Teller Elementary School first opened its doors in 1920. The School is named after Henry M. Teller, a distinguished Colorado politician who served for over thirty years as a U.S. Senator and cabinet Secretary of the Interior. Among his most prominent achievements was authoring the Teller Amendment which definitively stated that, following the Spanish–American War, the U.S. would not annex Cuba, rather that the purpose of their involvement would be to help it gain independence from Spain.
The original building featured Greek columns and a symmetrical appearance. Two major additions occurred in the 1950s and in the 1990s. These, with the addition of the Learning Landscape Playground in 2010 created the campus we see today.
Today we proudly serve neighborhood students age 4 to fifth grade, in addition to students identified as highly gifted and talented, who choice in to our magnet program from all over the district. This year we have 529 students enrolled. Out of our 529 students, about 36% choice in to Teller. Our average attendance rate is 94%, which is higher than the district’s average of 88%.
With the implementation of our Positive Behavior Incentive Program and whole-child supports, we had a 76% reduction in out-of-school suspensions (2017-2020) and an 86% reduction in in-school suspensions.
During the 2019-2020 school year, 9% of our students had Individualized Learning Plans (IEP). Out of our 529 students, 112 qualify for free and reduced lunch. As an English Development School, 5% of our population identify as English Language Learners. Lastly, we currently have 66 students fully identified as Gifted and Talented.
Our staff is comprised of a principal, assistant principal, certified, and classified staff members. For the 21-2022 school year, 96% of our staff returned to Teller.