A Link School education empowers students and opens doors they may not find at their traditional high school. In addition to a handcrafted classroom education, our students learn through experiential field programs and projects. They also take on service projects and spiritual study that propel their growth as selfless, curious learners.
Our outcome for students is that they will be engaged learners, as evidenced by their…
- successful completion of a college-prep curriculum
- critical thinking skills developed in and out of the classroom
- curiosity for learning through self-motivated projects
Quality Education
Link faculty design and teach a curriculum that is uniquely suited to our students. Courses are taught in multi-age settings with grade-appropriate assignments, resources, and assessments. Opportunities for learning include:
- An innovative blend of small group and individual instruction taught by dedicated faculty members who hold degrees or advanced degrees appropriate to their subjects
- Interdisciplinary learning opportunities in an unparalleled natural setting of rivers, mountains, and canyons that stretch out from the school’s backyard
- Flexible opportunities for accelerated and advanced work tailored to students’ needs
Meet our talented faculty members >
“Before coming to Link I was lost, I couldn’t imagine what the future would bring, beginning to lose interest in the activities that I could not live without. Now school is fun to me; in this one semester I’ve learned more than I have in the past two and a half years. I am a proud, happy Link student.”
Gunnar, 2018
Meeting Each Student’s Needs
Many teens today are looking for something that will challenge them, inspire them, and link them with a true sense of their identity as they launch out into the adult world. At Link, we’re committed to providing that experience for each student.
Our faculty meet formally with students one-on-one at least four times a year to discuss academic progress and academic goal setting. We focus on each student’s goals—whether those be to attend college, find a vocational school, or begin work—and how Link can support each student. With an average of four to six students per class, we connect deeply with each of our cherished students.
We guide each senior through the college application process, including all support necessary for taking standardized tests. Our graduates have received college acceptances from such institutions as Colorado State University, Ft. Lewis, Ithaca College, Lewis and Clark, Prescott College, Principia College, Quest, St. Johns, University of Denver, University of the Ozarks, Warren Wilson, Western State, and Whitman College.
Read more about our academic accreditation >
“The students evolve imperceptibly daily so by the end of the year, they leave as new people. It’s like a big black box and you are not quite sure what events lead to which changes, but the final result leaving that box, while ineffable, is remarkable.”
Joel, Staff member
Authentic Learning
To prepare our students for life after Link, we connect academic learning with life experiences. Our faculty incorporate authentic learning into their courses, allowing our students to gain deeper understanding by exploring real-world challenges and problems.
Link connects classroom learning with international expeditions, service work, and individual projects. We encourage our students to think for themselves, develop curiosity, build academic resilience, and apply learned knowledge to new situations.
Course Profile — Advanced Biology: Reef to River (2019-20)
In this marine biology course, we’ll understand ecological functionality and important relationships. We’ll spend particular attention to Baja California in preparation for our January expedition. In the spring, we study plants in more depth, with heavy focus on cellular biology and comparisons between plants and animals. We carry out a genetics lab from the College Board AP curriculum and perform Chi-square analyses.
Throughout the course, we consider the cross-cutting themes of stewardship, sustainability, and regenerative practices. The objective of this course is to provide students with a hands-on learning experience in which they can better understand the world. Classroom and field lectures provide core concepts and tools for inquiry, while labs and field exercises reinforce key concepts and give students the opportunity to apply their knowledge to real problems in the field.
Explore student projects and writing >
Courses and Curriculum
Link faculty provide rigorous courses catered to their unique combination of students. Courses include a wide variety of assessments such as portfolios, presentations, local and international field experiences, group problem-solving, and authentic assessments such as writing for publication.
Our students take a full course load of 6.5 core courses:
- English
- Mathematics
- Modern Languages
- Science
- Social Studies/History
- Electives/Enrichment Courses
- Physical Education
Explore the full course catalog here >
A Letter from a Link Alum
Dear Link Staff,
For 7 weeks I have been attending college and to be completely honest, it is not quite as rad as Colorado. But then again, there is not another state that has the word ‘rad’ in its name.
Anyway, what I hadn’t noticed until this last week was that I had been applying almost every single thing that I learned from Link in all 5 of the classes that I’m taking. Consecutively throughout all the classes, in every group discussion, or answering a question for my professors, I have been able to account my actual experiences from being in Ecuador or on any of the trips/classes with Link. It’s easier to answer questions when I apply how and why it is vital to have a healthy community. What really blew my mind was that all my classes from a glance, seem to be very different from each other.
I’m taking a Race & Ethnicity class that feeds its ideas into my Introduction to Ethics class that then feeds into my Environmental Writing Class when we talk about environmental ethics. In my Spanish class I can better understand people from Spanish speaking countries’ way of life and the significance their cultures have. The easiest class to apply my experiences in is my Introduction to Biology/Ecology class called Field & Natural History. I look forward to an overnight camping trip we will be taking to the Ozarks in two weeks. After realizing these connections, classes have been better and I’m starting to enjoy my time while being in college.
All in all, I wanted to take the time to express my endless amount of gratitude for having the opportunity to attend Link last year. If it wasn’t for Link, I wouldn’t have found that I truly do have an interest and passion for videography and outdoor education. I look forward to exploring these newfound passions while attending college. Thank you so much for encouraging and supporting me into being a part of Link. Thank you all for helping me open windows to God!
Love,
Kiersten