programs have evolved. Traditions have been reinvented. But one thing remains constant: our middle school is still a place where students are figuring themselves out and their place in the world and leaving an indelible mark.

To the original 19, to every Dragon who followed, and to every educator, coach, staff member, and family who has believed in a Middle School student along the way:

Look what you started. Here’s to the next chapter.