The Neenan Company was tasked with completing the Valley View Innovation School to honor their vision for education in Denver, Colorado.

The Neenan Company, a fully integrated design-build firm based in Colorado, partnered with Mapleton Public Schools to deliver Valley View Innovation School in metro Denver. The new school facility offers a project-based learning environment embracing flexibility, choice and creativity.

The design brings to life Mapleton’s newest learning model where, as opposed to the traditional zoning structure, parents can choose among each school’s educational approach to determine the environment that best supports their children.

The Valley View school was originally constructed in 1959 to serve grades K-5. The 60,000-square-foot redevelopment transformed the school into a project-based learning environment where students build their academic year around three or more engaging multidisciplinary projects that rigorously address Colorado academic standards.

Valley View will also be introducing a new Gifted & Talented program for advanced/accelerated education for the upcoming school year. A recent study estimates that an additional 17,000 to 22,000 students in Colorado should be identified and served as gifted. And traditionally, many of the under-identified gifted and talented students are English learners and students with disabilities. Mapleton will focus on a personalized curriculum for accelerated learners, to incorporate each child’s strengths, interests and areas of improvement.

Neenan began construction on the project following the closing of Valley View at the end of the 2018-2019 school year. The school reopened for the 2022-2023 academic year, serving pre-K through second grade and will add grade levels each year to meet the needs of the community. The project also expanded the school’s capacity to offer new pre-K classes. As the school grows to its full pre-K through eighth grade offerings, it will impact 482 students across the district.

Design: The Neenan Company
Photography: Michael Robinson Photography