About
About BCHS
About Boulder Creek High School
Boulder Creek High School, established in 2004, is located in Anthem, Arizona and serves the communities of Anthem, New River, Desert Hills, and Black Canyon City bringing suburban and rural families together at a comprehensive, collaborative, student-focused school that creates a strong BC family. Characteristics that define the BC family are support; caring for one another; security and a sense of belonging; open communication; and making each person within the family feel important, valued, respected, and esteemed. BCHS is community-centric with 38% of staff members that are also parents of current Jaguars and Jaguar alumni. Many community members also come to work to support students and the community. Friday night lights are alive when our football stadium is filled with red and black Jaguar PRIDE!
BCHS is an integral institution in this area. Our students arrive from seven district feeder schools, three charter schools, and open enroll from other area schools, demonstrating that parents want their children to attend Boulder Creek High School to participate in exceptional academic programs, athletics, and extracurricular programs which make up “Jag Nation.” Student success is supported through following our BC PRIDE core values of being Prepared, having Respect, showing Integrity, being Disciplined, and ensuring Everyone’s United. These words contain the most important traits to successful learning and success beyond high school. PRIDE posters are seen everywhere around our campus– in classrooms, on our football field, and in our unified expectations. At BCHS, we work together to be consistent, collaborative, and supportive because it takes a village to support all of our 2,400 Jaguars! To provide diverse opportunities, our students thrive and excel not only academically, but also in our award-winning fine arts department; strong work-based CTE programs; Mandarin Immersion program; student-driven clubs; and stellar AP, dual enrollment, and athletics programs. These characteristics are the driving force of our vision, All BCHS students will graduate with post-secondary choice and success, and our mission, The Boulder Creek High School community will provide a safe learning environment with rigorous academic opportunities for all students to graduate as productive, responsible and contributing citizens. Our school has taken measures to ensure student and staff involvement when deciding the school's vision, mission, and values. These guiding principles drive our decisions as we strive to provide outstanding educational opportunities to our students. Our stakeholders consistently emphasize the success of our students where their work is shared in local news publications. Our hard work and dedication has also been recognized by the ADE awarding us with an A-rating since 2019.
What sets us apart from other schools appeared in 2017 with the arrival of our current principal, Mrs. Sutton. She focused the BC staff with a set of Collective Commitments to grow ALL BCHS students! We see the commitments at each and every meeting, and understand the importance of our work here. The commitments are: Believing all students can learn at high levels and that we have the ability to make it happen. Being student-focused in all we do and in the decisions we make each day to support learning both academically and behaviorally. Collaborating interdependently to learn from one another, to monitor student progress, to design relevant, standards-aligned common formative assessments, and to develop supports for students that are not meeting proficiency and extension opportunities for those ready to accelerate. Growing professionally through learning, listening, taking risks, and asking for assistance so we can best support student learning and growth. And holding one another accountable to building a strong PLC culture, to meeting our collective goals, and to creating a positive, supportive community that is focused on reaching each student. These ideals carry over into our classrooms and our culture. One of our students said, “ What makes BC great are the teachers. They care about not only your education but also your well being and you outside of school. They put time and effort into you and support you in ways that suit you.”
Vision, Mission & Values
BCHS Vision Statement
PREPARED:
At Boulder Creek High School, our vision is to make sure all our students have the skills they need to succeed after graduation. We want to give them more than just good grades—we want to equip them with practical life skills, critical thinking abilities, and a growth mindset. Our goal is to help students feel confident and ready to pursue their post-secondary choices, whether it's college, vocational training, entrepreneurship, or other paths.
RESPECT:
Our vision is to create a supportive and inclusive environment where students learn to appreciate and respect each other's differences. We want our students to understand the value of diversity, cultures, and ideas as they strive for success beyond high school. By fostering respectful relationships, our graduates will have the interpersonal skills necessary to collaborate effectively, network, and build positive connections in their future endeavors.
INTEGRITY:
At Boulder Creek High School, we aim to develop graduates who are honest, ethical, and accountable individuals. Our focus is on instilling a strong sense of integrity in both academic and personal pursuits. We believe that making ethical decisions, respecting intellectual property, and practicing honesty will guide our students toward success in their chosen paths after high school.
DISCIPLINE:
We want to cultivate disciplined students who have the skills and habits needed for success after high school. Our goal is to help students develop self-discipline, time management, and perseverance. By building discipline, our graduates will be better equipped to face challenges, manage their responsibilities, and adapt to the demands of their chosen post-secondary paths.
EVERYONE UNITED:
Our vision is to create a close-knit community that supports every student's journey toward post-secondary success. We celebrate diversity, promote inclusivity, and strive for equal opportunities for all. We believe that by fostering unity and belonging, our graduates will have the support, mentorship, and peer network needed to navigate and excel in their post-secondary endeavors.
Recognition
- 2024 A-rated School- Arizona Department of Education
- 2025 AEF Arizona Teacher of the Year, Mr. Burnton!
- 2025 AEF Arizona State Teacher of Year Finalists: Mr. Burnton & Mr. Donovan
- 2025 National Merit Semi-Finalist: Benjamin Heiner
- 2024 AEF A+ School of Excellence
- 2024 DVUSD Rookie of the Year: Mr. Morales
- 2024 DVUSD Teacher of the Year: Mr. Burnton
- 2024 National Merit Scholarship Winner: Aiden Thatcher
- 2023 A-rated School- Arizona Department of Education
- 2023 Inaugural Cohort Members of ASU Impact Corps
- Deer Valley Education Foundation Teachers of the Year
2024 A-rated School- Arizona Department of Education
On Friday, October 19th, we learned that officially, BCHS is once again rated “A” by the Arizona Department of Education! This is a testament to your hard work and growth in learning, Jags! Be sure to thank your incredible teachers for supporting your learning and growth! I am so incredibly proud of all of you and I am so excited to see how you continue to grow this year! You’ve got this, Jags!!
2025 AEF Arizona Teacher of the Year, Mr. Burnton!
Saturday, October 19th, 2024 was a BIG day for two incredible BCHS Teachers. As you know, Mr. Donovan and Mr. Burnton were both finalists for the Arizona Teacher of the Year. On Saturday, the Arizona Educational Foundation held its Gala where they named the four ambassadors of excellence including Mr. Donovan! As an ambassador, Mr. Donovan will get some incredible travel and speaking opportunities in Arizona as he represents education in the state! Congratulations, Mr. Donovan! We are so proud of you!! And then at the very end of the evening, AEF named the Arizona Teacher of the Year for 2025– Mr. Burnton!! Mr. Burnton will represent the state of Arizona in the National Teacher of the Year competition as well as receive some incredible travel experiences to NASA, Google, and the White House! Mr. Burnton has already appeared on Channel 12 and AZ Family, so watch for him in the News! Congratulations to Mr. Burnton! We are so proud of you!!
2025 AEF Arizona State Teacher of Year Finalists: Mr. Burnton & Mr. Donovan
We are incredibly proud to announce that both Mr. Burnton (AP World History) and Mr. Donovan (AP US History & Social Studies Department Coordinator) have become top 5 finalists for the Arizona Teacher of the Year! This is the first time in AEF history that two teachers from the same campus have made it into the top 10 semi-final round, and now Mr. Donovan and Mr. Burnton are making history once again as 2 of the top 5 finalists! There are many exciting moments to come because of this incredible recognition, which include capturing a video of interviews and teaching for the awards gala, recognition by the DVUSD Governing Board on September 10th, and the AEF Teacher of the Year Gala on October 19th where the Arizona State Teacher of the Year will be named. Both Mr. Burnton and Mr. Donovan are considered Ambassadors of Excellence at this point in the competition which will afford them some incredible opportunities as teachers in the state. Congratulations!
And to share another amazing part of this story-- Mr. Burnton and Mr. Donovan don't just teach in the Social Studies Department together-- they are a part of the same collaborative team that meets on Fridays during district PLC time. Their collaboration around student learning and growth in the AP Social Studies vertical team has grown both of their practices over the years. The collaborative time has allowed for time to deeply unpack standards, skills, and AP course curriculum as well as time to share strong instructional practices to support student growth and learning. Since Mr. Burnton and Mr. Donovan have been collaborating, they have strengthened one another's practices while also increasing student success in AP World and AP US History. During the 2024 AP Exams, BCHS had the most students test in AP World and AP US since 2018 with the highest score averages in the last 5 years! Teacher collaboration has been a definitive part of the success of our Arizona Teacher of the Year finalists!
Click here for the AZ Central Article on the AEF Teacher of the Year Finalists!
2025 National Merit Semi-Finalist: Benjamin Heiner
2024 AEF A+ School of Excellence
This award is incredibly challenging to get and is the highest achievement a public school can receive in the state of Arizona. After reviewing our 70 page application, visiting our school and observing nearly all of our classrooms, speaking to staff, students and parents, the Arizona Education Foundation determined that BCHS is an A+ School of Excellence!
In our 20 years of being open, this is Boulder Creek’s very first A+ School award and the achievement is truly a testament to the work and dedication of all of our jaguars: our staff, our students and our community.
2024 DVUSD Rookie of the Year: Mr. Morales
2024 DVUSD Teacher of the Year: Mr. Burnton
2024 National Merit Scholarship Winner: Aiden Thatcher
2023 A-rated School- Arizona Department of Education
2023 Inaugural Cohort Members of ASU Impact Corps
BCHS teachers, Mr. Baxley, Mr. Jordan, and Mrs. Baldwin were recognized in the inaugural cohort of the ASU Impact Corps of the Helios Decision Center for their incredible work in building incredible student success in college level engineering after BCHS!
From the Helios Center Impact Report Volume 1:
"After identifying a group of schools whose graduates showed particularly high rates of university success in individual subjects, we reached out to learn more about what was happening at those schools that may be contributing to these high rates of success. From there, we connected with this group of 12 teachers who were most directly connected to these subjects at their schools. Since interviewing and in most cases observing and visiting their classrooms, we invited them to become the Inaugural Cohort of the ASU Impact Corps. Their stories are highlighted in this catalog, and they are serving as mentors to other educators and schools in Arizona." (9)
"Boulder Creek High School (BCHS) shows a very high rate of success in 100 & 200-level engineering courses at the state's public universities. Bachelor's degrees in engineering are also one of the most popular choices for BCHS graduates from the past 5 years, both in degrees completed and in declared majors. This case study focus on an instructional team approach between two engineering teachers, Mr. Andrew Jordan & Mr. Donald Baxley, and one of the school’s math teachers, Ms. Juliette Baldwin." (14)
We are so incredibly proud of our teachers, students, and their amazing success! Congratulations, Mr. Baxley, Mr. Jordan, and Mrs. Baldwin!
You can learn more about the ASU Helios Decision Center for Educational Excellence Impact Stories here: https://decisioncenter.asu.edu/sites/default/files/2023-06/ImpactStories_spreads.pdf
Deer Valley Education Foundation Teachers of the Year
2008- Brittany Sutton, Elizabeth Erickson, Sheila Beeler, Sarajane Hudson, Rosalyn McDermott
2009- Juliette Baldwin
2010- Pam Barrier, Nichole Duquette, Peter Erickson
2011- Kaleb McKern, Kathy Pondy
2013- Stacy Shane
2014- Kayla Hooley (Rookie of the Year)
2015- Christine Clarkson
2016- Stephen Coots, Nicholas Gearing
2017- Kirk Douglas, Caitlin McAndrew
2018- Laura Price
2019- Janay Perone
2021- Ryan Donovan
2024- Emmett Burnton, Liam Morales (Rookie of the Year)