April 18 – Evan Sturge was unequivocal: Early College Opportunities High School is “absolutely the best high school in Santa Fe.”
In addition to core academic courses, Evan, a ninth grader, takes electives in auto body and technology at the school, known as ECO. He likes that it offers a unique experience, one that aims to prepare students for college and career paths in the skilled trades. ECO is a dual credit school, offering students the opportunity to earn credits toward professional certifications and associate degrees at Santa Fe Community College and other institutions as they work toward a high school diploma.
“It’s not a traditional school at all; it’s very different,” Evan said. “All the teachers are nice. Everyone here is nice.”
ECO’s buildings are just as beautiful now. After years of planning and approximately 18 months of construction, a newly renovated campus is officially open to students and employees.
Santa Fe Public Schools Superintendent Hilario “Larry” Chavez – surrounded by builders, designers and students like Evan – marked the occasion Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
ECO’s $21 million renovation — paid for with voter-approved bond money from 2017 and 2021 — will make room for more than 400 students by doubling classroom space, creating a campus gym and adding a single-entrance administrative building for enhanced security.
The school does not yet have a student population that can fill the renovated campus. State Public Education Department data from the 2022-2023 school year – the most recent available – shows ECO enrolled approximately 110 students in grades nine through 12.
It’s up to district officials, Chavez said, to promote ECO as an opportunity for Santa Fe students, increasing enrollment in the process.
‘There is no better way to recruit people [than] a state-of-the-art building with a high quality of education and a market that is currently in high demand?” he said.
For school board member Sarah Boses, ECO seems ‘the ideal school of the future’. It’s a place for hands-on learning that gets students involved, she said.
In many ways, ECO also fits with New Mexico’s vision for the schools of the future. During recent legislative sessions, lawmakers have invested heavily in career-technical education as a way to reengage dropped-out students and reconnect high school students with the “real world.”
When it opened in 2016 in what previously served as the vocational technical wing of Santa Fe High School, ECO got off to a rocky start. It received an “F” in the state’s former school rating system in its first year of existence.
However, in recent years the school has made progress in increasing its pass and proficiency rates. The 2021-2022 graduation rates – the most recent data available – show that 75% of ECO students graduated in four years, compared to 82% districtwide and 76% statewide.
The school’s proficiency rates, while low, are comparable to those of Capital High School, and the Department of Public Instruction’s latest assessment lists ECO as a “traditional” school, which does not require department intervention.
The new space, featuring classrooms, eco-friendly fixtures and chic modern furnishings, is intended to further advance ECO’s development – as demand for skilled trades rises and the district develops its own programs aimed at workplace readiness, Chavez said.
To close the large gap between ECO’s current enrollment and the new capacity, Chavez said his team plans to market the school as a good option for Santa Fe teens.
“That’s our job: to get out there and really promote this school, promote the district as a whole, really showcase what great programming we have and what great facilities we have to accommodate students and staff,” he said .
