Aurora Public Schools broke ground on a new health sciences high school this week, a 450-student campus rising next to the Anschutz Medical Campus that will offer teenagers nursing pathways and opportunities to pursue EMT or phlebotomy certifications. The school, set to open in fall 2027 at 12095 E. Montview Blvd., will add a grade each year starting with roughly 125 ninth graders, and prospective students can begin applying through the district's magnet school website starting November 13.
The project is part of Aurora's $1 billion bond measure, which voters approved in November 2024 alongside a $30 million annual capital mill levy without raising local property tax rates, according to Sentinel Colorado. As reported by the Denver Gazette, the district expects to welcome its first class of students in fall 2027, with the Aurora Public Schools Board of Education set to vote in October 2026 on an official name after receiving a recommendation of Aurora HEART: Health Sciences High School.
Mock Operating Rooms and Ambulance Bays
The building itself was designed by CannonDesign and is being built by Bryan Construction, with specialized spaces including mock operating rooms, patient care units, and ambulance training bays, according to Bryan Construction. Site prep work, including over-excavation and soil reconditioning, was already underway by July 2026, before the formal groundbreaking, the same account notes. Once open, students will choose from five career and technical education pathways spanning nursing, behavioral health, medical imaging, surgical technology, and respiratory therapy, per the Gazette's reporting.
Tom Gronow said Colorado's future healthcare workforce starts by giving students early, meaningful opportunities to see themselves in these careers, according to the Gazette. He added that by working alongside UCHealth clinicians, students can put classroom lessons into practice and envision a clearer pathway after high school.
A First-of-Its-Kind P-TECH Model in Colorado
Colorado created its P-TECH program in 2015 under a bill signed into law by then-Governor John Hickenlooper establishing public-private partnerships to prepare students for technical careers, the Gazette reports. But the Aurora campus marks the state's first health-focused P-TECH program managed directly by a public school district, according to the newspaper's account — a distinction also noted by UCHealth. Through the school's P-TECH partnership, nursing and behavioral health students can pursue an associate degree through Community College of Aurora, with the behavioral-health degree available at no cost. The magnet school's own materials confirm that students can also pursue Certified Nursing Assistant, Emergency Medical Technician, and Phlebotomy certifications alongside their diplomas.
The district is leaning on more than curriculum design to get students into the pipeline early. The Aurora Public Schools Foundation received a UCHealth grant to support its Summer Bridge program and healthcare career pathways, the district said.
Addressing a Statewide Staffing Gap
The timing reflects a workforce crunch that stretches well beyond Aurora. The Colorado Rural Health Center projects the state will face a deficit of more than 4,400 behavioral health professionals in 2026, according to Westword. Nationally, federal health workforce estimates project an 8% shortage of registered nurses and a 14% deficit of licensed practical nurses in 2026, leaving roughly 263,870 registered nurse positions unfilled across the country, per Nightingale College.
The new school will be located beside the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
A Bond-Funded Campus
The health sciences campus is among the projects connected to the district's 2024 bond.
