Celebrated North High School principal to leave at end of year

Nicole Veltzé, the principal of Denver’s North High School, told families last week that she will leave the school after the end of this year.

Veltzé has been North’s principal since 2011. She led the school through a period of significantly improved attendance, academic performance, and graduation rates.

North students work on a project in journalism class in spring 2015.

Veltzé and the North Collaborative School Committee have recommended that Scott Wolf, the school’s associate principal, become the North’s principal starting in 2015-16. School officials said they expect Wolf’s appointment to be finalized within the week.

Before Veltzé’s tenure, North was a turnaround school.  Her work at North, and the school’s significant academic improvements, were spotlighted in an article and video in The Denver Post earlier this year.

Veltzé was previously the principal of Skinner Middle School. When she left to come to North, she was also succeeded by a former assistant principal. She has not announced plans for after she leaves North.

North High School was the site of Denver Public Schools’ announcement that graduation rates across the district had increased earlier this year. The school had the largest increase in on-time graduation of any of the district’s comprehensive schools.

Principal turnover, training, and support have been a concern in Denver Public Schools in recent years. Veltze outstayed the district’s average principal tenure of 3.4 years.