How School Choice and Open Enrollment Shapes Colorado Springs Real Estate

What Can You Tell Us About School Choice?

The home you choose and the education your child receives don’t have to be the same decision. We unpack how Colorado Springs families use open enrollment, charter schools, and magnet programs to match learning styles, schedules, and budgets without being boxed in by a single attendance zone. With Lori Thompson—RE/MAX Properties veteran, top producer, and current school board president—we explore the real mechanics of choice: capacity limits, transportation trade-offs, and how a school’s focus can shape your daily routine.

We break down the differences between charter, magnet, and neighborhood schools, clarifying a common myth: charters are public and tuition-free. From classical education that emphasizes cursive and memorization to American history and civics programs, from IB pathways and STEM labs to hands-on building trades that construct a real house each year, the menu is wide. Lori shares how families can leverage these options to find the right fit for unique learners, including supports many districts offer for homeschoolers and students with dyslexia. Along the way, we connect the dots between top-rated districts, property values, and the practical workarounds when your budget and dream school don’t align.

Timing matters too. Application windows, waitlists, and varying start dates can complicate midyear moves, especially for military families. Lori lays out a simple approach: define your child’s needs, shortlist programs, confirm availability, and understand transport before you start touring homes. When parents lead with the right questions, the right neighborhood often reveals itself.

If this conversation helps you map your next move, follow the show, share it with a friend who’s relocating, and leave a quick review. Questions about schools or neighborhoods in Colorado Springs? Call or text Lori at 719-332-1807—yes, she’ll really respond.

To learn more about RE/MAX Properties Inc. visit:
https://www.LoriThompson.REMAX.com
RE/MAX Properties Inc. 
Colorado Springs 
719-332-1807 

Transcript

Welcome And Host Intro

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Welcome to your Colorado Springs life at home, where real estate meets real talk and maybe a little too much coffee. Hosted by Remax Properties licensed realtor broker and top producer Lori Thompson, a local legend who's been helping military families of civilians buy and sell homes for over 40 years. Whether you're PCSing, upsizing, downsizing, or just a dream, Lori's got you covered. Why? Because she's your lifetime realtor. And she actually answers her phone. Imagine that.

SPEAKER_02 0:39

Hello, hello everyone.

Framing The School Choice Topic

SPEAKER_02 0:41

From open enrollment to charter options, find out how school choice can shape your home search and your child's future. Welcome back. I'm Frederick, co-host and producer, back in the studio with Remax Properties licensed realtor and broker, Lori Thompson. Lori, how's it going?

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Oh, pretty good. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_02 1:00

Doing great, doing great. Thanks for joining us. Lori, I am so excited today to dive into this one with you. So tell us, what should families know about school choice, particularly with options like an open enrollment, charter schools, and other important information?

What Open Enrollment Really Means

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Well, this is something I'm really passionate about. I currently serve on a local school board. I'm actually the president for now. We'll see in November if I get re-elected and if my board members want me to continue as Madam President. I keep trying to get my husband to play hail to the chief when I come home, but he he doesn't know how to access YouTube. So I don't know if I'll ever get to experience that, but but that's fine. Anyway, I'm very passionate about school choice, and I'm very passionate about a parent's right to guide and direct their child's education. So in El Paso County, we have something called open enrollment. And what that means is you can go to any school, any public school in our community, space available. Of course, like anything that's too good to be true, there are catches to it. Like, for instance, let's say I want to choice my child into a school that's across town. Well, I'm going to be driving my child to and from. So you have to transport your children if you do open enrollment into another district.

Charter, Magnet, And Neighborhood Differences

SPEAKER_00 2:22

Charter schools are another incredible option, and we have a lot of choice in charter schools, and they run the gamut that the options for charter schools from a classical education to have, you know, just different opportunities. There's one in our district and one other one. There's a school for children who have dyslexia. Ours is one for younger kids. A neighboring district has one for older kids. And so a lot of it depends on what is the family interested in, what kind of focus, what works best for their child? Is it direct instruction? Um, you know, whatever it may be that works best for them. If you have a particular school that you're interested in, whether it's a public school or a charter school, we have a lot of choices here. And so you're not necessarily stuck with the school that's in your neighborhood, unless you really like the school that's in your neighborhood. So we even have a community here called Banning Lewis Ranch, and they have two charter schools right there in the community, walking distance from most of the houses in those communities. But then we have a traditional school also located for the elementary level within the Banning Lewis outline. So I'm just very proud that we have a lot of school choice.

SPEAKER_02 3:39

Yeah, and speaking of school choice, you mentioned a couple different types of schools. So what are the key differences between, say, a charter, magnets, and neighborhood schools?

SPEAKER_00 3:50

You know, that's a really good question because a magnet school can have a specific focus, but so can a charter. And the most important thing for people to know a charter school is a public school. And a lot of people think they're more like a private school, but they're not, they're public schools. And so a traditional school is the one that corresponds with your address in that particular school district. The charter school can either be in the same district or it can be in another school district, and so that could have a specific focus. Like I was starting to talk about one I know that that really emphasizes handwriting, cursive, direct instruction, memorization of math facts. And so that's the focus of that particular charter school. Then we have another charter school I'm aware of that is based on American history, and it has a heavy focus on constitutional law, what a constitutional republic is, it has that specific focus. And then you have classical education, which is a really broad and intensive education to include some of the classical parts of literature and of education.

Program Focus From Classical To STEM

SPEAKER_00 5:04

Then we have STEM-focused schools, and that's for science, technology. There's one we have here that does a lot of building trades, and so it can kind of segue into different trades that are available from engineering to construction. Um, every year, a couple of our districts build a house, and then they sell that house to like an entry-level family or someone who's who might need a little extra help, and the students learn how to build a school. So that gives you kind of an idea of the difference between a traditional public school, a charter school, and a magnet school. But even in traditional schools now, they have automotive program, they have AI type things are now starting to come up and about engineering. And so there's so many good education options here. And I have heard that our public schools are as good or better than private schools in other states.

SPEAKER_02 6:04

That's amazing. That's amazing. Yeah, thanks for that really thorough uh answer and clarification.

How Choice Influences Home Search

SPEAKER_02 6:10

So how does school choice impact, say, home values or neighborhood demand?

SPEAKER_00 6:17

Well, you know, I mentioned space available. And for a while, my youngest, this was a long time ago, but my youngest was in an international baccalaureate focus. And I actually did choice her into a different district where the high school was closer to my office. And part of it was just, I don't know, being a little more protective of my daughter. I always figured if anybody kidnapped my son, they would return him immediately. He's a great guy, by the way. But I wanted her closer to my office where I could pick her up after school, she could do her homework, and I was just a little more protective of my daughter. And so I choiced her into a neighboring district that also had the international baccalaureate focus with the second language. And so I've done it myself. And it was just a matter of they had space available in the high school by my office, and I had to transport her to and from. Of course, I always volunteered my husband for the morning duty, and then I picked her up in the afternoon. And so, if there is no space available, you may not get choiced into that school. You could also do school choice within the same district. Once again, it's based on space availability.

SPEAKER_02 7:30

Gotcha, gotcha. Thanks for that. So say what should relocating families consider when evaluating school options?

SPEAKER_00 7:40

You

Homeschool Supports And Budgets

SPEAKER_00 7:41

know, I I've talked to them so much about it. Like I have people who come in here who've chosen to homeschool. So I tell them about different homeschool supports within the local public school districts. And a lot of our school districts have developed a program to support homeschooling families. Sometimes, once again, it can be special needs like dyslexia. Other times it can be that focus if you have a high, you know, a very high achieving student who wants to go into a STEM program. The higher-rated public schools tend to come with more expensive real estate around it. And so there's a couple of really high-performing school districts, but the property values may be higher than what they qualify for. So I think the important thing to let them know is you do have school choice subject to availability and subject to the transport. So every kid is unique and precious, and you have to find what works best for your child.

SPEAKER_02 8:44

True, true.

Deadlines, Start Dates, And Paperwork

SPEAKER_02 8:46

So in the application process or regarding the application process, are there any deadlines or paperwork requirements that families should plan for?

SPEAKER_00 8:54

You know, every school district can have a different start date too. So that's something just to check in before you arrive. And a lot of my clients do get their kids registered before they get here. And so each one can have a slightly different start date. But, you know, when it comes to the military, they don't always abide by what time the school year starts. So we have a lot of people who come here in November, December, and they just have to go through the individual district office to make their application.

SPEAKER_02 9:22

Gotcha, gotcha. Thanks for that. So, how do you help clients navigate school choice during the home buying process?

Lori’s Process For Helping Families

SPEAKER_00 9:30

Well, I have to confess a little bit of bias because I always promote the district I live in. And mostly it because I'm really proud of the choice that we offer to parents. But basically, I try to get a feel from them on what they're looking for. And then I tell them about the different school districts and I send them the different websites so they can kind of check it out for themselves.

SPEAKER_02 9:54

Wow, that's really helpful. Uh thanks for that. Thanks for uh laying your process out for us and being very clear, and I think that's great

Closing And Contact Info

SPEAKER_02 10:02

info. So, with that, I do want to say, Lori, thank you for helping families make informed decisions about both homes and schools, and we'll see you next time on Your Colorado Springs Life and Home.

SPEAKER_01 10:14

That's a wrap for this episode of Your Colorado Springs Life and Home. Got questions? Need advice? Just want to talk about interest rates and granite countertops? Call or text Lori at 719-332-1807. Yes, she'll really respond. Or visit Laurie Thompson.reemax.com to get started with your lifetime realtor. Because when it comes to Colorado real estate, Laurie doesn't just know the market, she is the market.