The Poudre School District Board of Education voted in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Oct. 28, to close or consolidate schools across Fort Collins and the surrounding area, a sweeping response to years of declining enrollment that has left the district with roughly 10,000 empty seats. Beattie, Johnson and Putnam elementary schools, along with Blevins Middle School, are set to close effective July 1, 2027, and Irish Escuela Bilingüe will follow a year later in 2028. Centennial High School and Poudre Community Academy will merge into a new school starting in fall 2027-28.
The meeting began Oct. 27, and the board voted in the early morning hours of Oct. 28 to directly address what the district called a sustained decline in the number of school-aged children in the community. According to Poudre School District, the recommendation responds to that drop alongside the roughly 10,000 vacant seats spread across its campuses. Local coverage of the vote diverged slightly on scope: 9NEWS reported the board's action affects eight schools in total — six closures and two consolidations — while the district's own announcement described the action as closing or consolidating six schools beginning in fall 2027-28.
Irish Escuela Bilingüe students are expected to be reassigned to Cache la Poudre Elementary School and Bauder Elementary School when that closure takes effect in 2028, per Denver7. The district says it will also build a unified Dual Language program to serve those families going forward. Meanwhile, Centennial High School and Poudre Community Academy will combine into a single new school, though the district has not yet determined where that merged campus will be located.
Mountain Schools Spared, Timnath Left in Limbo
Not every school on the chopping block ended up closing. Livermore, Red Feather and Stove Prairie elementary schools had all been recommended for closure earlier in the planning process, but the board's final vote keeps all three open, the district confirmed.
Timnath Elementary's fate remains conditional. The district says it will close in fall 2028-29 unless the Town of Timnath secures funding for a new, district-owned and operated elementary school. Local leaders are already mobilizing: Timnath's Town Council unanimously backed a request for its city manager to commit at least $25,000 from both the 2026 and 2027 budgets toward a joint task force aimed at keeping the elementary school open, Denver7 reported.
What Happens Next for Affected Families
For families whose schools are closing, the district's first School Choice application window opens Nov. 4 and runs through Dec. 16, with students from closing schools receiving priority consideration, according to 9NEWS. The district also says transportation will be available to eligible students who are reassigned to new schools — specifically those living more than a mile from an elementary school, 1.5 miles from a middle school, or 2 miles from a high school. District officials have indicated that additional transition-support details will be shared in the months ahead, the same Denver7 report noted.
Other Districts Face Similar Challenges
Poudre is not alone in confronting the fallout: Boulder Valley has closure and restructuring plans underway.
Boulder Valley's board voted 5-2 in September to close schools and restructure others starting in 2027-28, with officials there estimating $3.5 million to $4 million in annual savings against $7.5 million to $10 million in facility costs and another $5 million in transition expenses, according to the Colorado Sun.
Poudre's board vote was covered by CBS News Colorado amid the district's ongoing enrollment decline. For now, families across Fort Collins and Timnath are left watching the calendar — toward the 2027 closures already locked in, and toward whether Timnath's elementary school can still be saved before 2028.
