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School Records

Archival photo of the Miss Wolcott School, 14th Ave and Marion Street, Denver

About the Records

The Colorado State Archives has many records which document the State's public school system including its administration, school districts, teachers, and students. These records may be used for historical or genealogical research.

More recent records, such as teaching certificates, and some school transcripts are also held by the State Archives.

How to Find Information

Teacher Records are records concerning individual teachers (e.g. teaching certificates)

Student Records are records concerning individual students (e.g. school census records)

Department of Education Administrative Records are records concerning education in the state of Colorado, as a whole. Includes records like: state and school district annual reports, district reorganization reports, and superintendent correspondence.

In order to locate a record, the researcher must provide the county, school district name or number and approximate dates to search.

Historical Teacher Records

Certifications

Crowley County Teacher Certificates (1920-1950) - The actual record is a listing of the approved teachers.  This list shows their name and may include the date, type of teaching certificate they possess and the town of residence

Adams County Teacher Certificates (1913-1935) - The actual record is a listing of the approved teachers.  This list shows their name and may include the date, type of teaching certificate they possess and the town of residence

Dolores County Teacher Certificates (1881 - 1923) - The actual record is a listing of the approved teachers.  This list shows their name and may include the date, type of teaching certificate they possess, their age and nativity. 

Rio Grande County Teacher Certificate Applications (1874-1893) - The record includes the name of the teacher, their date of certification, the grade they taught, their town of residence, and where they came from.

Use Archives Search to look for teacher historical certificates.

Certification Renewals, may include:

  • name
  • birthdate
  • marital status
  • salary
  • years of teaching experience
  • teaching level
  • highest degree
  • level of teaching certificate
  • date of certificate expiration
  • certification renewal date

Teacher Lists

Teacher Record/Experience Cards, may include:

  • name
  • address
  • school district number
  • annual salary
  • level of certificate
  • how many years teaching
  • certification expiration dates

Teacher Registers

Contemporary Teacher Records

Teacher Certificates

Prior to 1979 teacher certificates are filed alphabetically. Provide your name at the time the certificate was issued to receive a copy of your teaching certificate.

From 1979-2002 researchers must provide their certificate number. Don't know your number? Find it at the Educator Licensing page of the Colorado Department of Education.

Historical Student Records

School Census

The school census may include:

  • teachers name
  • pupil’s name
  • name of the parents/guardian
  • home address
  • date of birth
  • nativity of parents
  • grade last attended

Some school census records are searchable using Archives Search:

Other Student Records

  • Student Attendance Records
  • Elbert County 8th Grade Promotions, 1918-1930
    • This record is from the archival collection of the Elbert County Superintendent of Schools and records those students who achieved an eighth grade promotion from 1918 - 1930. The record usually shows the students' name, their nearest town address, their overall grade average, their achievement grades in arithmetic, reading, penmanship, spelling, grammar, history, civics, agriculture, geography and physiology. In addition, the name of their eighth grade teacher, name of the school (many of which were one-room schools) and the school district number are recorded.  
  • Gilpin County Colored School Register, June 1867
    • This is one of the earliest, if not the first, known public record that specifically records a school being inexistence for African American children in Colorado. The document records the number of students who attended, their names, the days during the month of June they were in school and each child's age. The teacher was Jonathon Hougham who was paid by the Gilpin County School Board (District #1) a sum of sixty dollars to teach the twelve students for the month of June 1867 at Central City, Colorado. 
  • Image of the Register

Contemporary Records

Closed Occupational School Transcripts - Check this finding aid to see where your transcript is held.

High School Transcripts

The Colorado State Archives has NO contemporary high school transcripts.

A few places to look for high school transcripts:

  • Public Schools - Contact the school or school district office.
  • Private Schools - Contact the school or any institution that was affiliated with the school, such as the archdiocese, church, or any other sponsoring body

GED Transcripts

For GED transcripts please visit the Colorado Department of Education's page for GED transcriptions.

Accreditation Books (1952-1961) - Name and address of school; grades reported on; enrollment; number of teachers; budget information; bonded debt statistics; school philosophy and objectives; supervision and guidance data; staff preparation data; teacher data; curriculum data; correspondence.  

District Secretary Annual Reports (1958-1967) - Basic financial report; statement of capital assets and liabilities; funding information.  

Curriculum Information (Various counties; various years) - Reports; studies; publications regarding curriculum.  

County Superintendents of Schools Correspondence (Various counties; various years)  

County Superintendent Record Books (Various counties; various years) - Includes school officer names; funding apportionment; district boundaries; teacher certificate renewals; names of teachers; financial aspects of the districts; property valuation; reorganization; elections.  

County Superintendent Annual Reports to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (1878 - 1958; arranged alphabetically by county) - Statistical summaries which include district name; number; and date organized; pupil and teacher information; pupil census summaries; teacher salaries; schoolhouse information; textbooks used; financial data; superintendent comments.  

Superintendent of Public Instruction Biennial Reports (1872-1966) -Includes statistical summaries; reports from various boards and agencies; letter to the governor.  

Minutes of Colorado Association of County School Superintendents (1913 - 1923)  

Minutes of the State Board of Education (1877 - 1988)  

Audio Tapes of State Board of Education Meetings (1990-1996)- Includes regularly scheduled meetings as well as meetings concerning charter schools.  

Reorganization Records (1949 - 1966) - May include plans; procedures; county analysis sheets; correspondence; school district plans; boundary maps; reorganization annual reports; newsclippings.  

Maps and Plats of School Districts (Various counties; various years)  

Miscellaneous Records (Various counties; various years) - Includes brochures; publications; newsletters; scrapbooks; compiled histories of various schools, school districts, and county superintendents. 

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To Request a Record

To search our records, please see Archives Search.

To request a record from the Archives, please submit a formal request.