Creekside Elementary School

Creekside Elementary School replaces a beloved 1950s campus on the same site in south Boulder, reimagining it for 21st-century learning while honoring the energy and ethos of an exceptionally dynamic, international community. At its core is the Heart — a large, open central space that serves as the main arrival point, an all-school gathering and assembly area, and a flexible commons where distinct learning zones form and re-form throughout the day. A gathering stair links the two levels, and an indoor slide — inspired by the much-loved slide on the old playground — carries that playful spirit inside.

Beyond the Heart, the school is organized into three Learning Communities, each sized for two grade levels and built from discrete Learning Studios, a Teacher Collaboration room, small-group and seminar spaces, and a shared, flexible commons. A single-story early-childhood and main building joins a two-story learning wing, so that younger and older students each have spaces scaled to them. A Curiosity Center with a library and makerspace, an art room, music, a gymnasium, and a daylit café round out a campus designed for many ways of learning at once.

Set against dramatic views of the Flatirons and the adjacent Bear Creek corridor, Creekside treats the outdoors as an extension of the classroom — with a learning garden, an outdoor amphitheater, and direct access to play and learning zones from the commons. Designed to be net-zero-energy capable and to meet LEED Gold, with a relocated rooftop solar array, the school pairs a tight, high-performance envelope and abundant daylight with the warmth and flexibility a close-knit community asked for.