The scaffolding that supports the success of Canyon Ridge School is our commitment to our core values, strong beliefs and traditions, our collective academic efforts, and a sense of family. CRS is based on a mission statement and vision that stipulates a twenty-first century education, highlighting STEM concepts and real world applications of curriculum, for all learners. Student centered learning, innovation and hands-on activities are the foundation of this concept school. Our staff always operates with the belief that all students deserve a dynamic learning environment and can and will be successful; each in their own way.

A dedication to building family traditions on our campus is illustrated with a series of activities that take the learning experiences beyond the four walls of the classroom and often outside the traditional brick and mortar school building. Annual academic celebratory activities that incorporate multi-grade content standards and goals, are a highlight of instruction at CRS. Our Polar Express Night, Read Across America Week, Matheletes, Robotics and STEM Challenge, STEM Festival, and Spelling Bee stress literacy skills in conjunction with outlets for STEM learning. On campus extracurricular clubs, including robotics, art, and music, support the large campus events and allow for student creativity and cross-district collaboration and competition.

As a STEM concept school in the Dysart USD, CRS continually formulates new and improved methods to deliver instruction with a student centered approach to the engineering design process. Multiple grade levels have access to the DEPCO Lab and perform experiments working with machinery that builds hands-on experience with physical sciences, technology and mathematical concepts. All grade levels offer cross-curricular STEM units. Additionally, students are given the opportunity to collaborate across grade levels throughout the year, during STEM Collaboration days, and through the Reading Buddies/Technology Buddies program. From basic machines to elements of aeronautics, students of all grade levels collaborate and encourage each other to refine designs and prototypes for a variety of machines. They are joined by community volunteers and retired engineers from AWIM who offer feedback and the benefits of experience in the engineering field.