Animas Valley Elementary Home

Our goal
at AVE is
every student,
every day.
Principal & assistant principal welcome a student

About Us

Animas Valley Elementary is a PreK-5 school located in a beautiful valley just north of Durango, Colorado. Our school is grounded in a School Family model. Through building relationships, we support one another's academic and social emotional growth. Mistakes are an opportunity to learn, and we take pride in our ability to persevere. We utilize structures for coaching self-regulation, class meetings as a venue for democratic problem solving, and we tackle challenges as well as celebrate our success together. Our family culture can be felt throughout our school.
student and teacher "high-five"
Where we’re located
Durango School District map
school building

Mission

Our vision is to guide learners as we develop  the tools and mindsets to continually seek and understand the world and ourselves. Learners will demonstrate confidence, compassion and value diversity. Everyone will leave our school with the ability to apply, transfer and reflect on concepts because we are motivated to ask questions and discover solutions.

School & District News

Two students sit outside on building steps eating their lunches.

Parenting series: January 2026 classes + newsletter on peer pressure and healthy choices

Need help in supporting your child's well-being? We are offering FREE live webinars on Monday-Thursday evenings throughout the school year, and you can always watch previously recorded classes on your own time by visiting the Cook Center's full content library. Live webinar topics in January include ADHD, bullying prevention, anxiety and depression, confidence-building, video game addiction, school avoidance, suicide prevention, establishing healthy boundaries, and more.
Bravo Award winner Krista Karpel

Bravo Award winner: Krista Karpel

Throughout each school year, DSD employees nominate their colleagues for Bravo Awards, an honor that recognizes faculty and staff who demonstrate Portrait of a Graduate attributes as they go above and beyond for students and the district.
Two adults cheer on a young child riding a red bike on a gravel road.

Parenting series: December 2025 classes + newsletter on Holiday Stress, Mental Health, and How to Cope

Need help in supporting your child's well-being? We are offering FREE live webinars on Monday-Thursday evenings throughout the school year, and you can always watch previously recorded classes on your own time by visiting the Cook Center's full content library. Live webinar topics in December include Compassionate Parenting, Depression: You're Not Alone, Navigating Divorce When Children Are Involved, Social Media: Protecting Your Child, ABCs of Substance Use and Vaping, and many more.
Bravo Award winner Josh Lamb

Bravo Award winner: Josh Lamb

Throughout each school year, DSD employees nominate their colleagues for Bravo Awards, an honor that recognizes faculty and staff who demonstrate Portrait of a Graduate attributes as they go above and beyond for students and the district.
YouTube thumbnail showing a middle school student lifting weights on a bench

Escalante students field-test new CrunchLabs MagLev unit

In Christopher Skinner’s classroom at Escalante Middle School, students are test-driving a brand-new CrunchLabs unit created by Mark Rober — the former NASA engineer turned YouTube maker behind glitter bombs and squirrel obstacle courses.
An adult hands someone an apple across a fruit stand.

Need help putting food on the table?

Because of the federal shutdown, many Southwest Colorado families are not receiving their SNAP benefits this month. A regional network of community partners is working hard to make sure no one goes hungry.
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Connect with DSD on social media

Did you know Durango School District (DSD, formerly 9-R) shares stories, celebrations, and behind-the-scenes moments every week on social media? Follow us to see what’s happening in our classrooms and beyond — from teaching innovations and student projects to staff spotlights and community connections.
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Michol Brammer, Principal of Animas Valley Elementary School

Principal's Message

Welcome Husky students and families! We have a School Family Culture created through the implementation of social/emotional learning structures that promote increased emotional intelligence. Our school has other distinguishing characteristics, including: Thinking Strategies Institute-trained teachers; Workshop model classrooms;  Orton-Gillingham-trained teachers; and flexible grouping.   – Michol Brammer, Principal

Events

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Engineer Mountain

Quality of Life

Durango is a beautiful place to live and work. It is located at 6,512 feet elevation in Southwest Colorado near the Four Corners region. Families who live here enjoy a historic steam train, ski resort, rivers, vibrant downtown, bike trails, sky-high “fourteener” mountains, and four distinct seasons with an average of 266 sunny days per year. We welcome new families and new staff members, and we offer excellent benefits and competitive salaries. 
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Accessibility Statement

It is the goal of Durango School District that the information on this website be accessible to individuals with visual, hearing, or cognitive disabilities. Good faith efforts are being made to ensure that our website complies with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.
 
Most pages on our site are available in HTML format, which can be read by screen readers. Some documents are in Adobe PDF format, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded for free from the Adobe website. Additionally, some documents are in Google Docs and Google Forms. Most modern browsers and screen readers can access Google-based documents. More information about Google web products accessibility can be found on the Google Accessibility website.
 
To ensure accessibility for everyone in our community, including those with disabilities, Durango School District is taking the following steps:
 
* We are actively identifying and addressing accessibility barriers across our websites and digital platforms.
* We request accessibility documentation (such as VPATs – Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates) from vendors whose digital tools or content are used on our websites.
* We work with vendors and service providers to ensure they are taking steps toward full compliance with WCAG and Section 504 requirements.
* We are committed to ongoing staff training and continuous website improvement.
* We regularly review our digital content to align with the Colorado Digital Accessibility Act (C.R.S. 24-34-104) and the latest applicable standards.
 
If you are unable to access any page or document on our site, please contact us at [email protected]. Include the webpage or document URL, your name, email address, and phone number. We will provide the information in an alternative format and work to resolve the issue. Alternatively, you may call the district's main information line at (970) 247-5411 and ask to speak with someone in the Communications Department. Include the location of the webpage/document, your name, email address, and phone number so we can provide the information in another format, and address the issue.

Learn more about the district's accessibility compliance plan and progress reports.