INTERACTIVE: Poudre School District finalizes which schools close — and which ones stay open

After months of community pressure, the district scaled back its closure plan from nine schools to six — but thousands of Fort Collins-area families still face new assignments, longer bus rides, and an uncertain future.

The Poudre School District board has cast its final votes on a sweeping reorganization. Six schools will close, one will consolidate with another, and three mountain schools that were on the chopping block will stay open.

• 6 — Schools Closing
• 3 — Mountain Schools Saved
• 2027 — First Closures Take Effect

For months, community members packed school board meetings, submitted public comments, and organized to fight a plan that originally called for closing nine schools across the Poudre School District. The board listened — at least in part. Three mountain schools were pulled from the closure list entirely, and the remaining six closures were spread across two years to give communities more time to adapt.

But the relief was not universal. Timnath Elementary remains on the list, set to close in 2028 unless the town of Timnath can secure independent funding for a new school by November of next year. That carve-out came after the town's mayor personally asked the board to pause the closure, and the town council unanimously backed a joint task force funded with at least $25,000 from each of the next two city budgets.

The Closure and Consolidation Calendar

• Nov 4 – Dec 16, 2026 — School Choice window opens for affected families
• Early 2027 — Future location of Centennial / Poudre Community Academy consolidation announced
• Nov 2027 — Deadline: Timnath must secure new-school funding or closure proceeds
• July 1, 2027 — Beattie Elementary closes — students to Lopez and Bennett
• July 1, 2027 — Johnson Elementary closes — students to Olander and McGraw
• July 1, 2027 — Putnam Elementary closes — students to Dunn and Tavelli
• July 1, 2027 — Blevins Middle School closes — students to Webber and Lincoln
• July 1, 2027 — Bacon Elementary boundary change takes effect
• July 1, 2027 — Centennial High consolidates with Poudre Community Academy, will form a new school
• 2028–2029 school year — New unified Dual Language program launches — developed during 2026-28
• July 1, 2028 — Irish Escuela Bilingüe closes — students to Cache la Poudre and Bauder
• July 1, 2028 — Timnath Elementary closes — students to Linton and Bamford (unless town secures new-school funding)

For our kids, we have a school that's fully functioning. It's excelling in every category and every benchmark that the district has set for it. So why send our kids on a 50-minute bus ride when we have a school that fully functions in our backyardJamie Philbeck, Timnath Elementary parent

Timnath became the emotional center of the debate — and it remains unresolved. Unlike the other closing schools, which face enrollment declines, Timnath sits inside a fast-growing town. Parent Jamie Philbeck pointed out that 1,000 new homes are expected to be built within the school's boundaries over the next three years. That growth argument, combined with the mayor's direct appeals to the board, bought the community a conditional reprieve.

For families at the other five closing schools, there is no such escape clause. The district has acknowledged the disruption is real and promised more transition support details in the months ahead. The first concrete action available to any affected family is the School Choice window opening November 4.

Closing Schools at a Glance: What Changes and When

How Closely Did You Follow the PSD Closure Process?

Five questions. See how well you know the details behind this decision.

The board originally proposed closing how many schools — before community pressure trimmed the list?

• Six — Six is the final number — but the original proposal was larger. Community opposition convinced the board to pull three mountain schools off the list.
• Nine — Correct. The board's original plan called for nine closures. Sustained community advocacy kept Livermore, Red Feather, and Stove Prairie elementary schools open.
• Twelve — The original proposal was nine schools, not twelve. The final approved plan reduced that to six closures.
• Four — Four is less than the final approved number. The original proposal was nine; after community input, the board approved six closures.

What is the condition that could save Timnath Elementary from closing in 2028?

• Enrollment must exceed 400 students by fall 2027 — Enrollment growth is part of Timnath's argument — with 1,000 new homes coming — but the actual escape clause is about funding a new school, not hitting an enrollment number.
• The town secures funding for a new school by November of next year — Correct. The town of Timnath has until November of next year to secure funding for a new school. The town council already committed at least $25,000 from each of the next two city budgets for a joint task force.
• A state audit must clear the district's finances — No state audit was mentioned as part of the Timnath reprieve. The condition is strictly about the town securing its own funding for a replacement school.
• The district must receive a federal grant — A federal grant was not the mechanism here. The deal hinges on the town of Timnath — not the federal government — securing funding for a new school by November of next year.

What new program is the district required to develop as part of the Irish Escuela Bilingüe closure plan?

• A unified Dual Language program launching in 2028-2029 — Correct. The board directed the administration to develop a more unified Dual Language program during the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years, with it launching in the 2028-2029 school year.
• An expanded ESL tutoring network across all schools — ESL tutoring was not the program specified. The board specifically directed development of a unified Dual Language program to begin in the 2028-2029 school year.
• A Spanish immersion magnet school at Bauder — A standalone magnet school was not part of the plan. The board directed a unified Dual Language program — not a magnet — to launch district-wide in 2028-2029.
• A bilingual teacher recruitment pipeline — Teacher recruitment wasn't the specific directive here. The board's requirement tied to the Irish Escuela closure is the development of a unified Dual Language program starting in 2028-2029.

Centennial High School's fate differs from the other schools on the closure list. What actually happens to it?

• It closes and students are split between two existing high schools — Centennial doesn't simply close and scatter students. It consolidates with Poudre Community Academy to form an entirely new school — the future location still to be determined in early 2027.
• It consolidates with Poudre Community Academy to form a new school — Correct. Rather than closing outright, Centennial High will merge with Poudre Community Academy. The combined school's future location will be announced in early 2027.
• It becomes a district administration center — The building's future use wasn't specified that way. Centennial High consolidates with Poudre Community Academy — the future location for the new combined school will be determined in early 2027.
• It merges with Fort Collins High School — Fort Collins High wasn't part of this consolidation. Centennial's partner in the merger is Poudre Community Academy, and the new school's location will be decided in early 2027.

Which three schools did the board vote to keep open, reversing the original proposal?

• Timnath, Bacon, and Blevins — Timnath is still set to close in 2028, and Blevins Middle School is closing in 2027. The three schools saved were mountain schools: Livermore, Red Feather, and Stove Prairie.
• Livermore, Red Feather, and Stove Prairie — Correct. All three are mountain elementary schools that were included in the original nine-school closure proposal. Community advocacy persuaded the board to remove them from the final plan.
• Olander, Tavelli, and Bauder — Those three are actually receiving schools — students from closing schools will be assigned to them. The three schools that were saved are mountain elementaries: Livermore, Red Feather, and Stove Prairie.
• Cache la Poudre, Dunn, and McGraw — Those are receiving schools in the reassignment plan. The three schools that were pulled off the closure list are mountain elementaries: Livermore, Red Feather, and Stove Prairie.

The district's final vote reflects an institution trying to balance financial and enrollment realities against the lived experience of communities that built their identities around neighborhood schools. Timnath's case — a fast-growing town arguing it should not be treated like a shrinking one — exposed the limits of any one-size policy. The question now is whether the task force model can produce a solution before the clock runs out in November of next year.

For families at the other five closing schools, the path forward runs through School Choice. Students from closing schools are given priority consideration in the application process, and the window is narrow: November 4 through December 16. After that, the transition support details the district has promised will need to start arriving.

What Is — and Isn't — Decided

All nine originally proposed schools will close.

Verdict: false

The board reduced the list from nine to six. Livermore, Red Feather, and Stove Prairie elementary schools were removed from the closure plan entirely after community opposition.

Timnath Elementary will definitely close in 2028.

Verdict: mixed

The closure is approved but conditional. If the town of Timnath secures funding for a new school by November of next year, the closure could be avoided. The town council has already committed at least $25,000 per year toward a joint task force to explore options.

Families at closing schools have no school choice options.

Verdict: false

Students from closing schools receive priority consideration in the School Choice process. The first application window opens November 4 and closes December 16, 2026.

The Centennial High closure leaves students without a high school.

Verdict: false

Centennial High is not closing outright — it is consolidating with Poudre Community Academy to form a new school. The future location will be determined in early 2027.

What Affected Families Should Do Now

• Apply During School Choice Window: The first application window runs November 4 through December 16, 2026. Students from closing schools receive priority consideration. Do not wait until the deadline.
• Follow PSD's Transition Updates: The district has committed to sharing more transition support details in the months ahead. Monitor the district's comprehensive planning page for the latest guidance.
• Timnath Families: Watch the Task Force: A joint town-district-community task force will explore options for keeping Timnath Elementary open. A consultant will be hired to manage the process. The funding deadline is November of next year.

Background: Why Is PSD Closing Schools?

The Poudre School District has been grappling with declining enrollment across portions of its service area — a trend affecting districts throughout Colorado and the country as birth rates fall and families move to different neighborhoods or choose charter and private options.

Fewer students in a building means that building costs the same to heat, staff, and maintain but serves fewer kids. The district's comprehensive planning process was designed to right-size the school network so resources can be concentrated where students actually are — and where the programs they need can be delivered most effectively.

The original proposal of nine closures was the administration's assessment of what the data required. The board's decision to save the three mountain schools reflects a recognition that proximity and community character matter in ways that raw enrollment numbers do not fully capture, particularly for rural families with no easy alternative.

Sources for this story

Sources & References

• Primary source: Denver7 — Sophia Villalba
• Poudre School District — Comprehensive planning and school closure final decisions