The Poudre School District is led by a seven-member Board of Education committed to actively recruiting administrators and teachers displaying high standards of excellence. The school district is the second largest employer in Fort Collins.
The following is a summary of data regarding Poudre School District #1 as of the 2003–2004 school year.
Total enrollment: 24,891
Number of facilities elementary schools: 27
junior high/middle schools: 9
senior high schools: 4
other: 3 charter schools, 3 special program elementary schools, 1 alternative high school, 1 alternative junior high school, multiple early childhood and alternative secondary programs
Student/teacher ratio: 17:1
Teacher salaries
minimum: $30,030
maximum: $70,839
Funding per pupil: $7,299
Public Schools Information: Support Services, Poudre School District, 2407 La Porte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80521
Colorado State University (CSU), with 24,700 students, is a land-grant institution that consists of 8 colleges and more than 150 programs of study. Founded in 1870, its campuses cover 5,612 acres in Larimer County, including the main campus, a foothills campus, an agricultural campus, and the Pingree Park mountain campus, which is the summer campus for natural resources education. CSU offers eight major degree programs including agricultural sciences, applied human sciences, liberal arts, business, engineering, natural resources, veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences, and natural sciences. CSU also offers a unique major called equine science in which prospective veterinarians or those pursing a career in equine production learn about the behavior, nutrition, management, reproductive management, disease management, and the training of horses. Front Range Community College (FRCC), the largest community college in Colorado with more than 23,000 students, grants associates degrees in arts, science, general studies, and applied science. The college offers 12 high school vocational programs, and more than 100 degree and certificate programs. The Larimer Campus of FRCC offers 175,000 square feet of space on 47 acres in Fort Collins as well as partnerships with Colorado State University, Poudre Valley Hospital, McKee Medical Center, Columbine Health Systems, Village Homes' Observatory Village, Microsoft, and Oracle.
The Fort Collins Public Library was established in 1900, the sixth pubic library in the state. The library maintains the Gates Computer Learning Lab and, in partnership with Front Range Community College, the Harmony Library and Harmony Library Electronic Learning Center. The library also participates in innovative cooperative projects with the local school district and Colorado State University. The library holds nearly 400,000 items and has a special local history archive.
Wildlife is the focus of the special library at the Colorado Division of Wildlife, which has nearly 9,000 books. Special collections of the Colorado State University Library include agriculture, agricultural economics, biomedical science, engineering, hydrology, and natural resources.
Fort Collins has a great range of research institutes covering a myriad of subjects. Facilities are maintained by the Centers for Disease Control Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, the Colorado Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, the Colorado Water Resource Research Institute, and the Cooper Institute for Research in the Atmosphere. The Rocky Mountain Research Station conducts research on experimental forests, ranges, and water-sheds, and oversees research on more than 200 natural areas.
Colorado State University has a variety of research groups focusing on subjects such as animal reproduction, biotechnology, engineering, environmental toxicology, irrigation management, microscopy, nutrition, hydraulics, manufacturing, marrow transplantation, vehicle emissions, and solar energy.
Public Library Information: Fort Collins Public Library, 201 Peterson St., Fort Collins, CO 80524-2990; telephone (970)221-6742; fax (970)221-6687 (circulation)