Poudre School District finalizes plan to close six Fort Collins schools

The Poudre School District in Fort Collins has completed its review of the local school network. The board has voted to alter the original proposal, reducing the number of planned closures from nine to six while keeping three rural schools open.

The board removed Livermore, Red Feather, and Stove Prairie elementary schools from the closure list. These three institutions are located in the mountains surrounding the city. The administration now plans to implement the remaining changes over a two-year period to allow communities more time to adjust to the new boundaries and assignments.

Most of the changes will take effect on July 1, 2027. Beattie Elementary will close, sending its students to Lopez and Bennett schools. Students from Johnson Elementary will move to Olander and McGraw, while Putnam Elementary students will transfer to Dunn and Tavelli. Blevins Middle School will also close, with its students assigned to Webber and Lincoln. A boundary change at Bacon Elementary begins on the same date. Centennial High will not close entirely. It will consolidate with Poudre Community Academy to create a new school. The district expects to announce the future location of this combined campus in early 2027.

A second phase of the plan takes effect on July 1, 2028. Irish Escuela Bilingüe will close, and its students will be assigned to Cache la Poudre and Bauder schools. The board directed administrators to create a unified Dual Language program during the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years. This new program is scheduled to launch in 2028-2029. Timnath Elementary is also scheduled to close on July 1, 2028, with students moving to Linton and Bamford. This closure can be avoided if the town of Timnath secures funding for a new school by November 2027. The town council unanimously backed a joint task force to pursue this goal. The city will fund the task force with at least $25,000 from each of the next two city budgets. A consultant will manage the process.

Timnath became the focal point of community debate during the planning process. Unlike other schools on the list, Timnath serves a fast-growing area rather than a declining one. Parent Jamie Philbeck stated that approximately 1,000 new homes are expected within the school boundaries over the next three years. She questioned why children would need to ride a bus for 50 minutes when a fully functional school exists in their neighborhood. The board paused the closure based on a direct request from the town's mayor.

Families at the other closing schools do not have a similar funding clause to save their schools. Their first option is the School Choice window, which runs from November 4 through December 16, 2026. Students from schools scheduled to close receive priority consideration in this process. The district acknowledged that the transition will cause disruption. It stated it will share more details about transition support in the coming months. The closures stem from declining enrollment across parts of the district. This trend mirrors patterns seen throughout Colorado and the nation as birth rates fall and families choose charter or private options. The district aimed to concentrate resources where students currently reside. The decision to keep the three mountain schools open reflects the importance of proximity for rural families with limited transportation alternatives.