The Poudre School District has made its decision on a sweeping plan to close and consolidate schools across the district.
While the district is moving forward with a series of closures and consolidations, not all of those changes will happen at once.
The board has also made adjustments to its original proposal, deciding to only close six of the nine schools after hearing concerns from the community.
Here are the approved changes:
- Effective July 1, 2027, Beattie Elementary School will close and students within the neighborhood boundary will be assigned to Lopez Elementary School and Bennett Elementary School.
- Effective July 1, 2028, Irish Escuela Bilingüe Elementary School will close and students within the neighborhood will be assigned to Cache la Poudre Elementary School and Bauder Elementary School. In addition, the Board directs the administration during the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years, to develop a more unified Dual Language program that will begin during the 2028-2029 school year.
- Effective July 1, 2027, Johnson Elementary School will close and students within the neighborhood boundary will be assigned to Olander Elementary School and McGraw Elementary School.
- Effective July 1, 2027, Putnam Elementary School will close and students within the neighborhood boundary will be assigned to Dunn Elementary School and Tavelli Elementary School.
- Effective July 1, 2028, Timnath Elementary School will close and students within the neighborhood boundary will be assigned to Linton Elementary School and Bamford Elementary School.
- Effective July 1, 2027, a boundary change will be implemented for Bacon Elementary School.
- Effective July 1, 2027, Blevins Middle School will close and students within the neighborhood boundary will be assigned to Webber Middle School and Lincoln Middle School.
- Effective July 1, 2027, Centennial High School and Poudre Community Academy will consolidate to form a new school. The future location will be determined in early 2027.
The board voted to keep three mountain schools open: Livermore, Red Feather, and Stove Prairie elementary schools.
Timnath Elementary is still expected to close, but not until 2028, unless the town secures funding for a new school by November of next year. That comes after the mayor recently asked the board to pause the proposed closure for at least a year, pledging town funding for an independent consultant and proposing a task force to explore other options.
Watch below: Timnath mayor urges Poudre school board to delay proposed school closure
At Timnath's budget work session Tuesday night, the town council unanimously supported an ask for city manager to commit at least $25,000 from the 2026 budget and at least $25,000 from the 2027 budget to form a joint task force, comprised of town, district and community reps to explore all options when it comes to keeping Timnath Elementary School open.
The town will hire a consultant to manage that process and assist with research and evaluating options. If needed, more funds can be added in the future. Mayor Axmacher thanked the Board for working with them, as well as parents who “fought passionately.”
"We are just getting started. I am in awe of this community. Thank you to every Cub that refused to give up and fought tirelessly for Timnath Elementary these past few weeks. This is what Timnath is all about," Mayor Axmacher said.
“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 backyard,” Timnath Elementary parent Jamie Philbeck said.
Denver7 has spoken to many parents and students who raised concerns throughout this process, including parents at Timnath Elementary who say the town of Timnath is continuing to grow.
“I understand that there are enrollment declines in some of the schools, but we are not having that issue. We're having quite the opposite issue. The town of Timnath is experiencing booming growth right now. There are 1,000 homes that are going to be built within the boundaries of Timnath Elementary in the next three years. There's no threat of our enrollment declining,” Philbeck said.
The district said it recognizes these changes deeply affect its school communities and more transition support information will be shared in the months ahead.
“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. Thank you to the many students, families, staff, and community members who shared their perspectives throughout this process,” the school district said.
For parents considering a different school, the first School Choice application window opens November 4 and closes December 16, with students from closing schools receiving priority consideration.
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