Aurora mayor recognizes achievements of Lotus School for Excellence

Not every school gets a visit from its city's mayor on its first day of school, but the Lotus School for Excellence in Aurora did on Tuesday.

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman read a proclamation in front of the student body to recognize them for their achievements. It read:

A PROCLAMATION CELEBRATING THE ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF THE LOTUS SCHOOL FOR EXCELLENCE AND AURORA STUDENTS

WHEREAS, The Lotus School for Excellence has served Aurora students since August 2006, and over the years have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to academic excellence, fostering an environment of achievement, innovation, and inclusivity for all its students; and

WHEREAS, the students, educators, staff, and leadership of the Lotus School for Excellence have dedicated themselves to the highest standards of educational achievement, preparing students to excel both inside and outside of the classroom, while nurturing a sense of civic duty, critical thinking, and leadership in our future generations; and

WHEREAS, Lotus School for Excellence recently accomplished an outstanding milestone with their Class of 2025, who received scholarship awards exceeding $6,250,000.00, achieved a 100% graduation rate and a 96.4% college acceptance rate, with many students being accepted by the nation's top universities including: MIT, Yale, Harvard and Columbia,

WHEREAS, this success highlights the exceptional efforts of Lotus School for Excellence's leadership, teaching staff, students, and the broader community in ensuring every student receives the resources, support, and opportunities necessary to succeed; and

WHEREAS, these achievements are a testament to the unlimited potential of Aurora's youth, and the tireless work, dedication, and resilience of all those involved with Lotus School for Excellence, which is a reflection of the strong partnership between the school and the Aurora community, including families, local leaders, and community organizations;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mike Coffman, Mayor of Aurora, Colorado, do hereby recognize the achievements of Lotus School for Excellence and look forward to your future successes. Dated at Aurora, Colorado, this 10th day of August 2025.

The Lotus School is a free charter school in the Aurora Public Schools System. Secondary Principal Ermek Bakyt says their success isn't a coincidence.

"We really want to build that pipeline of success where we have predictable results, where we have, structured approach, evidence, and data-based decisions that we make," said Bakyt.

They work hard to use data and evidence to build a program for their students that will help them get into college.

"Research shows that there's a correlation between the college attainment levels, from bachelor's, master's, to doctorate, and their annual compensation. So, if students have college degrees, they're pretty much creating more career options for them to select from," said Bakyt.

That can be a challenge because many of their students will be first-generation college students. He says they start early to teach kids and their parents how to get into and prepare for college.

"For some of them, the education system in the US could be new," said Bakyt.

And while a proclamation from the mayor is great, that's not Principal Bakyt's goal. He is aiming much higher.

"We would like to reach over 100% college acceptance," said Bakyt.