One doesn’t have to look far to find a success story at Eastlake High School.

Community members gathered to celebrate the alternative charter school’s 20th year of operations Tuesday afternoon. Featuring music performances, a homestyle barbecue cookout, a ceremonial cake and a time capsule, the packed little building brought together colleagues-turned-friends through the school’s unique offerings.

“I would recommend this school to anyone,” Class of 2021 graduate Camreyon Andrew said. “There are resources here that aren’t in regular public schools.”

Andrew, like many Eastlake students, says he struggled in traditional public schools and was on the verge of dropping out because of declining attendance. It wasn’t until he learned about the school through his older brother that he committed to graduating at a ramped-up pace.

He would go on to earn his certificates in diesel technology at Pikes Peak State College and start his own towing company.

“I don’t think I would have learned that’s what I wanted to do if I never came here,” he said. “This school gave me what I needed.”

The school, founded in 2004 as the Life Skills Learning Center, offers high-risk students the chance to graduate at their own pace. Tailoring a learning plan for each of its students, the school offers two daily sessions during a shorter school day to provide them different paths to success.

As an alternative education campus, Eastlake provides flexible schedules to high-risk students who may not be able to attend typical school hours because of circumstances like caring for their families or working multiple jobs. Students under 18 attend classes from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., while students over 18 attend classes in the afternoon four times a week.

As a charter school, it can also provide nontraditional approaches to instruction, like self-paced learning determined by an initial assessment to meet them where they are academically.

“So, we build their schedules around them. Not the other way around,” Principal Cassandra Berry said.

In early 2024, the school also enacted a policy limiting student cellphone use during school hours aimed at improving class engagement. The policy proved to be so successful that the school’s chartering district, Colorado Springs School District 11, would adopt a similar policy the following year.

Among the school’s founders are former Colorado Springs Police Chief Luis Velez, former Chief Judge Gilbert Martinez and local real estate developer Steve Schuck, who recognized the need for alternatives to students dropping out and quickly ending up in the judicial system.

Berry said the school’s scope would evolve and develop to include support for students who struggle with larger student bodies or who move at a faster pace through coursework. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the school, which has served 100-300 students since opening, expanded offerings from 16- to 21-year-olds to younger ninth graders who may have struggled returning to a large school environment.

Older kids are provided greater autonomy through blended learning separate from the younger students. Because the focus is on graduating rather than measured achievement, students are afforded more time to complete their education at their suitable pace. Berry said one student reenrolled six times before finally earning their diploma.

Conversely, students are now able to graduate at a much faster pace, with their youngest student receiving their diploma at age 16.

Claudia Salomon attended Eastlake for only one year in 2008-09, but this was because she earned three years’ worth of credits during this time. The reason she came to the school was to graduate early and care for her 2-year-old child at the time.

Despite her brief tenure as a student, the bonds made during this time would stay strong as she returned to Eastlake as a staff member eight years ago. She said that the school’s teachers and staff have consistently been able to meet the needs of all their students, no matter what they are.

“These students have had difficult lives,” she said. “And I think it really helps them to have people who understand that.”

Beyond the classrooms, staff and faculty have remained in touch with students over the years and continued their support through a series of community partnerships. These include offering concurrent enrollment (earning high school and college credit at the same time) and certification opportunities with PPSC, connecting students with local businesses and providing overall community resources like a food pantry and a clothing bank.

Going forward, the school plans to introduce a new peer-mentorship program with the Colorado Health Foundation for mental health and substance abuse support.

The new grant-funded program stems from recognizing a greater need for these services in recent years.

“So, that’s why I said it’s constantly evolving,” Berry said of the school. “We’re constantly changing, depending on who’s here.”