Poudre Board Votes to Close Six Schools, Sparing Mountain Districts

The Poudre School District board voted on Tuesday to close six schools and consolidate two high school programs, ending months of debate over enrollment shifts across the district. The final plan preserves three mountain schools that had faced earlier closure threats. The district will implement the changes in two phases, with the first wave taking effect on July 1, 2027, and the second on July 1, 2028. This decision modifies the board's original proposal, which had targeted nine schools for closure.

Beattie, Johnson, and Putnam elementary schools will close in the 2027-2028 school year. Students from those neighborhoods will be reassigned to Lopez, Bennett, Olander, McGraw, Dunn, and Tavelli elementary schools, respectively. Blevins Middle School will also close in 2027, sending its students to Webber Middle School and Lincoln Middle School. The board directed administrators to begin developing a unified Dual Language program during the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years. This program will launch in the 2028-2029 school year to replace the Irish Escuela Bilingüe Elementary School, which will close in 2028. Its students will attend Cache la Poudre and Bauder elementary schools.

Centennial High School and Poudre Community Academy will merge to form a single campus. The board has not yet determined the future location of this combined high school, though that decision is expected in early 2027. A boundary change for Bacon Elementary School will also take effect on July 1, 2027. Timnath Elementary School is scheduled to close on July 1, 2028, with students moving to Linton and Bamford elementary schools. However, this timeline remains conditional on local funding efforts in the Town of Timnath.

The board voted to keep Livermore, Red Feather, and Stove Prairie elementary schools open. These three schools in the mountain area were part of the original list of potential closures but were retained after community feedback. Timnath Elementary remains the only other school slated for closure in the second phase, pending the outcome of a town-led task force.

Timnath officials have launched a parallel effort to secure funding for a new school building or to explore alternative options. The town council unanimously voted to commit at least $25,000 from the 2026 budget and $25,000 from the 2027 budget to form a joint task force. This group will include representatives from the town, the school district, and the community. The town plans to hire an independent consultant to manage the research and evaluation process.

Town Mayor Axmacher stated that the community is just getting started in its push to save the school. Axmacher thanked parents for their persistent advocacy during the public comment period. The mayor noted that the town is experiencing significant growth, with 1,000 homes planned for construction within the Timnath Elementary school boundaries over the next three years. This growth contrasts with the enrollment declines cited as the primary reason for other closures in the district.

Jamie Philbeck, a parent at Timnath Elementary, argued that the school currently meets all district benchmarks and excels in academic categories. Philbeck questioned the necessity of a 50-minute bus ride for students when a functioning school is located locally. The district acknowledged that the changes will deeply affect school communities and promised to share more transition support information in the coming months. The board expressed gratitude to students, families, and staff who provided input during the review process.

Parents seeking to move their children to a different school can apply through the district's School Choice program. The first application window opens on November 4 and closes on December 16. Students currently enrolled in the schools scheduled for closure will receive priority consideration in the placement process.