Northern Colorado school district board votes to close 4 schools, merge others amid declining enrollment

In a meeting that lasted until nearly 2 a.m. Wednesday, the school board for the Poudre School District voted to close four schools and merge two others amid declining enrollment. 

After nearly nine hours of debate, the school district in Northern Colorado voted to close four schools. Community members who attended the board meeting stayed until the early morning hours as the final decision was made. 

The schools approved for closure are Blevins Middle School, Beattie Elementary School, Johnson Elementary School and Putnam Elementary School. Centennial and Poudre Community Academy were approved for consolidation. 

The board's resolution to close the schools passed 5-2, which includes making boundary changes for Bacon Elementary School. The closures have been in consideration since the district made the announcement last month. 

Board members acknowledged that the closures were difficult decisions but hope the changes will benefit the community in the future. 

"This is a really hard situation, probably the most dramatic change in Poudre School District history and it's not perfect, but I want to tell everyone who's hurting that this district will rise up," said one board member during the meeting. 

The three mountain schools initially up for consideration, Livermore, Stove Prairie and Red Feather Lakes elementary schools, were spared from closure. Families were concerned about the fate of those schools, saying longer bus rides could make public education less accessible for their children.

The closures of Irish and Timnath elementary schools were delayed. 

The changes will take effect for the 2027-2028 school year.