Meet the Adams 14 Superintendent

Dr. Karla Loría has served as Superintendent of Schools of the Adams County School District 14 (Adams 14) since July 1, 2021. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood-Primary Grades and a Master's degree in School Administration from Universidad Latina de Costa Rica, and a Doctor of Education degree in Professional Leadership from the University of Houston. She is a recipient of the 2018 Colorado Association of Latino/a Administrators and Superintendents Award "Estrella" Latino Leader of The Month, and a graduate of the ALAS 2019 Superintendents Leadership Academy (SLA).

Dr. Loría began her career in education as a Professor of Bilingual Education at the Universidad Latina de Costa Rica from 1995 to 1999. From 1999 to 2008 she served in North Carolina (at Randolph County Schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, and Guilford County Schools) as a Teacher, Assistant Principal, and Principal. From 2008 to 2021 she held district-level positions of increasing responsibility in California (as School Improvement Officer at the San Diego Unified School District), Texas (as Chief School Officer at the Houston Independent School District), Colorado (as Human Resources Officer at the Harrison School District 2), and Nevada (as Region Superintendent and as Chief Academic Officer at the Clark County School District).

After having worked as an educator in Costa Rica, and then in California, Colorado, Nevada, North Carolina and Texas, Dr. Loría has a deep understanding of complex issues such as expectations, testing, equity and funding; she works tirelessly to change the narrative and the outcomes for students.

Under Dr. Loría’s leadership, Adams 14 adopted the Community Schools Model of School Improvement (CSMSI) and created five industry-based high-school academies 1) Architecture, Construction, Engineering, and Design, 2) Health Sciences Professions and Human Services, 3) Business/Hospitality and Tourism, 4) Digital Information and Technology, and 5) Discovery Pathway. Adams 14 also moved up from the Turnaround rating of 2021-2022 to a Priority Improvement rating in 2022-2023; the Academic Achievement’s mean Scale Score (SS) increased in 21 out of 31 indicators, and the Academic Growth’s median Student Growth Percentile (SGP) increased in 20 out of 30 indicators. The largest gains of the Academic Achievement’s mean SS were double-digit, all for high school Math; i.e., 16.9 for Free/Reduced Lunch Eligible, 16.8 for English Learners, 12.2 for Minority Students, and 10.7 for All Students. The largest gains of the Academic Growth’s median SGP were double-digit; i.e., 18 for middle school English Language Arts of Students with Disabilities, 13.5 for elementary school Math of Students with Disabilities, and 10 for high school Evidenced-Based Reading & Writing of Free/Reduced Lunch Eligible.

As a Superintendent, Dr. Loría has been a presenter at the Colorado House Education Committee (March 2022), the 19th Annual National ALAS Education Summit (October 2022), the Adams 14 First Annual State of The Schools Address (March 2023), the ALAS & NABSE 100 Superintendent March (March 2023), the National School Boards Association's 2023 Annual Conference (April 2023), and the 2nd Annual 100 Superintendents on the Hill Advocacy Day & National Informational Networking Workshop (March 2024).

Dr. Loría enjoys the Colorado scene with her husband Mainor, daughters Melania and Karina, and grandchildren Valentina and Logan. She is a soccer fan, a bicycle rider, and a painting artist.