Poudre District to shut down eight schools by 2028
Fort Collins officials voted Tuesday to close six campuses immediately and two others later, citing a drop in student numbers across Colorado.
By Luka Tanaka ·
The Poudre School District will close eight schools in Fort Collins over the next two years. The Board of Education approved the plan on Tuesday night. This decision spares three mountain schools from closure while eliminating six others by the start of the 2028-29 academic year.
The district faces falling enrollment due to lower birth rates and high living costs in the state. It is the third major K-12 system in Colorado to announce closures this year. Adams 12 Five Star Schools will close six buildings next year. Boulder Valley School District will shut four elementary schools and restructure two others in the same timeframe.
Beattie Elementary, Johnson Elementary, Putnam Elementary, and Blevins Middle School will close before the 2027-28 school year begins. Centennial High School and Poudre Community Academy will also close at that time. Their students will move to a new school at an undetermined location. Irish Escuela Bilingüe will close before the 2028-29 academic year.
Timnath Elementary faces a conditional closure. The district will shut it before the 2028-29 school year unless the town of Timnath pays for a new building. Mayor Robert Axmacher asked the district to postpone the closure. He wrote on Facebook that he would pay for an independent consultant to evaluate funding sources and alternatives for the town, parents, and district.
The board voted not to close Livermore Elementary, Red Feather Elementary, or Stove Prairie Elementary. These three mountain schools were originally recommended for closure. Superintendent Brian Kingsley called the decision a challenging moment for the community. He stated in a letter to parents that the changes will make the district stronger and better able to support students.
Colorado districts have been downsizing in recent years. Denver Public Schools, the state's largest district, closed seven schools last year. Jeffco Public Schools has shuttered 21 campuses in recent years. The Douglas County School District closed three elementary schools in July.
Source: The Denver Post
