Nine PSD Schools Recommended for Closure

Mountain school proposal could substantially increase travel times for rural students

By North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Nine Poudre School District schools would close, and two others would consolidate beginning with the 2027-28 school year under a recommendation from the district’s Comprehensive Planning Committee.

Among the most consequential proposed changes for rural families are the closures of Livermore, Red Feather Lakes and Stove Prairie elementary schools. Students from all three Mountain School attendance areas would be assigned to Cache la Poudre Elementary School in Laporte, potentially adding significant travel for children living across northern and western Larimer County.

The impact is particularly pronounced for Red Feather Lakes. The trip from the community to the proposed receiving school is roughly 35 to 40 miles by road and can take up to an hour each way. Livermore Elementary is about 12 miles from Cache la Poudre Elementary, while Stove Prairie Elementary is roughly 11 miles away.

Those school-to-school distances may understate the actual commute for some students. The Mountain Schools serve large, sparsely populated attendance areas, and some children already travel considerable distances from their homes to reach their current schools. Actual transportation times would depend on where students live and the bus routes PSD establishes if the closures are approved.

The recommendation is not final. The PSD Board of Education is scheduled to receive the committee’s formal recommendation Oct. 13 and vote Oct. 27. If approved, the changes would take effect in fall 2027.

Under the proposal, Beattie Elementary would close, with neighborhood students assigned to Lopez and Bennett elementary schools.

Irish Elementary Escuela Bilingüe would close, with neighborhood students assigned to Cache la Poudre and Bauder elementary schools. A designated group of multilingual learners would have an opportunity to attend Harris Bilingual Immersion Elementary.

Johnson Elementary would close, with students assigned to Olander and McGraw elementary schools. Putnam Elementary would close, with students assigned to Dunn and Tavelli elementary schools.

Livermore, Red Feather Lakes, and Stove Prairie elementary schools would close, and students would be assigned to Cache la Poudre Elementary.

Timnath Elementary would close, with students assigned to Linton and Bamford elementary schools, while Blevins Middle School would close, with students assigned to Webber and Lincoln middle schools.

The committee also recommends consolidating Centennial High School and Poudre Community Academy into a new school. Its location would be determined in early 2027. A boundary change is also proposed for Bacon Elementary.

PSD says declining enrollment has left the district with approximately 10,000 more seats than students. The district says maintaining significantly under-enrolled buildings spreads staffing, programs, and other resources across more facilities than the student population requires.

The Comprehensive Planning Committee spent months reviewing school utilization, current and projected enrollment, facility conditions, transportation, walkability, program availability and continuity of services.

Transportation could become an especially important issue as the board considers the three Mountain School closures. Unlike most of the schools proposed for closure in Fort Collins, Livermore, Red Feather Lakes, and Stove Prairie serve geographically dispersed rural communities where mountain roads, distance, and winter weather are routine considerations.

For a Red Feather Lakes student, even a school-to-school trip could be a daily round trip of roughly 70 to 80 miles. A student’s actual trip could be longer or shorter depending on where the family lives and how PSD designs future bus routes.

PSD has scheduled several community listening sessions before the board vote.

The first will be held Oct. 12 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Timnath Middle-High School, 4700 E. Prospect Road in Timnath.

Additional sessions are scheduled for Oct. 14 at Rocky Mountain High School, Oct. 15 at Poudre High School, and Oct. 19 at Fort Collins High School. Each meeting is scheduled from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

The sessions are open to the community, including residents who are not directly connected with schools proposed for closure.

The Board of Education is scheduled to receive the committee’s formal recommendation on Oct. 13 before considering a final decision on Oct. 27.

More information about the proposal and the district’s comprehensive planning process is available on the Poudre School District website.

Source: Poudre School District