North Routt Community Charter School

The North Routt Community Charter School (NRCCS) is a Pre-K through 8th grade tuition-free charter school located in Clark, Colorado, celebrating it's 25th anniversary. We specialize in personalized academic learning with an emphasis on the arts and on outdoor education and wellness.  In fact, half of the Fridays throughout the academic year are spent with all K through 8 students in the wilderness learning about and appreciating the environment.  In my decades of academic leadership, I have never seen such a remarkable program.

Some 2026 highlights:

• Recent standardized testing placed NRCCS at the top of Routt County schools and in the top 10% of all Colorado schools.
• NRCCS earned the prestigious John Irwin Award for Academic Excellence recognizing outstanding student performance for the fourth consecutive year in 2025-2026.
• NRCCS has the only teacher in the North Routt region selected as a semi-finalist for the 2027 Colorado Teacher of the Year competition, which is still ongoing toward the fifty state teachers of the year being hosted at the White House next year.  All NRCCS faculty are outstanding educators.
• NRCCS recently received a state grant for $676,000 for new playgrounds on campus with outdoor learning facilities and equipment.
• NRCCS recently acquired new Chromebooks for every student.  NRCCS maintains a focus on reducing classroom screen time to that which enhances learning, currently less than three hours per week.
• NRCCS runs a school bus to and from Steamboat Springs daily plus an athletics bus in the afternoons for those living in the Clark area but participating in Steamboat athletic programs.
• As a charter school, tuition is free.  NRCCS is a member of the Colorado League of Charter Schools.
• A vibrant and cohesive parents' club is available for those who wish to connect and help with school events.

NRCCS Mission:  To challenge students to thrive beyond the 4 walls through personalized academic learning, stewardship, the arts, and outdoor discovery.

NRCCS Character Traits (Values): Respect, Integrity, Courage, Compassion, Curiosity, and Creativity

Please visit for a personal tour and information session.  North Routt Community Charter School, 26990 Eagle Lane, Clark, CO 80428.  Office: (970) 871-6062.

Bill Gallagher, Head of Schools
C: (970) 846-0515

Gallagher biography:

William J. Gallagher was appointed as the Head of School for the North Routt Community Charter School on May 1, 2026. Bill has been an educator throughout his professional life in the United States Army, in humanitarian work, and as a teacher and administrator at various levels of public and private education. He has served as president, dean of academics, and dean of students at primary, middle, and high schools. He has led the start-up of several campuses and served as a senior administrator at colleges and universities in the United States and abroad. He also led the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, Africa, on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he attended West Point, Long Island University, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the Harvard Kennedy School, and the University of Liverpool, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, a Master’s Degree in Leader Development as an Eisenhower Fellow, a Harvard Research Fellowship in National Security, and an Education Doctorate (all but dissertation). 

Bill spent twenty-eight years as an active-duty Army Infantry officer retiring as a Colonel. Key assignments in the United States, Europe, and Middle East included the command of infantry platoons, a company, battalion, and brigade; West Point faculty and staff; two combat assignments in Iraq; and two Pentagon assignments. He was an Army Airborne Ranger and Bronze Star Medal recipient from Operation Iraqi Freedom. Following retirement he was selected for the U.S. Government’s Senior Executive Service.

Bill resides in Hahn's Peak Village, Colorado.