Poudre School District Vows to Shut Down Eight Fort Collins Campuses
Board of Education approved the closures Tuesday, citing enrollment declines, while saving three mountain schools from the initial list.
By Chiara Saeed ·
The Poudre School District will close eight schools in Fort Collins and Timnath over the next two academic years. The Board of Education voted to approve the plan on Tuesday, marking the third major Colorado district to announce such cuts in recent months. Officials attribute the decision to a sustained drop in student enrollment caused by lower birth rates and high living costs.
The district has set specific deadlines for the shutdowns. 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 cease operations before that date to merge into a new institution at an undetermined location. Irish Escuela Bilingüe will close before the 2028-29 academic year.
Timnath Elementary faces a conditional deadline. The district will close the school before the 2028-29 year unless the Town of Timnath secures funding for a new building. Mayor Robert Axmacher requested a delay to allow local officials, parents, and the district to explore other options. He wrote on Facebook that he is offering to pay for an independent consultant to evaluate funding sources.
The board voted to keep three mountain schools open: Livermore Elementary, Red Feather Elementary, and Stove Prairie Elementary. These campuses had been recommended for closure earlier in the process. Superintendent Brian Kingsley addressed the decision in a letter to parents.
“This is a challenging moment for our community, but I believe these changes will make us a stronger district that is better able to support our students as we move into this new future,” Kingsley wrote.
Poudre joins a growing list of Colorado systems reducing their physical footprint. Adams 12 Five Star Schools will close six buildings next year. The Boulder Valley School District will shutter four elementary schools and restructure grade levels at two schools. Denver Public Schools, the state’s largest district, closed seven schools last year. Jeffco Public Schools has closed 21 campuses in recent years, and the Douglas County School District closed three elementary schools in July.
Source: The Denver Post
