Know your vote. Take a look at your sample ballot now!

Colorado Springs School District 11, Colorado

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Colorado Springs School District 11
School Board badge.png
Colorado Springs, Colorado
District details
Superintendent: Michael Gaal
# of school board members: 7
Website: Link

Colorado Springs School District 11 is a school district in Colorado.

Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...

Superintendent

BP-Initials-UPDATED.png
 		This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

Michael Gaal is the superintendent of Colorado Springs School District 11. Gaal started serving on July 1, 2022. His previous term ended in June 2025. His previous experience includes various administrative roles in the Oakland Unified and District of Columbia Public school districts.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[1]

Past superintendents

  • Michael Thomas was the superintendent of Colorado Springs School District 11 from June 2018 until his resignation in March 2022. Thomas' previous career experience includes working as the chief of academics, leadership and learning and as the associate superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools in Minnesota, district coordinator for equity and integration, and elementary school-level social worker.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[2]

School board

The Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Members are elected at large.[3]


Elections

See also: Colorado Springs School District 11, Colorado, elections

Elections are held on a staggered basis in November of odd-numbered years.[4]

Three seats on the board are up for general election on November 4, 2025. The filing deadline for this election was August 29, 2025.

Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 367 school districts in 29 states in 2024. Those school districts had a total student enrollment of 12,203,404 students. Click here to read an analysis of those elections.


Join the conversation about school board politics

Hall Pass

Stay up to date on school board politics!

Subscribe for a weekly roundup of the sharpest commentary and research from across the political spectrum with Ballotpedia's Hall Pass newsletter.


Public participation in board meetings

The Board of Education maintains the following policy on public participation in board meetings:[5]

“

Categories of Citizens’ Comments the Board will hear:

  • A general topic not on today’s agenda
  • An action item on today’s agenda
  • A non-action item on today’s agenda

Please complete the next available form on the pad for the category about which you wish to speak to the Board. There is a different pad of forms for each category of Citizens’ Comments. Do not tear off the form; please leave the pad intact.

  • During the Preliminaries portion of this Board of Education meeting, you will be recognized by the Board President to speak on the general topic not on today’s agenda for which you completed the form.
  • During the Action portion of this Board meeting, you will be recognized by the Board President to speak on the action item on today’s agenda for which you completed the form.
  • During the Non-Action portion of this Board meeting, you will be recognized by the Board President to speak on the non- action item on today’s agenda for which you completed the form.
  • Come to the podium when your name is called by the Board President.
  • The business of meetings of the Board is kept on permanent record. Therefore it is necessary for every person who addresses the Board to state his/her name and the subject about which he/she wishes to speak.
  • You will have 3 minutes to speak to the Board with a 30-second warning.
  • Members of a group wishing to speak on the same topic should select one member of the group who will have only a 3-minute time period with a 30-second warning.
  • The Board will not hear oral complaints regarding school personnel except in the manner provided for elsewhere in policies and regulations. If this is the nature of the topic about which you wish to speak to the Board, please indicate on the front of the form that you want to be contacted. The matter will be directed to the appropriate individual, and you will be contacted.
  • In order that the Board may fairly and adequately discharge its overall responsibilities, citizens who wish to make requests, representations, and proposals to the Board as an agenda item are requested to direct these to the Superintendent’s Office.
  • Applause for a speaker is not acceptable.
  • No citizen shall be allowed to approach the dais during the official meeting.[6]
 ”


School board meetings

The following articles were produced by Citizen Portal using artificial intelligence to analyze public meetings. Citizen Portal publishes articles based on the availability of meeting broadcasts, so the number of articles provided may vary by district. Although these articles are not produced or edited by Ballotpedia, they are included here as a supplemental resource for readers.

School board meeting articles (click to collapse)


District map

School district map

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[7]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $48,267,000 $2,066 12%
Local: $192,984,000 $8,262 48%
State: $162,824,000 $6,971 40%
Total: $404,075,000 $17,298
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $363,876,000 $15,577
Total Current Expenditures: $335,024,000 $14,342
Instructional Expenditures: $185,013,000 $7,920 51%
Student and Staff Support: $42,444,000 $1,817 12%
Administration: $58,382,000 $2,499 16%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $49,185,000 $2,105 14%
Total Capital Outlay: $21,914,000 $938
Construction: $16,560,000 $708
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $1,150,000 $49
Interest on Debt: $3,181,000 $136


Teacher salaries

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

Year Minimum Maximum
2024-2025[8] $50,500 $91,742
2023-2024[9] $50,000 $90,834
2020-2021[10] $39,273 $81,351
2019-2020[11] $39,273 $81,351
2018-2019[12] $39,000 $80,934
2017-2018[13] $35,165 $73,305
2016-2017[14] $34,750 $72,676
2015-2016[15] $34,750 $72,676

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[16]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 20 20-24 6 11 <=20 20 28
2018-2019 28 40-44 12 20 15-19 30 36
2017-2018 28 40-44 12 19 20-24 28 36
2016-2017 25 40-44 12 16 15-19 26 33
2015-2016 27 40-44 14 17 15-19 27 34
2014-2015 24 32 11 15 15-19 22 32
2013-2014 53 64 32 42 30-34 54 62
2012-2013 54 63 32 45 40-44 57 62
2011-2012 54 64 31 44 40-44 57 62
2010-2011 83 88 70 78 70-74 88

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 37 45-49 23 26 21-39 35 47
2018-2019 41 40-44 24 30 35-39 43 49
2017-2018 37 45-49 23 26 20-24 38 46
2016-2017 34 45-49 20 23 25-29 36 42
2015-2016 33 45-49 19 23 15-19 35 41
2014-2015 33 40 19 22 20-24 35 41
2013-2014 67 71 53 55 55-59 70 75
2012-2013 69 70 54 58 55-59 72 76
2011-2012 68 69 52 57 45-49 71 76
2010-2011 90 89 82 86 80-84 93

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 71 80-89 65-69 66 60-79 70-74 75
2018-2019 71 80-89 70-74 64 >=50 75-79 75
2017-2018 70 80-89 60-64 68 40-59 70-74 73
2016-2017 69 80-89 65-69 67 40-59 70-74 70
2015-2016 70 80-89 65-69 67 40-59 70-74 71
2014-2015 68 80-89 55-59 64 60-79 65-69 72
2013-2014 68 75-79 55-59 63 40-59 65-69 72
2012-2013 66 80-89 60-64 59 40-59 70-74 69
2011-2012 67 60-69 50-54 59 40-49 75-79 72
2010-2011 64 70-74 45-49 54 40-49 70


Students

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 22,740 0.1
2022-2023 22,725 -2.8
2021-2022 23,359 -2.3
2020-2021 23,885 -9.0
2019-2020 26,040 -1.4
2018-2019 26,395 -3.9
2017-2018 27,427 -1.8
2016-2017 27,911 -0.1
2015-2016 27,937 -1.4
2014-2015 28,332 -0.4
2013-2014 28,448 -2.1
2012-2013 29,032 -1.8
2011-2012 29,543 0.2
2010-2011 29,498 -0.6
2009-2010 29,673 1.2
2008-2009 29,323 -0.6
2007-2008 29,496 -1.8
2006-2007 30,029 -3.1
2005-2006 30,959 -1.5
2004-2005 31,420 -1.3
2003-2004 31,840 -1.7
2002-2003 32,368 -1.4
2001-2002 32,808 0.3
2000-2001 32,699 3.4
1999-2000 31,586 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Colorado Springs School District 11 (%) Colorado K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.5 0.6
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 1.2 3.3
Black 6.8 4.6
Hispanic 36.1 35.9
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.4 0.3
Two or More Races 9.0 5.3
White 46.1 49.9

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


Staff

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Colorado Springs School District 11 had 1,457.77 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 15.6.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 44.00
Kindergarten: 121.53
Elementary: 747.47
Secondary: 544.77
Total: 1,457.77

Colorado Springs School District 11 employed 37.73 district administrators and 107.86 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 37.73
District Administrative Support: 210.65
School Administrators: 107.86
School Administrative Support: 191.38
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 541.96
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 165.33
Total Guidance Counselors: 116.68
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 36.24
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 71.75
Librarians/Media Specialists: 50.00
Library/Media Support: 33.47
Student Support Services: 164.45
Other Support Services: 500.76


Schools

The Colorado Springs School District 11 operates 58 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Academy For Advanced And Creative Learning280KG-8
Achieve Online3266-12
Adams Elementary School343PK-5
Audubon Elementary School271PK-5
Bristol Elementary School271KG-5
Buena Vista Elementary School237PK-5
Carver Elementary School208KG-5
Chipeta Elementary School467PK-5
Civa Charter Academy1819-12
Columbia Elementary School295PK-5
Community Prep Charter School1679-12
Coronado High School1,3179-12
Doherty High School1,8619-12
Eastlake High School Of Colorado Springs1239-12
Edison Elementary School242PK-5
Freedom Elementary School382PK-5
Fremont Elementary School392PK-5
Galileo School Of Math And Science3086-8
Globe Charter School66KG-7
Grant Elementary School337KG-5
Henry Elementary School333PK-5
Holmes Middle School4986-8
Howbert Elementary School254PK-5
Jackson Elementary School346PK-5
Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy4526-8
James Irwin Elementary School - Howard286KG-5
Jenkins Middle School7976-8
Keller Elementary School371PK-5
King Elementary School318PK-5
Madison Elementary School310PK-5
Mann Middle School3356-8
Martinez Elementary School442PK-5
Mcauliffe Elementary481PK-5
Midland Elementary School133PK-5
Mitchell High School7849-12
Monroe Elementary School355PK-5
Nikola Tesla Education Opportunity Center2756-12
North Middle School5946-8
Odyssey Early College And Career Options3169-12
Palmer High School1,3449-12
Penrose Elementary School336PK-5
Queen Palmer Elementary School188KG-5
Rogers Elementary School280PK-5
Roosevelt Charter Academy471KG-5
Rudy Elementary School391PK-5
Russell Middle School5326-8
Sabin Middle School5686-8
Scott Elementary School539PK-5
Spark Online Academy205KG-11
Steele Elementary School270KG-5
Stratton Elementary School295PK-5
Taylor Elementary School190PK-5
The Bijou School1609-12
Trailblazer Elementary School222PK-5
Twain Elementary School314PK-5
West Elementary School160PK-5
West Middle School1836-8
Wilson Elementary School338PK-5

Contact information

ColoradoSpringsSchoolDistrict11 logo 2.png
Colorado Springs School District
1115 N. El Paso Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Phone: 719-520-2000


About school boards

Education legislation in Colorado

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

Colorado School Board Elections News and Analysis
Seal of Colorado.png
School Board badge.png
Ballotpedia RSS.jpg

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ LinkedIn, "Michael Gaal," accessed September 19, 2023
  2. ↑ Colorado Springs Independent, "Michael Thomas tapped as District 11 superintendent," June 5, 2018
  3. ↑ Colorado Springs School District 11, "Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education Operating and Procedures Manual - Board Authority, Powers, Mission, Responsibilities, and Functions," accessed April 9, 2021
  4. ↑ Colorado Springs School District 11, "Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education Operating and Procedures Manual - Board Bylaws," accessed April 9, 2021
  5. ↑ Colorado Springs School District 11, "Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education Operating and Procedures Manual - Process for Citizens to Give Comments to the Board of Education," accessed April 9, 2021
  6. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  7. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
  8. ↑ Colorado Springs School District 11, "Teacher Salary Schedule 2024-2025," accessed April 21, 2025
  9. ↑ Colorado Springs School District 11, "Teacher Salary Schedule 2023-2024," accessed February 2, 2024
  10. ↑ Colorado Springs School District 11, "Teacher Salary Schedule 2020-2021," accessed April 9, 2021
  11. ↑ Colorado Springs School District 11, "Teacher Salary Schedule 2019-2020," accessed April 9, 2021
  12. ↑ Colorado Springs School District 11, "Teacher Salary Schedule 2018-2019," accessed April 9, 2021
  13. ↑ Colorado Springs School District 11, "Teacher Salary Schedule 2017-2018," accessed April 9, 2021
  14. ↑ Colorado Springs School District 11, "Teacher Salary Schedule 2016-2017," accessed April 9, 2021
  15. ↑ Colorado Springs School District 11, "Teacher Salary Schedule 2015-2016," accessed April 9, 2021
  16. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
v • e
Colorado school districts
Flag of Colorado
v • e
State of Colorado
Denver (capital)
Elections

What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures

Government

Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy

Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Colorado_Springs_School_District_11,_Colorado&oldid=10504128"