Patrick J. Schumaker

Chinook Trail Elementary School
Academy District 20
Colorado Springs, Colorado
[email protected]

Patrick Schumaker’s tenure at Chinook Trail Elementary School is marked with numerous distinctions, but the consistency of the school’s high achievement is made all the more impressive by the fact that the student population has more than doubled in his 13 years as principal. In the first three years of his principalship, Chinook Trail received recognition for high improvement, and the school has since been named a John Irwin School of Excellence for all but four years. Social-emotional learning is at the center of school culture at Chinook Trail, driven by the mantra that “if you can name it, you can tame it.” Schumaker has led the successful implementation of the Yale Center’s RULER curriculum, just one reason among many that 90 percent of students, teachers, and parents express strong satisfaction in annual school culture surveys. The school is one of only three to receive state distinction as a Colorado Model Autism and Significant Support Needs Program, maintaining the status since 2013. Before becoming a principal, Schumaker served as a school literacy coordinator and worked in the private sector in education management, serving as the vice president for Mathematics and executive director of Edison Learning. He has previously served as an assistant principal for two years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Kansas State University, a M.Ed. in Special Education from Wichita State University, and principal licensure through the University of Denver.