| Bear Creek High School | |
| Streetaddress: | 9800 West Dartmouth Place |
| State: | Colorado |
| Zipcode: | 80227 |
| Country: | United States |
| Coordinates: | 39.6578°N -105.1078°W |
| Staff: | 80.46 (FTE) |
| Ceeb: | 061043 |
| Ratio: | 17.79 |
| Grades: | 9–12 |
| Athletics: | CHSAA 5A |
| Conference: | Jefferson County League |
| Rival: | Lakewood High School |
| Mascot: | Bear |
| School Colors: | Forest green and gold[1] |
| Publication: | Bear Creek Television Network |
| Newspaper: | Bear Facts |
| Enrollment: | 1,431 (2022-23)[2] |
Bear Creek High School is located in the southwest corner of Lakewood, Colorado, a suburb of the greater Denver metro area. It is one of 18 high schools in Jefferson County.
The school colors are forest green, gold, and white. The mascot is a bear. The principal is Shannon Vigil. There are 1,634 students as of October 2018,[3] along with 87 full-time teachers.[4] It is a Class 4A Athletic Program and has over 34 clubs and activities.
Bear Creek High School was established in 1894 as the Montana School.[5] [6] The school was a single room that served elementary grades one through eight. It was not until 1920 that the neighboring community decided to consolidate, thus giving the region its first high school.[7] Before the school was built, all students planning to continue their education either had to live in or commute to schools in Denver.[8]
The Bear Creek Consolidated school combined five elementary school districts. The four other schools were Montana School, Lakeview, Midway and Mount Carbon.[8]
The first class in 1923 consisted of five graduates. From this point on, the school was known as the Bear Creek Consolidated School.[7]
By 1950, all of the schools in Jefferson County had been consolidated and became the Jefferson County School District R-1.[6]
The class of 1952 became the first to graduate in the newly named Bear Creek High School.[6]
Although a fire in 1959 destroyed the original structure, classes were still held in the gymnasium. The new building was built just east of where the current school stands.[6] This building stood for nearly 57 years until a new building, completed in 2009, was built where the original Consolidated School once stood.[9]
On April 22, 2008, during the construction of the new building, Bear Creek High School students experienced another major fire that damaged a gymnasium and several classrooms.[10] After further investigation, it was determined that the fire was an act of arson by two unnamed Bear Creek students.[11] The cause of the fire was a discarded cigarette which caught an exercise mat on fire. This was the second fire within a year at a Jefferson County school. On June 1 at Weber Elementary School a fire that was determined to also be arson, caused nearly $65 million in total damages.[11]