Poudre School District is proposing to close nine schools and consolidate two others as soon as the next academic year. Driven by declining enrollment, the plan will alter student commutes and trigger staff layoffs.
Targeted Elementary and Middle Schools
The closure list targets eight elementary schools and one middle school across the district.
The recommended elementary closures are Beattie, Irish, Johnson, Putnam, Timnath, Stove Prairie, Red Feather, and Livermore. Blevins Middle School is also slated for closure.
In addition to the closures, the district proposal calls for Centennial High School and Poudre Community Academy to consolidate into a new school. Superintendent Brian Kingsley explained that demographic shifts are forcing the contractions.
“We serve the children that live here. There are just fewer children that reside here, and that is not in our locus of control,” Kingsley said during a news conference.
Logistical Strain on Working Families
For local families, the restructuring means longer travel times and adjusted daily routines.
Peri Mueller, a Poudre School District parent with a son at Blevins Middle School, said the potential changes present immediate logistical challenges.
Under the proposal, Blevins students would be reassigned to either Webber Middle School or Lincoln Middle School. Mueller noted that her sixth-grade son currently walks to Blevins, a routine that supports her household schedule with two working parents.
“I think my mind is just logistically trying to figure out what we’re going to do next year,” Mueller said. “Having the ease of our oldest son being able to walk to school, to and from, is a huge part of having two working parents in the household.”
Severe Commutes for Mountain Students
The closure of all three mountain schools—Stove Prairie, Red Feather, and Livermore—carries even more severe travel impacts.
Kingsley acknowledged that students in remote areas like Red Feather could face hourlong, one-way commutes to reach facilities closer to Fort Collins.
Upcoming Layoffs and Board Vote Timeline
Kingsley stated that the restructuring will bring significant layoffs, though he maintained that the overall quality of education will remain stable.
“Nobody wants to know that their children are potentially going to have a teacher that they don’t know yet,” Kingsley said. “Nobody’s going to be excited about that until they know what they’re getting on the other side.”
The Comprehensive Planning Committee is scheduled to formally submit its recommended closure list to the Poudre School District Board of Education on October 13, with a final vote scheduled for October 27.
Community Listening Sessions Scheduled
The Poudre School District has scheduled four community listening sessions in October to gather public feedback before the board’s scheduled vote:
- October 12: Timnath Middle-High School
- October 14: Rocky Mountain High School
- October 15: Poudre High School
- October 19: Fort Collins High School
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